Posted by Barton Lorimor
State corrections director Michael Randle revealed yesterday he would be stepping aside to pursue other opportunities.
From Mother Tribune…
Rep. Will Davis, a Homewood Democrat who is chairman of the General Assembly’s black caucus, said he is “disappointed” because he believed Randle had plans for strong prison reforms, including ideas to improve education and job training to reduce the number of people who go back to prison.
I’m sure just about everyone here knows the story behind Randle. But just in case, here it is:
Acting on Quinn’s general instructions to cut costs, Randle started a program last September that sped up the rate prisoners could earn good time credit. That lead to 1,745 inmates being let out an average of 36 days before the end of their sentence. Some convicts were released almost immediately, before corrections officials could assess their rehabilitation needs. And some of those released early went on to commit additional crimes.
A Quinn-appointed panel criticized the program as “ill-conceived” last month, finding that it traded protecting the public safety for $3.4 million in savings.
The governor said he had been unaware of the program but maintained that he would not fire Randle, though he acknowledged he had considered it. Quinn said he was standing by Randle because he was an experienced prisons administrator who helped bring about major reforms at the state’s troubled supermax prison.
“Clearly, mistakes were made,” Quinn said Aug. 13. “I take accountability for the mistakes, the director who made the mistakes takes responsibility for them.”
Quinn halted the program in December, but the issue became a flashpoint in the Democratic primary campaign.
Up until recent months, Quinn has said his confidence in Randle remained. But during his visit to Carbondale in July, Quinn would not address the issue…
“I’m here to talk about aviation,” Quinn said when asked if Randle still had his confidence.
*** Update 1x (5 p.m.) ***
This was buried in my e-mails today, and I doubt it matters much, but the guv did put out a brief statement regarding Randle’s resignation.
“I have accepted the resignation of Illinois Department of Corrections Director Michael Randle, effective September 17. I appreciate Director Randle’s dedicated service to the state of Illinois during these challenging times, and will name his replacement shortly.”
LIVE session coverage...
- dinger - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 7:19 am:
Maybe he can find someone that lives in this state to run it this time ,What a sap
- Tony - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 7:19 am:
Quinn’s November chances just instantly improved with this yahoo getting the message and moving on.
- Louis Howe - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 7:29 am:
Randle made some improvements, like cutting the various “District Directors” from five to two, but his promotions were racially based and he wasted millions on needless “ACA Training.” The overtime continues to run at unacceptable levels even after he hired over 500 new officers.
- Cincinnatus - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 7:33 am:
“State corrections director Michael Randle revealed yesterday he would be stepping aside to pursue other opportunities.”
BWAHAHAHA. Stepping aside. That’s one way to put it.
- RikiTavi - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 7:57 am:
–Quinn’s November chances just instantly improved with this yahoo getting the message and moving on.–
Based on what? Not sure voters knew or cared who Randle was, but they sure know the term “early release.”
- Anonymous - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 8:09 am:
I always remember from the movie “Back Draft” the character “Randle the Candle”, who was an arsonist. IDOC Randle burned down corrections.
- downstate hack - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 8:17 am:
Quinn’s November chances just instantly improved with this yahoo getting the message and moving on.–
I don’t agree. Looks like throwing a black professional under the bus at a late date. Should have done it months ago, now it may hurt him with some of the black vote, and he can not use any more of that important support group. JMHO
- the Patriot - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 8:22 am:
The Randle departure can only hurt Quinn. Quinn did not fire him when he should have which tells us that Quinn is ultimately responsible not Randle. Now he is squeezed out. It is basic Pat Quinn fence time. I am not going to fire you, but I am not exactly going to save you either. If you work for this guy how can you be motivated knowing he has your back.
Now you have a prominent former employee who’s career was ruined by executing your orders. Better hope Randle has more class than Quinn. If not Randle explains exactly who ordered what.
- cassandra - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 8:30 am:
I’m not sure how much support Randle had among black voters but if he had substantial support
then Quinn could lose some votes for not supporting him.
I am sorry about this although less sorry if Louis Howe’s description of racially based promotions and excessive overtime are accurate.
In contrast to his predecessor, who apparently did little but collect a (rather large) salary,
Randle at least attempted to find solutions to
the extraordinary problems facing Illinois’
corrections system. This is a huge, expensive and intractable problem which negatively affects a disproportionate number of minority men and women.
Attempts to find innovative ways to reduce costs and more accurately target offenders for early release and other alternatives to protracted institutionalization are going on across the country. The bungling of the early release program by Randle and his executives (who should also bear some responsibility) is a big setback for prison reform in Illinois. And it’s going to cost us a lot of money.
- John Joseph - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 8:33 am:
Here is a list of accomplishments that Director Randle has achieved in only 15 months at the IDOC. This is nothing short of amazing for any director. Shame on us for losing this director. Maybe Illinois just doesn’t deserve reform. (And don’t even get me started on the misinformation about MGT Push.)
Under Director Randle’s guidance, the Department of Corrections:
–Is developing a five-year strategic plan for specially designated prisons focusing on vocational and educational programs and creating special units for offenders who are aged 50 or over, those who with a history of substance abuse, and those with serious medical issues. These centralized and targeted facilities will save money and improve inmate outcomes.
–Implemented an Employee Cost-Savings Suggestion Program to identify opportunities to cut spending and suggest lower-cost alternatives for current outlays. So far, the DOC employees’ suggestions have achieved $2.5 million in savings.
–Has begun a multi-stage, comprehensive overhaul of its Information Technology resources. This IT effort is necessary to replace an inadequate, obsolete 25-year-old system with the modern, agile electronic information system required to manage a large correctional system safely and effectively. The first phase of the overhaul is currently under way.
–Hired and trained more than 700 new correctional officers, resulting in a reduction of more than $5 million in DOC overtime costs in this fiscal year, with substantial additional savings anticipated in future years.
–Has increased its investment in the parole system, providing new vehicles and equipment and is in the process of hiring the first class of new parole agents in many years.
–Has begun a five-year accreditation process by the American Correctional Association (ACA). During the accreditation process, ACA will evaluate processes, policies and practices at each of DOC’s 27 facilities to make sure they meet all applicable industry standards. The first facility evaluated was Tamms Correctional Center. During the process, independent corrections professionals reviewed the prison’s facilities, staff and procedures and recommended accreditation of Tamms by the ACA – making Tamms the first State of Illinois corrections facility to qualify for such accreditation in more than a decade.
–Obtained grant money through the Vera Institute, a nationally known, non-profit, non-partisan organization with expertise in the best correctional practices to fund an independent evaluation of DOC’s processes, policies, and procedures relating to high-risk offenders in maximum-security institutions. This evaluation will help to make sure DOC is safely managing its most difficult population.
–Received a technical assistance grant from the National Institute of Corrections to review DOC’s security management and critical incident procedures. The Institute is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice that provides technical assistance to state and local correctional agencies and provides leadership is promoting modern correctional policies and practices.
–Developed a 10-point plan to modernize and reform operations at Tamms Correctional Center. Tamms is designated to house DOC’s most disruptive, violent and problematic inmates. The Tamms reforms were “enthusiastically” endorsed by the John Howard Association, a prison reform advocacy group.
–Launched a pilot program to allow teleconferencing between inmates with HIV and hepatitis C to doctors at the University of Illinois Medical Center. This pilot program, which is now in place at three facilities, will improve medical care to inmates while reducing transportation costs and improving public safety. The Department plans to expand the telemedicine program to include more prisons and other medical conditions.
–Created a plan to build a special housing unit at Stateville to house prisoners temporarily when they are scheduled for courtroom proceedings in the Chicago area. This special housing unit will substantially reduce prisoner transportation and related costs and address public safety concerns.
–Developed leadership training curricula and begun an Executive Summit Training program for senior DOC managers.
- cassandra - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 9:16 am:
If accurate, these are remarkable innovations especially in an Illinois state agency.
It would be interesting to have similar list from other agency directors. Would they be as long, or as bold.
DCFS should take particular note of the teleconferencing program. DCFS and private sector foster care workers spend tens, even hundreds of
thousands of hours annually traveling to see children on their caseloads. This is not a productive use of their time. Teleconferencing would allow more contact with state wards, especially older wards, not only with their caseworkers but with their relatives. In the age of Facebook, Skype and other technology marvels,
our expensive and poorly run state foster care system could be vastly improved. And children at risk of maltreatment but still at home could be more frequently monitored–reducing the likelihood of their entering foster care.
The possibilities are endless but they won’t be explored if agency directors are merely political hacks collecting a paycheck and trying to make it through the next election.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 9:43 am:
Amen John Joseph. I have been involved with DOC for over 15 years and Mike Randle is the first truly professional Director in these years. He was undercut by press and quinn. Like Pogo said, We have found the enemy and it is us.” this is Quinn.
- Dan Bureaucrat - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 10:03 am:
You said it, Cassandra.
The press and Quinn have been so fixated on MGT Push, that they haven’t bothered to notice what amazing concrete hard work this guy has been doing. Now we are ripping him away from cost-saving reforms and blaming him for decades of neglect in IDOC.
Meanwhile, the former IDOC Director who never came to work because he was so sick, and never reformed anything when he did, is earning a salary on the Prisoner Review Board. At the PRB, he has never done anything. Randle is incredibly industrious and gets his hands dirty–he has visited one IDOC facility every week. He talks to staff and officials and gets input from everyone.
The reporters and commenters really don’t know anything about MGT Push or about the inside of Corrections. I can’t even stand to read it sometimes. So much misinformation, and even Quinn went with it because it was more politically expedient than discussing the public policy involved.
It is a disgrace that we let this happen. Sometimes I wonder if reporters, who have no depth of knowledge, don’t do more damage than anything else in the system.
- WELL... - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 10:07 am:
Micheal Randle is one the most competent and classy individuals I have ever met! Quinn did nothing but throw him under the bus and now quinn will pay at the ballot box in November, The African-American community already did not like Quinn but now they have another reason not to vote for him!
- downstater - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 10:22 am:
Give me a break. Randle’s promotions and appointments within DOC were all racially motivated. Take a look for yourself. Use the FOIA and see who got promotions and appointments. There were many unqualified people placed in positions based on the color of their skin rather than their abilities The prison located in Danville has a Warden of Programs who got appointed by Blago for having a rally for him. The Warden himself at Danville is so incompetent that the officers are ready to take a NO CONFIDENCE Vote against him. Randle is, was a joke and Quinn should have had the strength to fire him, surely he (Quinn) knew what Randle was doing.
- dupage dan - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 10:27 am:
The tale of 2 directors. Many who are posting here speak highly of Randle. Where were they a few months ago when he was being raked over the coals on this blog? Can he really be as good as those posting today suggest - all the while being exoriated by folk on both sides of the political fence? Is there no one else in this state who can do this job well? Sheeesh.
- Cousin Eddie - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 10:46 am:
That is 3 high level resignations….Carolyn Brown Hodge, Jerry Stermer, and now Michael Randle. Not to mention a GC, Ted Chung who bailed out. The person that should resign is at the top.
- Cool Hand Luke - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 10:54 am:
Amazingly, after all of this time that has gone by and after all of the screw-ups by Randle (and Pat Quinn), Quinn still didn’t have the nerve or leadership capability to ask Randles to leave and go back to Ohio where Quinn found him. If this doesn’t show what an inept CEO Quinn is, I don’t know what else would. He can’t bring himself to admit he made a mistake in hiring Randle so he has Randle fall on his sword so Quinn won’t have to feel any of the pain.
Quinn couldn’t govern Mackinaw Island much less a state the size and scope of Illinois. He should be given a leadership role as the Mayor of Pumpkin Creek, Illinois (but only if the Pumpkin Creek villagers are gluttons for punishment).
- Anonymous - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 10:59 am:
dupage dan we were here check it out nobody listened we are sayng same thing today we did then read john joseph again.
- cassandra - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 11:16 am:
Actually, I supported him as well. I do think that it is possible that he bungled early release by not supervising his executive staff more closely as they
implemented early release. But early release and other initiatives have to continue. We can’t afford otherwise. I believe Illinois’ prison population is up over 47,000 now, heading fast for 50,000. Will it be at 60,000 in 10 years? The extremely expensive geriatric prison population is growing even faster. We can’t afford it. We really can’t.
Randle presumably learned something about the
weaknesses of his executive staff when the early release plan failed. But if Mr. Joseph is correct, he did many good things. He should have
been allowed to issue a public apology and kept on, not made to resign for obviously political reasons.
- Dan Bureaucrat - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 11:24 am:
Downstater,
Your comments contradict themselves. As you said, Blago hired that warden, not Randle.
Randle did, in fact, remove some terrible leadership at Dwight because they were not incompetent in dealing some very serious problems of prison suicide.
You all expect Randle to clean up the disasterous mess of the previous IDOC director in less than a year? He did a lot in a very short time. And, not that your race-baiting comment deserves a reply, but Randle worked with, and promoted, people of all races.
- ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 11:42 am:
Randle ordered the program – period. Whether or not Quinn knew is irrelevant, his guy screwed up and he chose to keep him around to his own political demise.
John Joseph, you must be a member of the Randle entourage because that list of “accomplishments” is comical at best. The notion that Randle developed a plan to designate prisons to focus on special populations is ridiculous. Sheridan CC has been a fully dedicated substance abuse prison for years and long before he came to IDOC plans were written to model other prisons after Sheridan by targeting vocational and education programs to specific facilities. The fact that he takes credit for any of those ideas or successes reinforces his utter lack of integrity. The same is true for his idea to have special housing for inmates housed at Stateville due to court writs; it’s been on the table for years.
It’s no secret that the IT system at IDOC is outdated and ineffective and people have been working to overhaul that system for years. Numerous proposals have been written, companies have been consulted and this has been a budget request annually. If Randle deserves any credit for this “accomplishment” at all it is simply that he caused so many public problems for the Governor that Quinn had no choice but to throw some money that way.
Every director wants to hire officers and other key staff including parole agents; it all depends on the budget which was already approved by the time Randle moved to Illinois. Also, the relationship with VERA has been cultivated over many years and he had no role in securing more funding from them.
I’m sure Randle came to Illinois with ideas of his own but it is sickening to see him take credit for things that he had no hand in and then turn around and blame other top level staff for the very things that he approved. Oh yeah, and as one of his last moves as Director he appointed someone with no facility experience to be the warden of Decatur CC. I guess there were no other qualified candidates.
- John Joseph - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 12:08 pm:
Dear ARE YOU KIDDING ME,
I don’t even know where to begin with your absurd statements. Randle is not taking credit for Sheridan or anything else he didn’t work on.
1. You say people have been working to overhaul the computer system at IDOC “for years”? Oh really? If so, then Randle deserves even more credit for taking the first real steps. Did IDOC Director Walker take ANY steps to fix this problem? No, he did not. Randle did take those steps.
2. He negotiated and secured the deal with the Vera Institute to do the work that they have done this summer, this year, since Director Randle arranged it. You are saying that Walker did that? It is simply false.
3. You are saying that Randle got a budget INCREASE in order to hire more staff and parole officers that the previous director did not have? Hmm….interesting statement.
I imagine that you are probably part of the old, bitter IDOC guard who did nothing for years and years and was angry that Randle was brought in. Well, you have won your battle, and it now looks like we all lose the war.
Here is some more info for everyone else:
http://www.idoc.state.il.us/subsections/news/default.shtml#20100730
- D.P. Gumby - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 12:31 pm:
Let’s just say Randle was early release and at least wasn’t a violent felon. Good, bad, or whatever, he was certainly in the wrong place at the wrong time.
- Wow - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 12:36 pm:
Looks like they struck a nerve JJ!
To be fair, your list did imply that Randle did all of those things. While Sheridan wasn’t mentionded by name you make it seem like the idea of “specially designated” prisons was Randle’s idea.
While I don’t really know anything about Walker, it seems unfair to say that he wouldn’t want to hire more staff, I would assume that most directors want more staff. You seem to know alot about IDOC so you probably also that all of that is dictated by OMB and the gov’s office.
- Alan - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 1:24 pm:
Since I have been working with Illinois prisoners, Randle has been the first professional hired from outside the “good old boy” network. Did he make enemies by trying to shake things up? Sure. Is that a bad thing? No. Did he make some improvements? Sure. Are there still more to be made? Absolutely.
This state’s prisons are in crisis. Overcrowded, understaffed, underfunded, with a 50% recidivism rate. Making Randle the scapegoat for all that is wrong with the system does not move the conversation forward.
Who Quinn appoints next is the real issue.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 3:55 pm:
Um, Cassandra, how exactly do you figure DCFS caseworkers can keep an appropriate check on DCFS wards by “teleconferencing”? You figure on setting up every foster home with the needed equipment? And then the foster parent will hold the baby up to the camera so the caseworker can give her a quick “once over”? Yeah, I can just see the cost savings there. Not to mention the appropriate level of care. Heck, why not take it to the next level and put all the tots in a room with cameras and monitor them from a central location. Why should those pesky abused and neglected kids be taking up the time of trained human beings anyway?
- state worker - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 4:31 pm:
When are you going to overhaul the department of juvenile justice leaders? You have some bad apples hanging on for dear life. And better check the background of these 75 day “contract” employees before you get embarrassed.
- southern illinoisan - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 5:02 pm:
Randle came to Illinois with a cloud hanging over his head from Ohio. He surely would have been disciplined if not fired for stearing state contracts to a college buddy, except he left before the investigation was complete. Strike 1.
He comes to Illinois and presents basic ideas that any Corrections professional can see and makes a big splash. But does nothing to root out Blago (Dem) holdovers who are completely incompetent. Strike 2.
Orders a MGT push at the bidding of PQ to save money. Bad political move and gets thrown under the bus. By the governor. Strike 3.
Good Bye and good riddance. And I hope we can say that to the rest of the useless partsan hacks that have infected state government since 2003, come this Nov.
- Just sayin - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 5:04 pm:
BRING DEANNE BENOS BACK!
- cassandra - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 5:21 pm:
Anon–
Yes, I do. It’s the future. Some of my friends already have Skype hookups so they can communicate daily if they wish with their friends and with their grandchildren. And some private day care centers in the country already provide internet hookups so parents can see their kids
during breaks, lunch, and so on.
The 21st century is here. You are not in it yet apparently. And, I fear, neither is the state of Illinois.
- UGH - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 9:05 pm:
As a LONG TIME frontline worker, I have mixed thoughts about today’s move. It is just more politics within a system (DOC) that is so broke, I lack the belief that it will ever get fixed. At least the guy seemed to TRY to make changes and at least I actually saw him in prisons, meetings and communities. That is more then I can say for several other Directors I have worked under. I hope that someday, DOC is actually ran by people who are educated and spend some time in the trenches learning the ropes. Many of the Wardens and those above them, would not know how to do their jobs if actually made to do them. Another rough day in DOC!
- Bob - Thursday, Sep 2, 10 @ 9:31 pm:
I wonder why Randle didn’t go back to work for Ohio DOC. Was it the scandals he was involved in before he left. The college buddy inmate made furniture sales. Maybe it was the no bid contracts in Ohio. I have worked in IDOC for almost 30 years and all I can say we are on AUTO PILOT now. Go into the prisons and work, NOBODY can make a decision. There is no leadership, only political appointments. The prison are being run by the inmates again.
- John Joseph - Friday, Sep 3, 10 @ 2:01 am:
Bob,
Randle was not a political appointment. He was the only one who wasn’t. Stermer actually brought him in because he was incredibly knowledgeable and experienced. And he is someone, like UGH says, who worked his way up in the system, and then learned more and more, reaching out to other states to find model programs and best practices.
I dare say that we will never see anyone else like that in Illinois with these two miserable gubernatorial choices, and the political climate of total denial. This was our very short burst of reform in Illinois.
Shame on Quinn for pushing him out, and shame on all the reporters who didn’t bother to understand the details about MGT Push enough to do anything but get hysterical. We hounded a good and talented man from his job.
- moby - Friday, Sep 3, 10 @ 9:28 am:
aman JJ — and the Capital Fax played no small roll in purveying the false charges about “early release” that got a talented and energetic public servant fired from his job.