The guards in some of the countrys most dangerous prisons are warning that escapes and riots are on the horizon if the partial #governmentshutdown continues.
These guards belong to the group of federal employees deemed essential to government work who are also not getting paid for their time. Now with guards calling in sick, for a variety of reasons, this creates obvious gaps in the system, putting the publics safety at risk.
Jose Rojas, a 24-year-veteran of the #PrisonBureau, told @the.independent that he is worried that a lengthy government shutdown could exasperate an already delicate situation at the #ColemanFederalPrisonComplex where he works in central Florida.
Youre going to have riots. Youre going to have predatory inmates pick on the weaker inmates. Youre going to have rape. Youre going to have violence towards the staff. Youre going to have escapes, Rojas said.
They dont realise whats happening right now, he said of the politicians in Washington arguing over Trumps proposed $5 billion border wall. We have a lot of MS-13, Latin Kings, we have the worst of the worst. If we dont have anyone to watch the inmates, were going to have riots, were going to have escapes.
With child care costs, medical bills, and mortgages to pay, many workers have been told to plead with creditors and landlords for a break as they wait for the shutdown to end.
While some workers have been simply furloughed, essential workers have been instructed to come to work even though are not getting paid, or face potential professional repercussions if they do not.
To make up for the lost income, some are being forced to work extra hours at second jobs to keep food on the table. For Rojas, it is driving for Uber.
We have reported additional examples of how the shutdown has affected the general public, including potential loss of food assistance, threat of safety through air travel due to TSA employees calling out sick and previously a delay in receiving our tax refunds, although federal officials have now assured Americans that refunds will be processed.
Well keep you up-to-date on all things shutdown-related, #Roommates!
TSR STAFF: Christina C! @cdelafresh
