UPDATE:
DES MOINES –AFSCME Iowa Council 61 President Danny Homan issued the following statement regarding new information about the escape at the Correctional Release Center at Newton Correctional Facility:
“We have learned that one of the escaped inmates, Jessy Foley, previously escaped from a Community Based Corrections facility and was sent back to a Department of Corrections facility. This is yet another example of how the Department of Corrections inmate classification system is broken and needs to be addressed to protect Iowans.”###
DES MOINES –AFSCME Iowa Council 61 President Danny Homan issued the following statement regarding the escape of two inmates from the Correctional Release Center at Newton Correctional Facility:
“The escape of these two inmates from the Correctional Release Center at Newton Correctional Facility on Saturday demonstrates the consequences of critically low staffing levels in Iowa’s correctional system. The staffing levels have been going down and this trend needs to stop.
“We must emphasize that the inmates at the Correctional Release Center at Newton Correctional Facility are not permitted to leave the grounds on their own at any time. If they work off site, they are to be picked up and supervised by their employer’s trained staff. Inmates at this facility should be supervised by DOC or their employer at all times. The escape of these two individuals is a serious matter.
“Five years ago the Department of Corrections discontinued running an around the clock perimeter vehicle patrol around the Correctional Release Center at Newton Correctional Facility due to low staffing levels. After this escape on Saturday, the perimeter was finally reinstituted on Sunday.
“Over the past several years, staffing at the Correctional Release Center has been reduced and we believe there may be plans to further reduce staffing levels.
“Additionally, the broken inmate classification system, which the DOC changed a few years back, is pushing inmates from higher security settings to lower security settings before they are ready. The pattern of misclassification of inmates in a hurried attempt to get them out of prison is a serious problem that needs to be addressed.
“Due to the failure of the DOC to staff DOC Institutions and Community Based Corrections facilities adequately, the citizens of the Newton area and the State of Iowa now have to worry about two convicted felons being on the loose somewhere in Iowa. Does anyone remember the Clarinda Correctional Facility escape in 2013?”
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