The president of the union representing corrections officers is demanding action after a guard was killed on Christmas Day in Ohio.
Officer Andrew Lansing died Wednesday after an inmate assault at Ross Correctional Institution in Chillicothe , according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections. Lansing’s death is a “horrendous and heart-wrenching” reminder of what corrections officers face on the job, said Chris Mabe, president of the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association.
But, Mabe said too many people see the risk of death and injury as just part of the job for corrections officers. After the latest death, that needs to change once and for all, he said.
“We’re going to insist and demand on accountability,” Mabe told The Dispatch on Wednesday. “We’re demanding action from the governor’s office.”
The first issue that must be addressed is staffing, Mabe said. Corrections facilities were long understaffed before the COVID-19 pandemic and shortages have continued in the years since, Mabe said.