(Anamosa, IA) -- A study that was commissioned in the aftermath of the killings of two corrections department employees has found Iowa prisons are understaffed and overcrowded. An independent study shows there are a little more than 8,100 inmates in a system that only has capacity for just under 7,000 beds. The report urges state corrections officials to improve a compliance and accountability system, improve recruitment and create a positive staff environment. This past March, inmates Michael Dutcher and Thomas Woodard killed Officer Robert McFarland and nurse Lorena Schulte during a failed escape attempt. Both inmates entered guilty pleas this fall.