11-28-17 assembly minority leader says youth prison is “a ticking time bomb”

The Assembly minority leader describes the situation at the Lincoln Hills youth prison as a ticking time bomb.  Democratic state representative Gordon Hintz and fellow Democratic representative David Bowen toured Lincoln Hills last week.  Hintz says its clear to him that the prison is understaffed and the youth counselors are overworked.  “The idea that we would put people in this position who are fatigued, who are understafffed, who no longer have a seat at the table to make sure their concerns and protections are heard through the bargaining process is making for  an incredibly unsafe environment,”  Hintz told WFDL news.  Hintz says he believes a lot of the problems began to surface after the passage of Act 10.  Hintz says he believes at least some of the youth inmates have become emboldened in recent weeks and months.  The tour last week comes amid an ongoing federal investigation into alleged abuse of inmates and recent reports of violent clashes between inmates and youth counselors.