A current officer and union member at the Delaware County prison told members of the county Jail Oversight Board that the union was preparing a no-confidence vote in the prison’s current management.

Albert Johnson, an employee at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility, addressed the Jail Oversight Board in the public comment section of the meeting on Tuesday afternoon.

Part of Johnson’s remarks back up a report by Broad + Liberty earlier in the day that said dozens if not hundreds of officers at the facility had decided not to attend a celebration for National Correctional Officers’ Week.

Johnson also claimed that many employees are alleging a racist environment at the prison, both in terms of adverse officer discipline as well as denial of opportunity to move up.

It’s not immediately clear if the no-confidence vote is aimed specifically at Warden Laura Williams, the county’s first warden since the county took back operational control of the prison after nearly 30 years of private management.

No member of the JOB responded to Johnson’s remarks.

This is a developing story, and Broad + Liberty has not had the opportunity to verify or corroborate elements of Johnson’s remarks, which are transcribed below.

Albert Johnson:

“I’ve come up here several times, not at this oversight board meeting, but I have spoken to you at the county council meetings on several occasions. It is appalling that we continue to talk about two things: accountability and transparency. These two words keep coming up, but the only accountability that is being held at that prison is to the officers — and if I would be more specifically, it would be towards the African-American officers. 

“It is a big deal. It is an issue that has been reported, and we are still waiting to hear from the oversight board about it. You have many staff there that will speak up, that want to speak up, but they are in fear of retaliation from the administration there.

“Now you can cover it and make it sound pretty, as someone previously said with these beautiful photos [of the National Correctional Officers Week event], and you guys look great at ’em, but the officers weren’t there, and I don’t know if you paid attention to that. 

“The ones that were there were told to be there to receive their award. We wanted no parts of that celebration. It wasn’t that we were unappreciative, but how can you have your foot on the people’s neck and expect them to appreciate a certificate, but yet those same people receiving those certificates can’t even get promoted to sergeant. 

“There’s some things that you really, guys, I really would hope that you would look into and not think that we’re blowing air in your face or just trying to be — I want to say — chaotic in there. It is a very, very dark, dark place inside that jail. 

“While everyone was up here taking a wonderful photo at the last Wednesday’s County council meeting, we had four codes, four Code Blacks — assault on staff within four hours, and they put the jail on lockdown. There’s been over 20, at least 25 plus assaults, inmate on inmate assaults last month alone. 

“So it seems like the transparency is going to have to come from us. So the union is putting together a vote of no confidence and we are going to pursue it. We are going to keep the county aware and we will hope someone also would get involved before the county taxpayers go through the roof, their dollars go through the roof from lawsuits that are coming and still yet to come because nothing’s being done. 

“Please speak to the supervisors as well without them being intimidated because they have a lot to say about the racism and the unfair treatment to officers that’s going on in the facility at this time. Thank you.”

Todd Shepherd is Broad + Liberty’s chief investigative reporter. Send him tips at tshepherd@broadandliberty.com, or use his encrypted email at shepherdreports@protonmail.com. @shepherdreports