North Jefferson County News

DENVER—On April 24, 2023, U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) sent a letter last week to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons calling for action to address issues with understaffing and unsustainable working conditions at the Federal Correctional Complex in Florence (FCC Florence). 

In the letter, Pettersen requests immediate action to simplify and expedite hiring, as well as to increase support for the current workforce at the prison.

“The workforce at the Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) in Florence, Colorado continues to be overworked and understaffed. Action from the Federal Bureau of Prisons has been much too slow to support the Officers,” wrote Pettersen. “Employees continue to struggle with forced overtime leading to dangerous conditions at the nation’s only supermax facility.”

“A fully-staffed prison is a safe prison. Representative Pettersen has been committed to helping Local 1169 address our concerns since the moment she was sworn in. Her recent visit to FCC Florence put management on notice that this is important to her and needs to be addressed,” said AFGE 1169 Union President John Butkovich. “I'm hopeful the Bureau of Prisons will take note, and do what is right by the staff at FCC Florence and the community we protect. I would like to thank Representative Pettersen for her dedication to helping FCC Florence to become fully staffed and safe, she is a champion for both Law Enforcement and Labor.”

This is Pettersen’s second letter about the problems at this facility, the first of which she sent on January 10th, just three days after she was sworn-in to Congress. Pettersen has been partnering with key local leaders surrounding this issue, including AFGE 1169, the local union representing the prison workforce, who have been pushing for reforms for years.

The full text of the letter can be found here and below. The letter sent in January can be found here.

Original source can be found here.