CORALVILLE, Iowa (AP) - Labor union officials are criticizing staffing levels at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center prison, but state officials defend their hiring and say the prison is filling its vacancies.
Danny Homan, president of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Iowa Council 61, says the reduced staffing contributed to a recent incident where four inmates tested positive for methamphetamine.
Homan told Cedar Rapids television station KCRG reports (https://bit.ly/2dxWIi8 ) the prison in Coralville had 583 total employees in 2009. That dropped to 525 in 2015.
Deputy Warden Greg Ort says the prison has seen a reduction in critical incidents, and it is working to fill all available vacancies.
Prison officials say that there are only 13 correctional officer positions vacant and one senior correctional officer position vacant.
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Information from: KCRG-TV, https://www.kcrg.com
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