Federal detention center adequately staffed, government says

The Federal Detention Center Honolulu has adequate staffing to maintain order and the proper policies to keep inmates and workers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Bureau of Prisons.

BOP workers across the country participated in a nationwide protest Friday to draw attention to what the American Federation of Government Employees describes as unsafe working conditions and a rigid COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Some of the FDC Honolulu employees demonstrated Friday at the corner of Nimitz Highway and Elliot Street.

Emery Nelson, a spokesman with BOP’s Information, Policy and Public Affairs Division, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the agency and FDC Honolulu are “committed to ensuring appropriate staffing levels to maintain the safety and security of staff, inmates, and the institution.”

BOP recruiting efforts are focused on filling correctional officer vacancies. As of October, 93% of correctional officer positions were filled nationwide, Nelson said.

The BOP uses a variety of social media networks and platforms, including Google ad campaigns; Facebook, LinkedIn and Indeed ads and job postings; recruitment videos on YouTube; billboard advertisements; and virtual recruitment events, as well as recruitment through various professional organizations, to include the military.

In early March the BOP launched a hiring initiative to target 1,000 new workers within 120 days. By July, 1,967 new employees were hired, according to Nelson.

“We have an updated and targeted approach towards branding and marketing in order to attract quality candidates to our organization,” said Nelson in a statement.

The AFGE, Local 1218, Council of Prison Locals, the union representing FDC Honolulu workers, claims that staffing shortages are forcing nonofficer employees, including cooks, teachers and nurses, to serve as correctional officers under a process called augmentation.

Nelson pointed out that all staff receive “law enforcement pay and law enforcement benefits.”

“Accordingly, staff may be called upon as trained correctional workers to serve the needs of the institution during irregular periods, such as a pandemic,” said Nelson. “All staff assigned to correctional facilities are professional law enforcement officers and are considered correctional workers first, regardless of their occupation. All staff receive the same amount of training as correctional workers and are informed at the time of hiring they are expected to perform law enforcement functions during routine and non-routine situations.”

Union officials did not respond to a Star-Advertiser request for comment.

The union is also advocating for weekly testing options for workers who do not want to accept a COVID- 19 vaccine. President Joe Biden issued an executive order Sept. 9 requiring all federal employees to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 22, unless they receive an exception due to a legitimate medical or religious issue.

AFGE would like to negotiate a testing option for employees who do not want the vaccine and do not qualify for a medical or religious exemption.

FDC Honolulu operates as a “level 2” facility, according to BOP’s COVID-19 response plan, meaning “moderate modifications” have been made to work assignments and policies per the BOP’s COVID-19 response plan.

Of the 290 inmates tested since the pandemic began, 18 positives were recorded as of Monday, according to the BOP. Since the pandemic began, no inmates or staff have died, and 16 inmates and 10 staff have recovered. The BOP counted 156 inoculated workers and 324 inmate vaccinations as of Monday.

“Staffing decisions are based on the needs of each facility and augmentation is one tool to ensure critical Correctional Officer posts are covered on a daily basis,” said Nelson. “As part of our COVID-19 pandemic response, staff are being assigned to first ensure the safety and security of the institution, while addressing the need to provide programs and services to our inmate population.”