Michigan Unveils Memorial For Corrections Officers Killed

LANSING, Mich. (WWJ/AP) - A memorial unveiled in downtown Lansing honors four corrections officers who were killed by inmates in Michigan.

The Lansing State Journal reports that nearly 200 people attended the unveiling of the Fallen Officers Memorial at the Michigan Organization headquarters Sunday, the start of National Corrections Officers Week. The black stone marker bears the officers' names and the images of a prison tower, handcuffs with prison keys and the Correctional Officer's Prayer.

According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, George Haight was poisoned with cyanide in 1893; Earl DeMarse was stabbed to death in 1973; Josephine McCallum was raped and strangled in 1987; and Jack Budd was stabbed to death in 1987.

The memorial is the first centrally-located public memorial where people can acknowledge officers who've died in the line of duty.

In the past several years there have been issues around food safety and sanitation as the Snyder administration has worked to privatize segments of the prison system.

In 2015, Governor Rick Snyder cut the corrections budget by $17.8 million -- amid massive cuts across state departments including state police, and the Department of Community Health.

Maggots Discovered At Michigan Prison During Lunch At Correctional Facility

A judge says thousands of specialized Michigan Department of Corrections employees saw their pay cut in 2016 while their responsibilities stayed the same because of an arbitrary reclassification of their positions.

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