CRANSTON – The Rhode Island Brotherhood of Correctional Officers on Monday blasted the R.I. Department of Corrections leadership in the wake of several inmate deaths and a half-dozen other recent violent incidents in the state prison, warning of "unsafe conditions for both inmates and correctional officers” that could “rapidly increase in severity.”
The union said multiple officers and inmates have been injured in clashes within the Adult Correctional Institutions in recent weeks.
Union President Richard Ferruccio called the incidents “the latest in a new troubling trend" at the prison, including two inmate deaths within the past month and an attack that resulted in six correctional officers in the medium security unit requiring medical treatment.
“In addition to the unprecedented uptick in violence we have been experiencing since the start of the year that resulted in injuries to inmates and correctional officers, these events are a result of the lack of experienced leadership and use of best practices by the DOC’s administration,” he said.
In addition to an “ineffective disciplinary policy” instituted by Correction's Department acting Director Wayne Salisbury, Ferruccio cited a “dire” recruitment and retention crisis within the department that is exasperating “the threat that increasingly violent working conditions place on the profession.”
In a follow-up statement clarifying the policies in question, the union said Salisbury has lessened penalties for inmates caught dealing narcotics, been unresponsive to officers’ alerts of increased drug smuggling and "has limited officers’ ability to remove offenders from general population when they commit violent acts."
The union is facing a shortage of 82 correctional officers from its staff, resulting in an increase in so-called “frozen shifts” that mandate officers work an extra eight hours on top of regularly scheduled workdays.
“There has been a noticeable uptick in threats to the safety and health of inmates, as well as correctional officers," Ferruccio said. “We hope the director will take this opportunity to reopen dialogue with the Brotherhood to address these concerning issues and incidents to create a safer environment for all.”
J.R. Ventura, chief of information and public relations for the R.I. Department of Corrections, said the recent incidents were a consequence of the rising prison population combined with the opioid epidemic, and are unrelated to any new policies.
"People come to us from police departments and courts with all manner of afflictions, comorbidities and medical ailments," he said. "Just like in nursing facilities, hospitals and other extended care centers, people unfortunately pass away due to different causes."
(UPDATE adds the last two paragraphs with comment from J.R. Ventura, chief of information and public relations for the R.I. Department of Corrections.)
Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com.
