OPEN FORUM
To the Editor:
Is the Branstad Administration paying attention to the issue of escapes?
During September there have been six reported escapes from work release facilities in Waterloo, Des Moines, West Union, Fort Dodge, and Ottumwa. One of the two Ottumwa Work Release Facility escapees was serving time for attempted murder, escape, and assaulting a peace officer.
Similar escapes occurred in Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Waterloo, and Davenport during prior months. The escape of a Clarinda Correctional Facility inmate led to a sheriff’s deputy being shot, a couple being taken hostage, and the inmate’s death.
Governor Branstad and Director Baldwin are pushing inmates, including those
convicted of violent crimes, toward lower security settings and parole as quickly as possible in order to avoid addressing prison staffing shortages.