• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Crime / Courts / Union leader calls on officials to address Covid concerns in Iowa prisons

Union leader calls on officials to address Covid concerns in Iowa prisons

November 23, 2020 By O. Kay Henderson

Danny Homan

The leader of the union that represents correctional officers says it’s time for the state prison system to quit accepting new admissions from county jails.

AFSCME Council 61 president Danny Homan said if that inconveniences sheriffs and others in the criminal justice system, so be it.

“We don’t need their problems coming in there,” Homan said during an online news conference this afternoon. “We need to shut this department down. Leave all inmates where they’re at and we need and we need to do this for four weeks, so that we can figure out what’s going on inside the walls.”

A spokesman for the Iowa Department of Corrections said halting admissions shifts the burden to county jails, most of which are ill-equipped to handle overcrowding or deal with an outbreak of the virus.

Coronavirus outbreaks have been reported at state prison facilities in Coralville, Fort Dodge, Mount Pleasant, Anamosa, Rockwell City, and Clarinda. Homan told reporters he’s concerned the state prison in Newton will be the site of the next outbreak. The department’s website shows 11 Newton inmates have recently tested positive for Covid.

“If we’re going to stop this inside the Department of Corrections, inside the state’s institution, we have to take drastic action,” Homan said, “and I believe the only way to do that is to stop admissions.”

Last week, state officials confirmed a staffer at the state prison for women in Mitchellville died of Covid. Homan says the corrections department now plans to distribute N95 face masks, which provide an elevated level of protections, to all staff, not just those who have direct contact with a Covid-positive inmate. Homan said another key concern is more staff are working double-shifts because others are sick or in quarantine because of an exposure.

“They’ve expended every ounce of energy they can and they’re just going to work on sheer will and that makes them vulnerable for a lot of other things,” Homan said. “Staffing is one of the biggest problems we have within the Department of Corrections.”

Cord Overton, a spokesman for the Iowa Department of Corrections, accuses Homan of trying to “score cheap political points” rather than focus on how to best support each other through the pandemic.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Crime / Courts, News Tagged With: Coronavirus

Featured Stories

Governor signs Iowa Renewable Fuels Standard into law

Jury returns guilty verdict in shooting death of State Trooper

A haboob, a dust storm black out, hits northwest Iowa

Summit has easements for 20% of carbon pipeline route through Iowa

Morel mushroom hunters on hold without warmer conditions

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Iowa’s Huckstorf garners national award

Iowa Special Olympics Summer games set to open in Ames

Radio Iowa/Baseball Coaches Association High School Poll 5/16/22

Iowa assistant coach Kirk Speraw to retire

Northern Iowa prepares for Missouri Valley Conference softball tournament

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2022 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC