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DOC Picketers Call for Respect, Adequate Resources

SEA members from the Department of Corrections want to be respected for keeping our communities safe, and they want the resources to do the job right.

That was the message delivered by about 45 DOC members and their allies who walked an informational picket line in front of the State House on April 4.

Disrespect experienced by members includes an off-color reference to our collective bargaining agreement, which has been referred to by Commissioner Stephen Curry as a "piece of crap."

 Continuing Campaign

Picketing was the latest action in a campaign that has included a petition of "no confidence" against  Curry and Warden Bruce Cattell of the Concord prison.

Problems facing DOC originate both from management and the Legislature. Members called public attention to proposed budget cuts, a bill removing of some staff from Group II retirement, inadequate staffing and equipment, and failure to comply the contract.

DOC members stress public services and the need for adequate funding during informational picketing at the State House on April 4.

Picketers work a range of jobs at DOC, from correctional officer (CO) and counselor to probation and parole officer. All have witnessed the effects of a tight-fisted philosophy that creates waste and inefficiency while compromising public safety.

 High Costs

Short staffing translates into increased tensions and a more dangerous environment as well as reductions in rehabilitation programs. Dramatic escapes like the one two years ago catch the public's attention, but the state pays a high price when a lack of rehabilitation means released offenders commit new crimes and return to prison.

Bob Saindon, a CO, described an all-too-familiar pattern caused by inadequate rehabilitation services. "These guys are going to get outside. They are going to be in our communities again, and they are going to go back and do the same thing they have always done. It's the only thing they know."

As both a CO and counselor, Ernie Beaulieu has a broad understanding of safety and rehabilitation.

 Short Staffing

"The real problem is funding and staffing. They are related. If you had the money, then you would have the staffing," he said. "We cannot do our job out of uniform if there aren't enough officers there in uniform to manage the inmate population."

The state could probably reduce recidivism costs by ramping up substance abuse treatment in the prisons. A probation and parole officer, Sterling Wheeler works with inmates making the transition back to the community.

SEA members and other supporters of public services circle the plaza in front of the State House.  They called public attention to budget cuts, short staffing,  inadequate equipment, and a lack of respect.

"Why should an individual spend at least a year in prison with no treatment? That makes no sense to me," he said. He pointed out that it can be very difficult for newly released offenders to focus on a treatment program while trying to survive and support a family.

 Holdover

Don Valente, another probation and parole officer, sees Commissioner Curry as carrying out the agenda of former-Gov. Craig Benson's administration.

"He is basically a cut of Benson's cloth," he said. "He doesn't want to hear from you."

The approach has damaged morale in the department. "We that work in the public safety sector can ill afford to have that kind of low morale. We have to be out there every day making sure that the citizens of New Hampshire are protected."

I her eight years as a CO, Jennifer Walters has never seen morale so low in the DOC workforce.

 Bad Combination

"It's definitely the lowest I've ever seen it," she said. "But talking to people that've been there longer than I have - 15 or 20 years - they have never seen it this bad."

Reductions in programs and short staffing is a dangerous formula for an incarcerated population. "They can't be expected to sit in their cells all day with nothing to do. With limited staff and angry inmates, it's not a good situation for anybody."

The DOC workers and their supporters concluded the event with a chant that reflects the greatest reward for every SEA member who serves the public.

"Respect! Respect! Respect!"