US prisons face severe staff shortages as officers quit due to COVID-19 pandemic
November 3, 2021, 6:32 am

US prisons face severe staff shortages as officers quit due to COVID-19 pandemic

USA-Alcatraz jail-San Francisco-California-Pixabay

The Xinhua reported according to the Associate Press (AP), prisons in the United States have been facing more severe staff shortages as officers quit in droves amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

University of Michigan economist Betsey Stevenson was quoted as saying: "By failing to protect prisoners from COVID, the criminal justice system not only created an unfair risk of severe illness and death for the incarcerated, but the increased COVID risk to employees has undoubtedly contributed to staffing shortages."

The AP reported that meanwhile, for the officers left behind, worsening shortages have made an already difficult job unbearable.

It said, some prisons in state of Georgia reported up to 70 percent vacancy rates, while state of Florida has temporarily closed three prisons because of understaffing.

Staff shortages have reportedly long been a challenge for U.S. prisons, given the low pay, poor benefits, and horrendous working conditions. But the increased risk of COVID-19 for people working there has further exacerbated the problem.

Source: xinhua

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.