Correctional officer assaulted by inmate at Anamosa State Penitentiary
Francesca BlockA correctional officer at the Anamosa State Penitentiary was assaulted by an inmate Thursday night.
The unnamed officer was working in a living unit around 7:30 p.m. Thursday night when an inmate began striking him, according to a news release from the Iowa Department of Corrections. The inmate assaulted the officer unprovoked, the release said.
Other staff members responded to stop the inmate from harming the officer further. The officer was treated for his injuries at a local hospital and was later released, according to the release.
AFSCME 61 union president Rick Eilander said he is concerned the attack is indicative of a worrying trend at the facility.
"I've heard from officers down there that management is allowing the facility to fall back into the old ways of doing things," he said. "Someone is going to get hurt again."
Anamosa State Penitentiary has struggled with lack of staffing and funding, factors which likely contributed to the March 2021 killings of two staff members by inmates. Eilander said staff and funding shortages have continued at the facility, creating security issues that he said the DOC needs to address.
"The more staff we have, the more protected staff are, the more protected inmates are, and the more protected citizens are," he said.
The Iowa DOC did not respond to requests for comment.
Two guards were killed in 2021
The Anamosa State Penitentiary is located in Jones County, approximately 26 miles northeast of Cedar Rapids. The 150-year-old prison has been under scrutiny since two staff members were killed by inmates in March 2021.
Michael Dutcher and Thomas Woodard were both serving extended sentences at Anamosa State Penitentiary for robbery when allegedly beat to death registered nurse Lorena Schulte, 50, and correctional officer Robert McFarland, 46. The inmates were attempting to escape.
Another inmate, McKinley Roby, suffered severe head injuries after trying to help the staff.
More:What to know about the Iowa prison attack and the Anamosa State Penitentiary victims
A Des Moines Register investigation following the deaths revealed the Anamosa State Penitentiary was underfunded and suffered from staff shortages. In 2020, the Iowa Department of Corrections had close to the lowest number of correctional officers guarding its prisons in at least 30 years and the ratio of prisoners to correctional officers rose above the national average. Following the attacks, a $21 million dollar budget increase and a months-long push to fill positions left the prison with one fewer worker.
A report conducted by consultants CHL Companies confirmed the prison struggled with staff retention and recruitment. The report also said that while "progress has been made" in improving prison security, "The lack of adequate staffing levels in certain facilities coupled with significant recruitment and retention issues have hampered the Department’s efforts."
More:Review ordered after Anamosa killings finds Iowa prisons have staffing, security shortcomings
Woodard pleaded guilty in August 2021 to first-degree murder in the killings of Schulte and McFarland and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
He admitted to personally striking the blows that killed McFarland and Schulte during a failed escape attempt March 23.
Woodard also pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Roby, an inmate employed in the infirmary who tried to help McFarland and Schulte, and one count of second-degree kidnapping for helping Dutcher hold dental assistant Lorie Matthes against her will.
Dutcher pleaded guilty to all charges in September 2021: Two counts of first-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping and attempted murder. He is now serving a life sentence without parole, according to court records. Dutcher previously planned to plead not guilty and claim self defense, but later decided to plead guilty.
Francesca Block is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at FBlock@registermedia.com or on Twitter at @francescablock3.