Larry Blackwell, the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association president, responded to Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to release 1,800 inmates because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In the announcement, he criticizes the state’s corrections department response to the spread of the virus.

“It’s unfortunate the state Department of Corrections (DOC) didn’t listen to our repeated requests to stop prison transfers in Pennsylvania,” he said. “While the rest of the state was in lockdown, the DOC was moving prisoners. We believe this had an impact on the spread of COVID-19 within our state system.

“(The association) continues to be concerned about the release of so many inmates back into our communities at a time when a structured parole system has had difficulty identifying nonviolent offenders,” he said.

The association represents more than 10,000 men and women working for the state’s correctional institution.