Q&A
Debate over public reporting and its impact on staff willingness to report incidents
1:56:35
·
118 sec
The discussion shifts to concerns about public reporting of sexual assault/harassment incidents and its potential impact on staff willingness to report. Council Member Stevens expresses frustration with the apparent disconnect between the DOC's current stance and the original intent of the bill.
- Jeanette Merrill from CHS expresses concerns that the level of detail required in reporting could potentially identify staff members, even without naming them directly.
- Stevens questions why this concern wasn't raised earlier, given that the bill has been in development for almost a year.
- The council member emphasizes that the bill's intent is to improve safety for everyone in the facilities, both staff and incarcerated individuals.
- Stevens expresses disappointment with the late-stage objections to a bill that was initiated at the request of correction officers themselves.
Jeanette Merrill
1:56:35
I could maybe 7 just from the CHS perspective too, which I think or some of our concerns are aligned.
1:56:40
Even though it doesn't name specific staff, I think the information, the level of detail that would be provided in terms of gender identity, ethnicity, race, location, that information could potentially be used to identify a staff member, just given all of the level of detail.
1:56:58
So we wouldn't want, you know, staff to be deterred from reporting if they thought particularly around sexual offenses, if they thought some of
Althea Stevens
1:57:05
the people were just for for for reporting for for a number of reasons.
1:57:08
Right?
1:57:08
And so, you know, I think, again, this was something that was brought to us because they had a lot of concerns.
1:57:14
And so it's it's it's it's interesting to me now that's like, oh, this is gonna deter them.
1:57:18
I'm like, so then let's find a solution.
1:57:20
Because even the part of the bill is also about, like, mental health and treatment referrals and stuff like that.
1:57:25
So, you know, I I I think that, like, even to say, you know, we support the intent, but that that to me is is a disconnect from what you're you're the correctional officer.
1:57:35
Again, I've met with them, and they seen it, and they gave feedback.
1:57:38
And so I'm not sure why, you know, you guys didn't get feedback, like, before we got here because I've been open to it.
1:57:45
And so I'm just really confusing.
1:57:47
So that's just my concern.
1:57:49
And it just kinda just seems like it's like and this is often happens with a lot of anything that we try to pass.
1:57:55
It's like, oh, we like this, but we don't really wanna do it because that's what it kinda feels like.
1:57:59
And so especially with all these bills, when we're just trying to make things safer for everyone, we're trying to make safe.
1:58:06
It's safe for the folks who are there working along with the people who are there serving their time.
1:58:10
And so I think that that is what this is about trying to make a statement by from everyone and and and making sure that everyone who's there a safe don't have any more questions.
1:58:18
And if there are things that you want to just have feedback in, you I've had this bill for almost a year, and you guys could have definitely reached out to to do that.
1:58:25
And so it's really just interesting that the corruption officers who are working, they're the ones reaching out.
1:58:30
Now you're saying that it's gonna be a issue.
1:58:32
So that's that's a problem for me.
1:58:33
Thank you.
