Overcrowding, Understaffing Plague Iowa Prisons, According to Study

(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.


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