Workers protest at Waupun Correctional Intsitution

WAUPUN - Emotions were high outside of an area prison Tuesday.

"We're not talking about security issues anymore. It's a top-down dictatorship," said Sgt. Daniel Meehan, a corrections officer at Waupun Correctional Institute.

Corrections officers say they are fed up with how the Walker administration is running things at Waupun Correctional Institute. Officers say the Department of Corrections hasn't listened to their demands about safety concerns. So, they took to the streets of Waupun to protest.

Corrections officers held signs in silent protest as they marched back and forth in front of the maximum security facility. It's a place officers say has become an even more hostile working environment than usual.

"We're concerned about the safety and security of the institution. We're concerned about staff morale. There are a number of things that are a recipe for a bad prison environment,” said Meehan.

Officers blame administrative changes made through the state budget for short staffing. They claim five percent of the jobs in the corrections system are unfilled. According to the Department of Corrections, if the protesters were right that would be about 500 open positions. However, the department says there are only 200.

The DOC says the vacancies can be attributed to more people seeking early retirement. Some protesters say the administrative changes are what made them leave their 20 year careers.

"These people deserve to have a voice in the workplace and they don't have it," said Gina Toutant, a retired corrections officer.

Corrections officers say they aren't just protesting their right to meet with administrators. They say they're legitimately concerned with their safety after incidents with inmate have started to rise.

"In the last couple of weeks we have had three attempted staff assaults, which is pretty odd in that time. We've had some serious batteries and assaults between inmates in the past couple weeks. Inmates are becoming bolder. Inmates can feel it, too. The tension is higher. There's no two ways about it," said Meehan.

The DOC says overtime has not reached all-time highs, as the protesting officers are suggesting. And sick leave, not vacancies have caused some officers to have more overtime.

In regards to safety, it released a statement saying:

"Wisconsin's adult institutions and centers remain safe and secure. This can be attributed to the fact that our correctional officers and sergeants are highly trained and have continued to execute their challenging duties in a professional manner despite the myriad of external events and policy changes that have taken place over the last year."

Protesters say they'll keep voicing their opinions.

The Department of Corrections says the biggest reason for more overtime has been more employees taking more sick leave.

FOX 11 News called and e-mailed the governor's office for comment. We have yet to receive a response.