The federal prison population is growing rapidly, but the number of correctional officers and staff who work in Bureau of Prisons (BOP) institutions is failing to keep pace. At the same time, inmate overcrowding has gotten significantly worse, and the BOP system is overcrowded today by about 37 percent.

The combination of correctional officer understaffing and inmate overcrowding has created an extremely dangerous situation for correctional officers, staff and inmates.

Congress and the new administration must ensure adequate funding and staffing of our federal prisons. The AFL-CIO continues to encourage all of its affiliated unions and organizations to inform the president and Congress that they strongly support providing BOP with the necessary federal funding to solve its serious correctional understaffing and inmate overcrowding problems. This is essential to secure the safety and security of our brothers and sisters who work at BOP institutions.