PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Union leaders for Philadelphia prison guards and staff are meeting with city officials to urge them to make additional hires within prison walls and set stricter safety standards.
The meeting comes after inmates started a riot Wednesday night, according to District Council 33 labor union President David Robinson.
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After 11 p.m., he received several calls from officers within the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center on State Road.
“Inmates inside … completely took over the housing unit and destroyed city property and just running amuck — setting fires, throwing objects, being combative,” throwing feces, he said. “It was just complete chaos.”
The situation wasn’t under control until about 3 a.m.
And, Robinson said it’s not the first time.
“It seems like it is going on every other month, and it is really unusual. I understand we are in the midst of a pandemic and our staffing levels are dangerously low, however, these situations, they don’t just occur.”
It doesn’t help that there are about 1,500 employees within city prison walls — down about 1,000 people.
“We lose officers every day,” Robinson continued. “We are at a point where officers are scared for their lives, staff are scared for their lives, social workers, food services, medical — a lot of people are scared. They don’t know what is going to happen from one day to the next.”
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Robinson said a class of 33 guards is due to graduate soon, but the hiring process needs to continue.
He’s meeting with city leaders to iron out better working conditions and urge the city to hire more guards.
“The conditions they are working in is not what they signed up for,” he said. “A lot of this can be prevented. We have to take certain safety measures, and right now … the members don’t feel as though anyone is doing anything about it, and that is dangerous.”
A spokesperson for the city said there were two different “disturbances” inside the prison in separate housing units, but because it is under investigation, they could not comment further.