Post by CCADP on Aug 27, 2005 20:25:24 GMT -5
State right to fire guards at MANCI
The state did the right thing when it fired 2 prison guards at Mansfield
Correctional Institution.
The report released by the state on a suicide at MANCI paints a rather
unflattering picture of the system. While we are not certain this
represents an accurate reflection of the day-to-day activities on death
row, we think changes are in order.
A cop killer on Ohio's death row who committed suicide in May was likely
dead almost 4 hours before his body was found, indicating a breakdown in
the system for checking on inmates, the report concluded.
The state said it fired James Clark and Jeffrey Whitaker and disciplined
unit Capt. John Cantrell over the handling of the May 7 suicide of Martin
Koliser. The union is contesting the firings, but it's obvious there were
problems at MANCI that day. They are being made scapegoats for
supervisors, the head of the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, the
union that represents corrections officers, contends.
Under prison procedures, a guard should have checked on Koliser twice an
hour. Instead, the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction believes a
check was made about 1:30 a.m. and again about 5:20 p.m., according to the
report.
The report also found numerous other problems with the handling of the
suicide, including inadequate documentation of guards' activities at
night, broken first-aid kits and a failure to regularly carry out suicide
drills.
The report follows February's unsuccessful escape attempt from death row
in which 2 inmates built a ladder from sheets and rolled-up newspapers and
magazines. In that incident, prison officials blamed "gross deficiencies
in supervision" and reprimanded several administrators, including the
warden. Collectively, the two problems look bad coming so close together,
prison system spokeswoman Andrea Dean admitted this week.
Dean is correct in her assessment. Unfortunately, a few MANCI employees
didn't do their jobs in these 2 instances.
Whether the blame lies with the guards or with administrators is
debatable. What isn't subject for debate is the system didn't work during
those 2 incidents.
The key is corrective measures must be taken to make MANCI safer for
inmates and workers. Going forward, that must be everyone's priority.
(source: Mansfield News Journal)
The state did the right thing when it fired 2 prison guards at Mansfield
Correctional Institution.
The report released by the state on a suicide at MANCI paints a rather
unflattering picture of the system. While we are not certain this
represents an accurate reflection of the day-to-day activities on death
row, we think changes are in order.
A cop killer on Ohio's death row who committed suicide in May was likely
dead almost 4 hours before his body was found, indicating a breakdown in
the system for checking on inmates, the report concluded.
The state said it fired James Clark and Jeffrey Whitaker and disciplined
unit Capt. John Cantrell over the handling of the May 7 suicide of Martin
Koliser. The union is contesting the firings, but it's obvious there were
problems at MANCI that day. They are being made scapegoats for
supervisors, the head of the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, the
union that represents corrections officers, contends.
Under prison procedures, a guard should have checked on Koliser twice an
hour. Instead, the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction believes a
check was made about 1:30 a.m. and again about 5:20 p.m., according to the
report.
The report also found numerous other problems with the handling of the
suicide, including inadequate documentation of guards' activities at
night, broken first-aid kits and a failure to regularly carry out suicide
drills.
The report follows February's unsuccessful escape attempt from death row
in which 2 inmates built a ladder from sheets and rolled-up newspapers and
magazines. In that incident, prison officials blamed "gross deficiencies
in supervision" and reprimanded several administrators, including the
warden. Collectively, the two problems look bad coming so close together,
prison system spokeswoman Andrea Dean admitted this week.
Dean is correct in her assessment. Unfortunately, a few MANCI employees
didn't do their jobs in these 2 instances.
Whether the blame lies with the guards or with administrators is
debatable. What isn't subject for debate is the system didn't work during
those 2 incidents.
The key is corrective measures must be taken to make MANCI safer for
inmates and workers. Going forward, that must be everyone's priority.
(source: Mansfield News Journal)