03/23/2026
Federal prisons are in crisis. And instead of fixing it, they're making it worse.
Over 1,400 Bureau of Prisons staff left last year. One in five correctional officer positions sits empty. Nurses, cooks, and teachers are being pulled from their jobs to guard inmates because there aren't enough officers to do it.
Congress told BOP to keep at least two correctional officers per high-security housing unit. Multiple facilities aren't even meeting that basic standard.
So what did BOP leadership do? They cut retention bonuses β pay cuts of up to 25% for more than half the staff. Then they canceled the collective bargaining agreement with AFGE's Council of Prison Locals, the union representing over 30,000 officers and staff.
You can't solve a staffing crisis by paying people less and taking away their rights.
Four members of the House Judiciary Committee are now demanding answers from BOP Director Marshall β how does the agency plan to recruit, retain, and protect the people running these facilities?
The lawmakers said it plainly: the termination of the CBA eliminates employees' ability to protect themselves and the people incarcerated in these facilities.
This isn't just a labor issue. It's a public safety issue. Understaffed prisons are dangerous β for the officers, for the inmates, for everyone.
Every federal employee deserves a voice at work. Especially the ones walking into a correctional facility every morning.
AFGE's Council of Prison Locals is fighting this in court. Oral argument is scheduled for April 30.
We don't stop.
π https://www.afge.org/article/lawmakers-seek-details-on-bop-plan-to-address-staffing-crisis/