A southeast Iowa lawmaker wants the issue of prison staffing to gain more attention in Des Moines.
The issue has taken a back seat early in the 2015 legislative session to another prison-related topic: the delays in opening the new Iowa State Penitentiary near Fort Madison.
There have been hearings and tours regarding the delays, which have been prompted by issues with the heating and ventilation system.
State Senator Rich Taylor (D-Mount Pleasant) said it is important for lawmakers to focus on those delays. But he said they also need to look at the staffing levels at the current Iowa State Penitentiary and every other prison in the state.
"We were already grossly understaffed at all of the institutions in the state. We already knew that," said Taylor, "And now in order to try to fund fixing the problems at the new penitentiary, the Department of Corrections has put on a hiring freeze. They say it is a hiring slowdown, but to me, if you are not hiring anybody, it is a freeze."
Taylor said he wants to take money sitting in reserve accounts and spend it on filling staffing vacancies.
"I'm trying to advocate for some special funding out of our last year’s ending balance to make sure that we have enough staff in these penitentiaries to avoid possible dangerous, very dangerous situations in these prisons.”
Taylor said the latest figures he has seen show the Iowa State Penitentiary is down about 25 employees while the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility is short about 12.
ISP Deputy Warden Mark Roberts told lawmakers during a recent tour that modernized operations at the new prison will allow for staffing levels to remain the same as they are at the current facility.
