Maryland's correctional services union says there is a staffing crisis inside state prisons.
The group says severe understaffing is contributing to rising violence, assaults, and homicides inside Maryland prisons.
Union leaders say staffing shortages are also forcing cuts to recreational and rehabilitation programs.
Now correctional officers say enough is enough.
"The department says there is no staffing crisis, but tell that to my fellow officers that don't know if they're going to be able to go home at the end of their shift," says Sgt. John Feeley, from the Maryland Correctional Training Center Hagerstown.
"Tell that to my colleagues who are forced to work another double and go another day without seeing their families, or worse, be wheeled to the hospital because we've been assaulted, stabbed, or even had our fingers bitten off."
The department of public safety and correctional services says it's working to address these challenges.
The agency says its vacancy rate has dropped from more than 15 percent in 2022 to just over 8% today and says it hired 684 correctional officers last year—the most in a decade.
The department of public safety and correctional services says it's working to address these challenges.
