[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 67 (Wednesday, May 22, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E879-E880]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  NATIONAL CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS' WEEK

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                          HON. DAVID E. BONIOR

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 21, 2002

  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, during National Correctional 
Officers and Employees Week, to honor our correctional officers for the 
work they do to keep our families safe. We do not thank these men and 
women enough for their service to our communities.

[[Page E880]]

  Day after day, week after week, our correctional officers work one of 
the most dangerous patrols in the country. They devote themselves to 
keeping violent felons behind bars, ensuring that our families can feel 
safe in our homes and on our streets. We know from the number of 
correctional officers who die in the line of duty each year that this 
is a dangerous profession that requires courage, hard work, and 
professionalism.
  Our correctional officers are people like Bonnie Johnson, a mother of 
six, who works over 50 hours a week in a prison in Jackson, Michigan. 
For almost 20 years, Bonnie has put her heart and soul into her job. Or 
Rodney Olsson--a correctional officer with the Michigan prison system 
for roughly 14 years. Rodney drives over 60 miles to get to and from 
work. These fine men and women work holidays, weekends, and double 
shifts. They deserve our support.
  We need to do our part in the weeks and months ahead to pass 
legislation that will protect the safety and working conditions of 
correctional officers. We should act to prevent further privatization 
of our prisons, which puts both our officers and inmate populations at 
risk. We need to ensure that our correctional officers receive 
meaningful, reliable pensions, good benefits, and decent wages. And we 
should invest adequate resources in prison programs that provide 
constructive activities for inmates that reduce recidivism and prevent 
violence. The work of our correctional officers gets more and more 
difficult with each passing day. In my home state of Michigan, the 
prison population has grown 38 times faster than our general 
population. And records show our inmate population is getting more 
violent. I commend Michigan's correctional officers for staying 
committed to the job despite these additional challenges.
  I urge my colleagues to support the resolution offered by 
Representatives Strickland, Sweeney, Horn, and Holden that officially 
recognizes National Correctional Officers and Employees Week. This 
resolution also requests that our President issue a proclamation urging 
citizens to honor our correctional officers and the work they do to 
protect us. We should pass this resolution without delay and give our 
correctional officers the respect they deserve for their service.

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