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Testimony before the

House Finance Committee on Transportation

131st General Assembly

Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections

Fiscal Years 2015 – 2016

Operating Budget

Presented by: Brian McGraw, Corrections Officer – Ross Correctional Institution

Ohio Civil Service Employees Association/AFSCME Local 11

March 19, 2015

Good morning Chairwoman Grossman and members of the Committee.

My name is Brian McGraw and I’ve worked as a Correction Officer at the Ross Correctional Institution in Chillicothe, Ohio for 14 years. I’m here today to let you know how overcrowding, understaffing and increased violence in our state prison system is not only a danger to officers like myself --- but also to the communities we protect and the inmates we house.

In our line of work, it only takes a moment to go from order to chaos. I know this firsthand, because it was a month ago this week that I was ambushed, assaulted and injured just doing my job.

On Feb. 21---a Saturday---three officers and I were escorting an inmate to segregation. This inmate is a known member of a Columbus Blood gang. But little did we know, as we headed down that stairway, that a group of 17 inmates were preparing to ambush us. This included some of the inmate’s relatives and fellow gang members. This was one of their “guys” and this was their pay back.

My co-worker, Officer Steve Stutz, was the first to be hit. Chaos ensued from there. All of a sudden, I was struck from the side. Hard. So hard, I was stunned and fell to the ground. I was so disoriented and fighting to defend myself that I was unable to access my pepper spray. Everything was in slow motion. There was a moment there that I thought, “This could be it. I’m going to die right here.”

Finally, after what seemed like forever (but was probably only seconds), there was a break in the madness. A fellow officer was able to subdue the inmate assaulting me so I could get my bearings. Despite my pain, I knew I had to call for back up. I was able to restrain the transported inmate and got out to call for help. I knew we were short staffed that day, but all I could do was pray that someone could come help my fellow officers. And thankfully, the few that were able DID. Because they were trained to handle the situation, they quickly got things under control.

This assault was bad, but not as bad as it could have been. I suffered an oracle fracture, or a broken eye socket. Officer Larry Patterson has a broken hand. And, luckily, the initial blow did not injure Officer Stutz.

I thank God for the officers that were with me that day, including Officer Walter Rumer, who was by my side the entire time; and Lt. Shane Sexton; as well as those that came to our rescue, despite serious understaffing that day.

Understaffing and overcrowding is a major concern in our state prison system---not only at Ross but in all state prisons across Ohio. On the day of my attack, there were 2 officers for every 126 inmates. That’s a remarkable 63-to-1 inmate-to-officer ratio.

But there are a lot of statistics out there that contradict the reality of what’s happening in our state prisons. The current reported statewide ratio says there are 7.1 inmates for every officer. But the truth is, that’s if each and every officer were on duty and working non-stop, all at the same time. We all know this just isn’t realistic. And, when you look at DR&C payroll data, there are actually over 250 fewer officers working inside the prison walls than actually reported.

But here’s what those statistics do show: Inmate-to-staff ratios are growing higher and higher and serious assaults against staff keep going up. Ohio’s prison population has increased 9.8 percent in 10 years, while COs on the job have decreased by 11.3 percent in that same time period. Ohio is beating out the national average in ratios and is the highest of surrounding states, including West Virginia and Michigan. And, gang violence is like I’ve never seen it before. Last month, there were 53 uses of force and the STG gang numbers at Ross are the highest in the department.

It was 22 years ago this April---this Easter---that we lost one of our own at Lucasville. 11 inmates were also killed. I was only 13 years old, but I know exactly what that represents for COs across this state. There was a moment on Feb. 21 that I, too, feared that I wouldn’t make it home to my wife and two young daughters. But the sad truth is, any and all additional officers added to the rolls in response to that riot have long been eliminated. We can’t let history repeat itself.

I ask you today to increase staffing in our state prisons. For the safety of our communities and peace of mind for our public servants and their families, we need to get boots on the ground in every state prison. I urge you to consider reducing Ohio’s understaffing and overcrowding by pulling the 4 percent vacancy rate and filling all of the posts once and for all.

Thank you.

Attachments:

Inmate-to-CO Ratio 2001-Present

Physical Assaults Against Staff

Change in Public Prison Population & Staff 2004-2014

2013 Inmate / Correction Officer Ratio - States

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Inmate-to-CO Ratio

2001-Present

Physical Assaults Against Staff

Change in Public Prison Population

& Staff 2004-2014

2013 Inmate / Correction Officer Ratio

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