The president of the state employees association says more needs to be done to support state prisons. Wendell Powell is urging state lawmakers to make more resources available at correctional facilities.

Powell, who is also a captain at Harnett Correctional Institution made those comments during an interview with WRAL regarding the inmates who overpowered jail staff in the eastern part of the state this week.

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"If you don't know how prisons work, no one knows what's going on behind closed doors," said Powell. "They don't see the stress or the issues."

During the interview, WRAL pointed out investigators said 88 inmates and 3 guards were inside the Bertie-Martin Regional Jail when the guards were overpowered on Monday.

It was so intense at one point that inmates took over parts of the jail, but the situation was resolved hours later.

Powell says that the 88 to 3 ratio is actually pretty common post-COVID pandemic at correctional facilities.

"At one point, we used to have 45 officers, and that was just officers," said Powell. "That wasn't included sergeants, lieutenants or captains.

Powell also said having a third of that many officers is the new norm. Imagine having a prison with 800 offenders but only 15 officers. Powell says it's this short staffing that can lead to burnout, fatigue, and other mental health challenges for staff.

"This is dangerous," said Powell. "You're talking about people's lives, and we're not just talking about the staff. We're talking about the offenders. No one wants to have an incidents where offenders are assaulted, physically or sexually, or their needs aren't being met. That's what can happen due to a lack of staff."

Powell says addressing pay and staffing are ways to make improvements. In the pending state budget awaiting Governor Josh Stein's approval, $2.2 billion is appropriated for the Department of Adult Correction. Approximately $150 million of that overall number is more than what the state spent on prisons this year.

$40 million is freed up in the new budget by eliminating vacant positions; money that can be reallocated to providing 13% raises to correctional officers. That amount is more than quadruple what most other state employees will receive. Plus, there's more than $1 million being set aside for new body armor for officers.

Though it's unclear how significant of an effect the additional money spent on the state system would have, Powell argues that in order for the people who can make changes--lawmakers--to see where the needs are the greatest, he urges them to visit the correctional facilities in their districts.

"They need to talk to their staff," said Powell. "They need to talk to the administrators and have real talks, not just, 'Hey! we're coming to visit, hey I'm here at the prison!' photo op."

WRAL will update this article and other budget-related stories once Gov. Stein decides to sign or veto the budget.