Prison guards deserve justice, too!

There was a time in the early days of HFP that I was struggling with numerous prison guard issues, and none of them were good. Some correctional officers were seriously mistreating men and women in their facilities. 

In frustration, I referred to that situation in a speech I was delivering at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids. I had been invited to speak to a group of senior citizens, in a meeting on the campus, to share information about our work and our mission. I’ve always been more than pleased to do this. 

Granted, I was quite unkind in my references to prison guards. 

Following my presentation, as usual, I hosted a Q&A session. A pleasant elderly woman with beautiful gray hair, sitting near the front, raised her hand. In her sweet, kind voice she said, “My son is a correctional officer.” She went on to say, “He has a college degree, he loves his job and is proud of his work.” 

That was a stark reminder to me that I must watch my step and not be painting with a brush that is too broad. This comes to mind as I reviewed a recent piece on the editorial page of the Detroit News, written by Ray Sholtz. Ray is Executive Director of the union for correctional officers in Michigan. 

In an essay that I posted almost a year ago on this site I criticized state lawmakers for holding up a bill that would give prison employees a pension. The bill still has not been given the go-ahead! 

Scholtz points out that while thousands of officers go to work each day in our state prisons, there are other guards who are quitting…in droves! Burnout. Unsafe working conditions. Low pay. Wages and benefits no longer competitive. Double shifts keeping officers away from their families. LACK OF RETIREMENT BENEFITS! 

As I reported last July, the Michigan House and Senate, in a bi-partisan move, actually approved bills providing for a pension for correctional officers back in 2024. It would be the same retirement program that is provided for Michigan State Police officers. But then politics got in the way. 

“The previous speaker of the House, Joe Tate, and his clerk, failed to transmit the bills on time, and the current speaker of the House, Matt Hall, is also refusing to follow the constitution,” said the union chief. He pointed out that the state constitution is very clear on this topic: “Every bill passed by the legislature shall be presented to the governor.” 

Fast forward to 2026. Because of a lawsuit and appeals, the case is now in the hands of the Michigan Supreme Court. 

After two years of this monkey business, will the high court agree that the constitution means what it says? 

Today we support Michigan’s correctional offices on this matter. We wholeheartedly agree with Scholtz: “Our officers have waited long enough. It’s time for justice to be served.” 

Stay tuned.

 

 

 

 

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