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Erin Jordan
Special to the Globe Gazette
The Iowa Department of Corrections is seeking a vendor to review all parts of its prison system, from staffing and inmate classification to the safety of buildings where more than 8,000 criminal offenders are housed.
The request for proposals, which closed Wednesday, says the vendor that is chosen will provide a final report by Dec. 1. But the Corrections Department wonât confirm whether the findings will be available to the public.
âIâm unable to answer that question this time,â Corrections Department Spokesman Cord Overton said in an email.
The institutional review follows the March 23 attack in which two offenders at the Anamosa State Penitentiary are accused of bludgeoning to death correctional Officer Robert McFarland and nurse Lorena Schulte in an escape attempt.
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The killings of two staffers at the Anamosa State Penitentiary, allegedly by two inmates who used prison-issued tools as weapons, has shaken the department. Iowa prisons rely heavily on inmate labor to maintain operational, but a slate of changes are expected in the coming weeks and months.
The Iowa Department of Corrections has hired a new security operations director, in the wake of the killings of two prison staffers, allegedly by two inmates. Multiple investigations are underway into the incident at the Anamosa State Penitentiary on March 23 and state officials have said a slate of policy and operational changes may follow.
Another Officer Attacked At Anamosa State Penitentiary
Another state correctional officer was attacked over the weekend at the
Anamosa State Penitentiary. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that the attack happened at around 7:22 a.m. on Saturday morning.
A female officer was reportedly handing out medication on a cell block when an inmate put the officer in a chokehold. Department of Corrections officials say that the officer was able to use personal safety defensive techniques until additional staff were able to respond and assist. The Gazette reports that the injured officers was taken by department vehicle to a hospital. She was treated for bruises and released.
Another Anamosa prison officer assaulted thegazette.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thegazette.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.