Irmo, SC (WLTX) - Policy changes, that's what a former correctional officer with the South Carolina Department of Corrections says is needed in order to see real improvement within the prison system.
"It's things that I've seen inside when I was working that aren't right," says the former officer. He asked News 19 to not reveal his identity. So we decided to call him "Dave."
Dave says he witnessed gruesome fights and deaths during his time as a correctional officer for Broad River and Lieber Correctional facilities. In fact, that's why he left after nearly four years within the prison system.
"It became not only a safety issue for my life, but a morality issue overall."
Both Broad River and Lieber are level three, maximum-security facilities. Level three prisons house inmates who commit violent crimes.
Dave says the policies that were in place when he was working in the prisons, hindered the ability to do his job.
"As a correctional officer there were tools that we had, but they were taken little by little," he says. "If all you're given is a can of mace and some handcuffs, you can't really break up too much because, you have to think about it. Once you spray that gas, yea you spray it at the inmate, but you also spray it in the air so it comes back on you too."
He says supervisors would not allow him to break up fights when weapons were involved and he had to sit by and wait for backup. Overcrowding and lack of programs in place for inmates are also issues that he addressed.
"You have to understand, these are people too," he says. "Even though they may have made some bad choices or they may have done the wrong and I'm not saying that to be compassionate, but you have to treat them with respect."
He says what happened at Lee Correctional should have never happened, but he hopes speaking out will bring awareness to the issues he's seen within the state's prison system.
"You have people out here on the street that actually care enough about y'all, that's trying to fight for y'all," he says. "You can't do things like this."
He hopes that other correctional officers will be able to speak out about issues they are seeing within the state's prison system.