PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia’s city controller said that staffing levels at the city’s prisons are dangerously low, leading to increasing violence and other issues at the facilities on State Road.
City controller Rebecca Rhynhart called on Mayor Jim Kenney to mount an aggressive campaign to recruit and hire staff.
Rhynhart said she made a recent visit to those prisons, and was appalled.
"There was one housing unit we walked through where the air was thick with the smell of, I was told...K2, which is a synthetic marijuana that the inmates were smoking," said Rhynhart.
The Kenney Administration has reduced the prison population by more than 40%. Rhynhart said the rate of reduction slowed in the last year, but staffing levels have continued to decline steeply.
Rhynhart said that since the city's fiscal year of 2019, correctional officer staffing levels had dropped by 23%. That led to a situation that has been dangerous for guards and inmates, she said.
She pointed to the five homicides at the jails since last August as a consequence.
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"The killing of one inmate by another is a clear indicator of an unsafe environment, as well as an overall lack of protection for those in the care of the prison system," Rhynhart explained.
The staffing issue has created other problems, imposing limits on out-of-cell time that was already shortened due to COVID-19.
Union leaders also blamed staffing issues for the increase in staff calling out to take time off.
"While employees are fearful for their lives, you’re not going to convince them to come in," said Rhynhart.
A city spokesperson says officials are addressing the problem, and there has already been improvement. 23 new guards began working last month, and another 20 have begun training.
Increased pay for certain shifts has decreased the call outs, and COVID-19 vaccinations are allowing for more out-of-cell time.