A group representing correctional officers working in Alabama’s prisons say the system is a time bomb and is ripe for a disaster.

Members of the Alabama Correctional Organization spoke out in a news conference Monday saying that the dangerous combination of too many inmates and too few officers has reached a critical point.

The group consists of corrections department employees and it offered several suggestions that can help the situation.

Some of the proposals are removing sales tax exemptions on the trade in value for cars and removing sales tax credits to banks which would put a combined estimate of about $21 million into the general fund.

They also suggest raising the starting salary for officers to get in line with that of similar agencies and encourage more people to apply.