After disturbances, staff shortages keep inmates on lockdown

The Missouri Department of Corrections has more than 700 openings for corrections officers. That shortage can result in the extension of a facility lockdown.

On the evening of July 4, a few inmates at the Tipton Correctional Center “refused to comply with nighttime procedures,” and later broke windows and damaged a bathroom wall. As a result, the entire facility was placed on a modified lockdown, according to a news release.

Some people close to inmates at TCC, who requested their full names not be released, say that lockdown has spanned days, resulting in further unrest among inmates. One person said the restrictions caused by the lockdown could inspire additional disturbances.

“There is talk among the inmates of retaliation for restrictions,” one mother of an inmate said.

During a lockdown, inmates are restricted to their housing units for longer than usual periods. Time for other activities is limited, or nonexistent. Karen Pojmann, a spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections, says the current staffing issues can lead to a longer lockdown period for some facilities.

“If there’s a shortage of staffing, that can lead to the restriction of movement, and restriction in the number of activities that offenders enjoy, unfortunately,” Pojmann told ABC 17 News on Monday.

The department is doing “everything we can” to recruit more employees, according to Pojmann.