AFGE also called for the Justice Department to provide emergency funding for the bureau to hire more guards, to place two guards in each high-security prison unit instead of one, and to review and correct the inmate classification system to ensure violent inmates are not moved to lower-security areas.

AFGE said the bureau faces decreasing staffing levels, while the number of inmates in federal prisons is rising. There are now about 36,000 employees at the Bureau of Prisons, about 6,000 fewer than AFGE said the bureau needs.

In a statement sent to Federal Times, the Bureau of Prisons said it is examining several staff safety issues and will make adjustments as needed.