COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — About 100 Ohio prison workers have picketed outside Department of Rehabilitation and Correction headquarters claiming that staff shortages and other issues have made prisons more dangerous than ever.
The prison workers, who picketed outside the DRC in Columbus on Monday, said bad food from a private vendor, overcrowding and security breaches also contribute the unsafe conditions inside the state's 27 prisons.
Phil Morris is the chapter president of the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association at Lebanon Correctional Institution. He says staffing is his top concern at the high-security prison where gangs and violence have been a chronic problem.
In a statement, the agency said it has the same goals as the union, "which is to operate safe and secure prisons."
