The staffing shortage has been an ongoing problem for several years. Despite a large public relations budget spent on television advertisements, the quit rate and retirement rate combined has left the department perpetually nearly 2,000 officers short.
Calling in the National Guard is nothing more than a stopgap measure, meant to relieve the overwhelming pressure of mandated overtime for Michigan's corrections officers. This emergency measure won't solve the staffing shortage at all. It only shines a light on where the buck stops--with Michigan's Governor.
Despite calling herself a progressive, and demonstrating that title in many other ways, Whitmer has done nothing to resolve the overcrowding and understaffing problem in the prison system. Whitmer used her Lieutenant Governor's prison and criminal justice reform advocacy positions to get elected. And then she has completely ignored those positions during her tenure as governor.
The Corrections Officer's Union is likely a predominantly conservative organization, so I don't think it's a coincidence at all that they are just now asking for the National Guard. The staffing problem has persisted for the last four years, at least. However, now that Governor Whitmer's name is frequently popping up as a potential replacement for President Biden on the Democratic ticket, it's a good time to put her in a double bind. She's damned if she does, and damned if she doesn't send in the National Guard.
Whitmer's failure to do anything other than spend money on laughable employment ads has demonstrated a lack of leadership. The National Guard's purpose is not to be prison guards, so if she approves the request, she's showing (still) that she can't solve a crisis. If she refuses the request, she's left with two options: do nothing (which she's been doing), or reduce the prison population to relieve the pressure on the prison guards.
As a former prosecutor, it's unlikely that Whitmer will reduce the prison population. I wish I had more hope that she would do something, but I don't. So, that leaves her with the option she's chosen all along. Do nothing, and hope the national population doesn't notice. After all, she can claim she's pro-reform since she chose a Lt. Governor who is a prison/criminal justice reform advocate.
Meanwhile, corrections officers are tired of being forced to work 16 hour shifts and give up any semblance of life. The added stress makes them less effective in their jobs and increases the chances of abuses, leaving the department vulnerable to costly lawsuits. It also increases the risks of unrest in prison as yard times and other important activities are cancelled due to "staffing shortages."
It'll be interesting to see what the governor chooses to do. I can't say I have much hope that it'll lead to any real reforms. Neither the governor nor the Michigan legislature has shown any real backbone to enact reforms, no matter how logical they are, regardless of the crises their inaction has caused.
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