BARAGA, Michigan (WLUC) – The Michigan Corrections Organization (MCO) held an informational vigil near the Baraga Maximum Correctional Facility on Tuesday to raise awareness about staffing shortages and unsafe working conditions in Michigan’s prisons.

Community members and leaders gathered with the MCO during the picket. The event took place after Monday’s picket near the Chippewa/Kinross facilities.

“We no longer believe that the Department of Justice itself has the capacity to solve the workforce crisis,” said MCO President Byron Osborn. “Legislative action is needed to make effective decisions that will encourage people to enter the profession and then stay in it.”

The goal of the events is to mobilize lawmakers to address the staffing crisis in the state’s correctional facilities.

According to Osborn, Baraga Correctional Facility is short more than 30% of the correctional officers it needs, which is leading to restrictions on prisoners’ activities and, in turn, growing frustration.

“Just yesterday, for example, the facility here was once again severely short-staffed,” Osborn continued. “They had to cancel yard hours again. That creates a bad situation because they take out their frustration on anyone they can, and that’s usually the correctional officers.”

Such unrest occurred last month. These conditions are also leading to officials resigning, which further exacerbates the problem.

The Michigan Department of Corrections said in a statement to TV6:

HB 5912 was introduced by Representative Jenn Hill of the 109th District. She introduced the bill following a tour of the Baraga Maximum Correctional Facility.

However, Dave Prestin, a representative from the 108th District who attended the picket on Tuesday, does not believe the bill will be effective enough.

“These people can already be hired without the training,” Prestin added. “The entire time they spend in the training process to get that training is only 15 credit hours, that’s only one semester…removing the training requirement is really more of a decorative aspect and at the end of the day is not going to change anything.”

Prestin was joined at the vigil by Rep. Hill and House Representative Greg Markkanen of the 110th District and State Senator John Damoose of the 37th District.

The MCO’s final picket will be outside the Marquette Branch prison on Wednesday.

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