August 27, 2024 – Charles E. Egeler Reception & Guidance Center – KYI Special Edition Crisis Report

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The Corrections Officers working at the Charles E. Egeler Reception & Guidance Center, which serves as a quarantine facility responsible for intake processing of all male offenders who are adjudicated adults sentenced to a term of incarceration with the Michigan Department of Corrections, are suffering badly from the impacts of a severe staffing crisis. The vacancy rate for officers is now up to a dangerous 36.3%. This results in constant mandatory 16-hour shifts and violations of the Department’s overtime rules. Officers are forced to work double shifts multiple times per week and frequently on back-to-back days with no relief in sight. Every day, the prison runs with far less officers than is required, resulting in prisoner activities being limited or canceled. This in turn leads to disturbances and assaults on the officers when prisoners get frustrated.

It is time for the public and our elected officials to be made aware of what is really happening in Michigan’s state prison system. This series of reports will pull back the curtain for everyone to have a glimpse of what it’s like to work in short-staffed prisons.

From July 1 through July 31, 2024, there were 831 corrections officer overtime shifts. 648 of those overtime shifts were mandatory overtime, and most of the rest worked voluntarily overtime to avoid mandatory overtime. There were 118 violations of the MDOC’s 32-hour rule, which is a policy designed to protect officers from excessive overtime. During this time there were also approximately 30 “closed” officer positions across all three shifts per day. A closed officer position means that there wasn’t an officer stationed at a required position inside the prison.

The following is a summary of events just from July 1 through July 31, 2024, that corrections officers at this prison dealt with:

7/3/2024 A prisoner resisted officers while being escorted from segregation, additional officers responded to assist.
7/3/2024 Officers escorted a prisoner to segregation for disobeying a direct order.
7/3/2024 Officers responded to a prisoner assaulting another prisoner.
7/3/2024 A prisoner was charged with assault on staff.
7/3/2024 Officers escorted a prisoner to segregation for disobeying a direct order.
7/3/2024 Officers escorted a prisoner to segregation for threatening staff.
7/5/2024 Officers escorted a prisoner to segregation for refusing to stay in his cell at count time.
7/5/2024 Officers responded to a prisoner assaulting another prisoner.
7/7/2024 Officers responded with tasers to a disruptive prisoner in a housing unit.
7/7/2024 Officers escorted a prisoner to segregation that refused to identify himself and refused to be searched.
7/7/2024 Officers escorted a prisoner to segregation for possessing a weapon.
7/7/2024 Officers escorted a prisoner to the hospital for a medical evaluation and then to segregation for substance abuse.
7/7/2024 Officers responded to a prisoner that assaulted two other prisoners in a housing unit.
7/7/2024 Officers escorted a prisoner to segregation for refusing to return to his cell.
7/7/2024 Officers escorted a prisoner to segregation for threatening staff.
7/7/2024 Officers placed a prisoner on water restriction for flooding his cell.
7/7/2024 Officers responded to a deceased prisoner (natural causes).
7/8/2024 Officers escorted a prisoner to segregation for possessing a weapon.
7/8/2024 Officers escorted a prisoner to segregation for threatening staff.
7/9/2024 Officers escorted a prisoner to segregation for assaulting another prisoner.
7/9/2024 Officers escorted a prisoner to segregation for threatening staff.
7/12/2024 Officers escorted a prisoner to segregation for threatening staff.
7/12/2024 Officers escorted a prisoner to segregation for possessing dangerous contraband.
7/12/2024 Officers escorted a prisoner to segregation for assaulting staff.
7/13/2024 A prisoner was placed in segregation for dangerous contraband.
7/13/2024 Officers broke up two prisoners fighting inside of a cell.
7/15/2024 A prisoner was escorted to segregation for threatening staff.
7/15/2024 A prisoner was taken to segregation for refusing to return to his cell or to be restrained.
7/15/2024 A prisoner refused to lock in his cell and was escorted to segregation.
7/16/2024 A prisoner was escorted to segregation for threatening staff.
7/16/2024 Officers broke up a fight on the front yard involving two prisoners.
7/16/2024 A prisoner was escorted to segregation for threatening staff.
7/17/2024 A prisoner was escorted to segregation for threatening staff.
7/17/2024 A prisoner was escorted to segregation for possessing a weapon.
7/17/2024 A prisoner was escorted to segregation for assaulting staff.
7/19/2024 Officers broke up a prisoner assaulting another prisoner inside of a cell.
7/19/2024 Two prisoners were charged with assault on staff for resisting during escort.
7/21/2024 A prisoner was escorted to segregation for threatening staff.
7/23/2024 Officers responded when a disruptive prisoner flooded his cell.
7/23/2024 A prisoner was escorted to segregation for assaulting staff.
7/24/2024 Officers responded to a prisoner that barricaded himself in his cell. A pepper ball gun and tear gas were authorized to control the prisoner.
7/24/2024 A prisoner was escorted to segregation for possessing a weapon.
7/24/2024 A disruptive prisoner was placed in 4 Point Medical Hard Restraints.
7/26/2024 Officers broke up six prisoners fighting and escorted them to segregation.
7/26/2024 A prisoner was escorted to segregation for assaulting staff.
7/26/2024 A prisoner was placed in segregation for refusing to lock in general population.
7/29/2024 A prisoner was sent to segregation for possession of a weapon.
7/29/2024 Another prisoner was sent to segregation for possession of a weapon.
7/29/2024 Officers broke up two prisoners fighting in the chow hall.

https://www.mco-seiu.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/KYI-Special-Edition-8.27.24-RGC.pdf