Members of UE Local 893 picketed the Anamosa State Penitentiary on January 9, to make the public aware of the impact of pending layoffs of correctional counselors at state correctional institutions in Iowa. The action received extensive coverage on TV news broadcasts in the region.
The state gave notice of layoffs, effective in mid-January, to 11 counselors at the Anamosa State Penitentiary, two social workers and eight counselors at the Mt. Pleasant Correctional Facility, three at Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison, and several more at correctional facilities in Newton, Clarinda, Fort Dodge and Rockwell City. These counselors are responsible for the rehabilitative treatment programs for substance-abuse offenders and sexual-abuse offenders. Iowa State Penitentiary houses special needs offenders, many with dual diagnosis and mental health problems. These layoffs will cost the taxpayers much more in the long run than the money reportedly being saved, say UE members. Lack of treatment will either mean that offenders stay behind bars longer, or that they will be released without rehabilitative treatment.
Ken Pirc of Cedar Rapids in one of the substance abuse counselors slated to be laid off. He counsels 100 of Anamosa’s 1,100 inmates. He says Governor Chet Culver’s across-the-board 10 percent spending cut will eliminate half of Anamosa’s counselors, and for those who remain, “There won’t be any time for rehabilitation. Those that are left here will just be putting out fires to maintain the safety within the walls.”
Anamosa counselor and UE Steward Jason Hute, who will not be laid off, said the public should be concerned that eliminating prison counselors means that inmates will be leaving prison without being rehabilitated. “Teen sex offender counselors are going to be laid off as well, so we have substance abuse and now violent sexual offenders with no treatment, released. If the substance abuse doesn’t bother you, the sex offender will, and should.”
In a press release, Local 893 pointed out that statistics support the view that treatment programs are effective and reduce the rate of recidivism. The union called the issue “a matter of public safety,” and points out that Iowa prisons are all ready overcrowded. The local estimates the state will save around $500,000 from these layoffs, but if the loss of counseling means that just 40 offenders end up in prison for an additional six months, the state will have saved nothing, but public safety will be greatly endangered.
UE International Representative Greg Cross pointed out that the union presented the governor and his staff with several alternatives to layoffs. These included a legitimate early retirement proposal for state workers, additional aid from the federal government, reducing the layers of management, modifications to the Iowa tax code, and reviewing and reducing corporate welfare. “Our members have all ready accepted wage freezes in an attempt to balance the budget. We have suffered underfunding and understaffing for years. We cannot continue to balance the budget on the backs of state employees,” said Cross.