Maryland Correctional Officers are Overworked and in Danger

AFSCME Maryland Council 3 President Patrick Moran, standing alongside two dozen officers, demanded on June 30th that Gov. Larry Hogan (R) increase efforts to fill staff vacancies at Maryland state prisons. Moran said the shortage puts guards and inmates at risk. Maryland state prisons are currently short about 600 correctional officers, and 1,000 vacancies department-wide. One officer said that the shortages require each guard to do the work of up to four people. Prisons have used overtime to compensate for the lack of employees, but some correctional officers say the additional hours have taken a toll on them, cutting into their family lives and leaving them exhausted.
- Christian Berk
-Adapted from a report in the Washington Post.