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POLLOCK, La. (KALB) - After years of employee cutbacks and pandemic challenges, FCC Pollock is one among many federal prisons across the U.S. facing a staffing crisis.

“Pollock has a history of dangerous things happening, and that’s why we have to staff this facility to the max,” said Thomas Moore, legislative coordinator for the AFGE Local 1034.

FCC Pollock is comprised of three facilities, ranging from medium to maximum security, housing a total of 2,700 inmates. For all three campuses, there are currently 283 correctional officers split between three shifts, each having 60 or fewer officers clocked in at a time. For example, at the USP campus, the morning watch has 28 officers in charge of more than 1,200 inmates. That’s a 44-1 inmate to officer ratio. At the FCI campus, the morning watch has 10 officers in charge of more than 1,500 inmates, which is a 151-1 inmate to officer ratio.

As a result of the low staffing levels...