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Panic attacks and 20-hour workdays: Why Philly correctional officers are quitting in droves

The jails are 582 workers short of a full complement. Some who quit said they were physically and mentally breaking down, amid the chaotic environment in the Philadelphia Department of Prisons.

Jessica Bowers, a former deputy warden in the Philadelphia Department of Prisons, and Heather Malloy, a former correctional officer, pose for a portrait in Northeast Philadelphia. They worked together for years, and both quit in 2021. “The conditions were unsafe,” Bowers said.
Jessica Bowers, a former deputy warden in the Philadelphia Department of Prisons, and Heather Malloy, a former correctional officer, pose for a portrait in Northeast Philadelphia. They worked together for years, and both quit in 2021. “The conditions were unsafe,” Bowers said.Read moreTYGER WILLIAMS / Staff Photographer
    by Samantha Melamed
    Updated 
    Published