DES MOINES - AFSCME Iowa Council 61 President Danny Homan issued the following statement regarding the recent discovery of drugs and contraband at the North Central Correctional Facility in Rockwell City:
"Director Baldwin needs to come clean about the effects of low staffing and the lack of sufficient training at Iowa's correctional facilities. The discovery of approximately 600 pills, four cell phones, and four cell phone chargers at the North Central Correctional Facility represents a failure of Warden Cornell Smith, Director John Baldwin, and Governor Terry Branstad's correctional policies.
"Since this incident, numerous inmates at the North Central Correctional Facility have tested positive for marijuana. Yet no marijuana has yet been found. So our question for Warden Smith and Director Baldwin is: where is the marijuana?
"For years Director Baldwin and Governor Branstad have claimed Iowa's correctional facilities are sufficiently staffed. This recent major discovery of contraband once again shows those claims to be false.
"Iowa's correctional system employees work hard every day to keep us safe. It is my understanding that no employees of the North Central Correctional Facility are responsible for bringing this contraband into the prison. We believe that it was a member of the public which perpetrated this major security breach.
Warden Smith, Director Baldwin, and Governor Branstad need to take responsibility for their policies that have led to low staffing, insufficient training, and this security breach in Rockwell City.
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