Union Member and Correctional Counselor Stands for Safety at Federal Prisons

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Correctional officers inside federal prisons carry no weapons. Most are not even allowed to have pepper spray, and officers only recently won the right to wear protective vests. They often work alone – just one officer for every 130 to 150 inmates.

That's why the top concern for correctional counselor Nathan McCasline is the safety and security of his fellow officers and staff. Nathan is president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 510, which represents Bureau of Prisons employees at Federal Correctional Institution-Edgefield, a medium-security prison near the South Carolina-Georgia border that houses more than 1,700 male inmates.

"As a union official, it is my duty and it is an obligation to do all I can to make sure that the workplace is as safe as possible so that at the end of the day, that officer can go home to his family," Nathan says.

Nathan shares his story in the latest documentary produced by AFGE, which represents Nathan and more than 37,000 Bureau of Prisons correctional officers, nurses, teachers, and other staff. The documentary series is part of AFGE's year-long campaign, "I Am AFGE," to increase the public's awareness and appreciation of the women and men who work for them every day.

"Our correctional officers put their lives at risk every day they go to work, and unfortunately some have lost their lives while in the line of duty," AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr. said. "They should not have to fear going to work, and their families and loved ones should not have to worry that they might not come home. That is why AFGE and our Council of Prison Locals have launched the Safe Prisons Project to improve working conditions for Bureau of Prisons employees. They watch over some of America's most dangerous inmates; the least we can do is watch out for their safety."

The Safe Prisons Project has three main goals:

• Increase funding for the Bureau of Prisons to address chronic understaffing issues that put officers in danger;
• Expand the Pepper Spray Pilot Program to all federal prisons so correctional officers can defend themselves; and
• Support mandatory sentencing reform by backing the Smart Sentencing Act of 2013 (S 1410 and HR 3382) to reduce overcrowding of our prisons.

"What the union does, it gives us the opportunity to be able to get the equipment we need, to try to fight to get the staffing we need," Nathan says. "The union also helps us get our voice up on Capitol Hill to let them know we need additional people to be able to come and work this job."

Nathan's story is one of 15 short-form documentaries being released by AFGE through the end of the year, highlighting individual federal employees who carry out important work across the country.

All of the videos are being posted online and distributed to hundreds of news outlets across the country. The campaign also is being promoted through social media, an employee photo contest and other events.

"AFGE represents tens of thousands of law enforcement officers at the Bureau of Prisons and other federal agencies who put their lives on the line every day," President Cox said. "They and all other government employees have dedicated their careers to serving the public. This campaign is our way of thanking them for their service and reminding Americans of the valuable work they do."

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 670,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.

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Video - http://youtu.be/w4Fb_Ku14tM

Photo - https://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140319/DC86787LOGO

Photo - https://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131120/MM21150LOGO

SOURCE American Federation of Government Employees