Year-round Health Means Winter Work

3 Arrested Following Drug Raids

Wednesday, January 21, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Prison should wake up open up its guard towers &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Living near the State Correctional Institution at Dallas must make for some
restless nightsIt must be hard to sleep knowing that guards accuse the state
of compromising safety by closing four of the eight manned guard towers at the
Jackson Township prison. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And the recent jailbreak there, along with the fact that escapes are up by
more than a third in the state prison system, is enough to turn the township
into a community of bleary-eyed insomniacs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The state decided to close the towers in 1996 over the vehement objections
of the guards' union and 300 township residents, arguing it would save $1
million per year without compromising safety. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In light of recent events, the critics may have been right. We urge prison
officials to take another look at their decision. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Earlier this month, the prison had its first successful escape since the
early 1980s. The roving patrols that were to take the place of the towers
failed to the net the escapee, who was working outside the prison fence. He
was apprehended 20 hours later several miles away. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The guards union has charged the closing of the towers contributed to the
escape. Prison officials disagree. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The union also charges that similar cutbacks at prisons statewide have led
to an increase in successful escapes. The numbers appear to bear the union
out. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 We acknowledge that running a prison with an inmate population of 1,900 and
a security force of 360 c

Prison Should Wake Up Open Up Its Guard Towers Living Near The State Correctional Institution At Dallas Must Make For Some Restless Nights.