web1_TTL121119DallasWVW_1.jpg

Back from injuries, Lauren Charlton helps lift Dallas to Duda Tourney title

web1_WATER-HEATER-2019.jpg

Pries family is 35th recipient of the Kingston Christmas Water Heater

<p>The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections dictates the definition of what they consider a major assault on a corrections officer to be &#8212; with little or no scrutiny. They spin to the media that Dallas hasn&#8217;t had a major assault in the last two years.</p><p>It&#8217;s horribly dishonest to not consider it a major assault when an inmate &#8220;throws feces, urine or other bodily fluids&#8221; on corrections officers. These attacks threaten the longterm physical and mental health officers. Officers must constantly undergo medical testing for disease and at times are forbidden from having physical contact with family.</p><p>Somehow, an officer being attacked and going to the hospital with a concussion on Nov. 22, 2019, isn&#8217;t considered a major assault, either. Others officers have been sent to the hospital &#8212; some received stitches from attacks &#8212; but those also aren&#8217;t considered major by DOC.</p><p>And that&#8217;s the point. DOC says anything it wants and no one challenges their spin, let alone investigates. Several years ago, when PSCOA brought the system&#8217;s overcapacity numbers to light, the DOC started using the term occupational capacity. This includes housing inmates in hallways and gyms. Now, &#8220;major&#8221; injuries are being adjusted to fit their &#8220;all-is-well&#8221; narrative.</p><p>Only, corrections officers know all isn&#8217;t well. Prisons are bursting, no matter how often DOC adjusts its operational capacity numbers. It&#8217;s time for state lawmakers and the media to dig deeper and hold DOC accountable.</p><p><strong>Larry Blackwell </strong></p><p>President, PSCOA</p><p>Harrisburg</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/web1_Letter-to-the-editor3-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/web1_Letter-to-the-editor3-2.jpg</photo0><caption0></caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>

Your view: It’s time to hold to DOC accountable