[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 22]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 31322]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      THE TOUGHEST BEAT IN AMERICA

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 13, 2007

  Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, in September of this year, corrections 
officer Susan Canfield was murdered just outside of Huntsville, Texas 
by two inmates who had escaped a Huntsville prison facility.
  In what some might call ironic timing, a report by the Dallas Morning 
News came out the following month that said assaults on prison guards 
have doubled over the last five years. Over 36 staff member were 
assaulted this year, up from 18 in 2003. To further compound this 
problem, turnover of staff is at a record high with one in four leaving 
the department last year alone.
  Officials believe these problems have been caused by low wages, staff 
shortages, and a tougher breed of criminals entering the prison system. 
Salaries for prison guards in Texas begin at $23,040 and top out at 
$33,948. This is one of the lowest pay scales nationally for prison 
guards. As a result, people are leaving the field or not entering it at 
all. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice workforce was down almost 
4,000 employees in August. This means facilities are more vulnerable 
and employees are at increased danger for attacks.
  This is unacceptable. We need to make sure our prison system is 
secure so that our prison guards and staff can go to work without fear 
of being assaulted and we need to make working conditions better for 
these people who have some of the toughest jobs in society, to protect 
our communities from dangerous criminals.
  The toughest beat in America is the one assigned to our prison guards 
who watch those who have committed crimes against our people. We owe 
these guards our greatest appreciation.
  And that's just the way it is.

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