(DES MOINES, Iowa) -- Iowa public employee union officials warned on Thursday that there are major security problems and staffing shortages as the Fort Madison state prison, according to The Des Moines Register.

Danny Homan, the president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees made a statement after the most recent in a series of security breaches at Iowa Prisons.

Homan called the ability of the prisons to keep staff and inmates safe was “completely compromised” by major staffing cuts and that “serious situations are being termed isolated incidents” by prison officials. Homan also claims that prison staff are not being given the full details when contraband is found.

Last week, several contraband items were found at Iowa State Penitentiary, and Homan claims that the prisons are under-staffed, under-funded and dangerous.

The Iowa Department of Corrections has not responded, though in the past they have disagreed with the assessment that staffing levels were too low or unsafe.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio