Wisconsin
Related: About this forumWalker blames DOC sick usage for budget problems They're being injured due to his policies!
Coverage thanks to Cognitive Dissidence.
Walker was forced to admit that the vacancies were a problem, but still tried to spin that as well: The Walker administration has said that increased vacancies were a factor but also said that increased sick leave by employees played a role.
Unfortunately, what the reporter, Jason Stein, failed to mention was that the increased sick leave is stemming from the fact that more and more corrections officers are being seriously injured due to the excessive staff shortages that Walker refuses to fill. Exacerbating the issue is also Walker's Act 38, which removes any chances of early release meaning that there are more inmates, now with no incentive for good behavior, and less officers to deal with them.
Walker's refusal to fill these vacant positions make me question what his motivation for not doing so is.
I would not be surprised in the least to find out that he is setting corrections in a downward spiral in order to claim that it's not cost effective to keep running it and trying to privatize the entire system. He did similar things over and over when he was Milwaukee County Executive.
independentpiney
(1,510 posts)leftyohiolib
(5,917 posts)yellowcanine
(35,701 posts)prison guards with high morale than ones with low morale from being overworked. So it is not a question of sympathy for the guards - you get what you pay for.
Lefta Dissenter
(6,622 posts)throughout the last 16 months of protest here, and they've all been nice, normal people who are working a difficult job to earn a living. I remember one man telling me over a year ago that their warden had warned them of the pending law changes, and that they should be prepared for a tough time. Many inmates had been working hard for years to earn early release, and were about to find out that that option would be taken away from them. I know of at least two wardens who refused to allow the DOA to bring the National Guard through the prisons - back when Walker was threatening to have the NG take over. The wardens feared that there would be rioting if the inmates thought that the NG would be in charge.
yellowcanine
(35,701 posts)People have to take on extra assignments, they have to work more mandatory overtime, they are under more stress, morale is lower, they call in sick more often. Which in turn makes the staff shortages worse. No brainer for anybody who has managed people.