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Budget cuts may put strain on Sumter County prison, posing safety risk

By Ty Russell
By Ty Russell
Nearly 200 workers at Coleman Federal Prison in Sumter County are about to lose their jobs.
It comes after President Donald Trump's administration ordered the Department of Justice to slash a percentage of its budget.
The union says the cuts put the public's safety at risk.
Justin Rose works at the prison and watches over inmates who build furniture.
Rose and with 1,300 employees are waiting to learn who will lose their jobs.
“I have family and friends who do work here. Yes, I'm very concerned for them,” he said.
The prison houses about 2,000 inmates, one of the latest being former Rep. Corrine Brown, who is serving five years for a fraud conviction.
But there are also inmates serving more time for violent crimes, such as murder and rape.
“We want our community safe. We want our officers safe," said Rose.
The union representing most Coleman prison employees said 177 jobs are on the chopping block.
Those jobs include correction officers, teachers, and facility maintenance workers. 
They said it follows cuts ordered by President Trump at the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
“This is a life or death issue. A lot of us, when we come in, we are not guaranteed to check out,” said union president Joe Rojas.
Rojas said fewer employees is also a threat to residents in Sumter and Lake counties because fewer corrections officers on site may strain security resources.
“We protect society against escapes, against these killers (who) are ruthless,” he said.
Rojas said 6,000 workers will lose their jobs nationwide, but the unions are trying to save them.
Union workers plan to travel to the nation's capital to ask lawmakers for money to avoid layoffs.

Cox Media Group

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