April 21, 2010
Corrections officers say cuts raise safety issues
NORCO - Less than a year after Chino's destructive prison riot, state corrections officers say cost-cutting could contribute to another just like it.
The safety of the public and of prison officers is imperiled by a 3 percent to 5 percent reduction in staffing levels statewide, according to dozens of local corrections officers who protested the decreases on Tuesday at the California Rehabilitation Center.
The officers said inmates receive less supervision, which encourages them to take advantage of less-secure situations.
"My main concern is knowing the troops are being denied proper coverage," said James Howell, a corrections officer at the CRC.
"We're already outnumbered from the get-go. This is about safety. Somebody is gonna get hurt..."
LINK - DailyBulletin.com
