Montana State Prison guard says superiors kept him locked in at shift end

DEER LODGE — A Montana State Jail correctional officer desires prices introduced in opposition to two of his superiors after he stated they stored him locked in a guard cage for about 20-Half-hour after his shift ended.

Anthony Cotton instructed the Powell County Sheriff’s Workplace in a report filed July 28, {that a} member of command employees on the Montana State Jail instructed a unit sergeant to not let Cotton out of a management cage when his shift was executed.

“He stated they instructed him to not ship anybody down,” Cotton stated. “I stated ‘They will’t try this.’ And that I would really like him to ship any individual down now as a result of I’m not staying.”

In response to Cotton’s report, the incident occurred on July 25, about 5 days earlier than the Montana State Jail switched to 12-hour shifts. The altering of shift schedules ended holdover shifts, stated Alexandria Klapmeier, a Montana Division of Corrections spokesperson. The rejiggering of the schedule was one in every of a number of options DOC management proposed because it tries to handle below staffing on the jail. Nevertheless, some correctional officers stated the 12-hour shift is problematic and administration is just not doing sufficient to assist employees throughout a tough time.

In an electronic mail to MTN Information Thursday, Klapmeier didn’t tackle the report filed by Cotton, however stated, “if a employees member refuses to remain for a shift, they’re free to go away.”

Somebody did relieve Cotton, he stated. However after he left the jail he despatched a coworker a textual content and stated he was “Severely at a psychological break down,” due to jail administration. The day earlier than, Cotton stated jail command employees had additionally tried to drive him to remain for an additional shift.

“I used to be very indignant,” Cotton stated. “And mentally I used to be just about executed with them.”

Cotton is about two and a half years from having the ability to give up his jail job and hold his retirement advantages, he stated. He was nervous about what submitting prices in opposition to his bosses would possibly imply for his future on the jail, he stated. However the night time his superiors tried to maintain him hostage on the jail, he stated he’d lastly had sufficient.

As of Thursday, the Powell County Sheriff’s Workplace had Cotton’s case open, however no prices had been filed.

Each DOC Director Brian Gootkin and Public Security Chief Jim Anderson have testified earlier than interim legislative committees in regards to the division’s wrestle to rent correctional officers. At a jail board assembly in June, Montana State Girls’s Jail additionally reported problem hiring employees, and stated the ladies’s jail was down 15 correctional officers on the time.

Crossroads Correctional Middle, which is a personal jail that DOC contracts with, additionally reported hiring points and stated it was bringing in correctional officers from out-of-state. When Crossroads has a vacant place for greater than 90 days, DOC can penalize the corporate by withholding contract funds. As of Aug. 2, the DOC had withheld about $390,000 in fiscal yr 2022.

Individuals proceed to go away their jail jobs, stated Cathy Clark, president of the Montana State Jail worker union. At a union assembly Tuesday, Clark stated three individuals put of their two weeks discover earlier that day.

“The final time I calculated it was 158 (correctional officers), final yr it was 296,” Clark stated. “That ought to inform you how outnumbered they’re.”

Clark started working for the Montana State Jail within the mail room about 14 years in the past. Worker morale is at an all-time low, she stated.

In the course of the union assembly, staff joked about how the 12-hour shift was supposed to unravel all the pieces. Many had points with how the shift change was applied, highlighting how nobody was given extra trip hours, regardless of now having to take 12 hours of trip to cowl a shift the place they used to take simply eight hours. If an worker had 32 hours of trip, they’re paid depart goes from 4 days to about two and a half, Klapmeier acknowledged.

Nevertheless, Klapmeier identified the modifications to the shift schedule means staff go from working 10 days out of every pay interval to working seven days.

Workers additionally stated they’ve struggled to get breaks throughout their shifts, which may be much more irritating when a shift is 12 hours lengthy. On Aug. 9, a correctional officer filed an incident report after they stated they’d executed an 11-hour shift with no break.

“The DOC supplies employees with breaks all through the day,” Klapmeier stated. “Apart from throughout a facility emergency.”

The DOC doesn’t touch upon staffing numbers, Klapmeier stated. Nevertheless, they’ve acknowledged the staffing points on the jail and are working to handle the difficulty with current employees and expanded recruitment work, she stated. The security and safety of the general public, employees and the individuals serving sentences on the jail is the “high precedence of the DOC,” Klapmeier stated.

Nevertheless, Clark stated administration is just not listening to employees issues and the scenario is harmful. Workers are pissed off, however so are the incarcerated individuals contained in the jail, Clark stated.

“They’re not getting yard, they’re not getting psychological well being companies like they’re presupposed to,” Clark stated. “So, it’s a stress cooker.”