Latest Post | Last 10 Posts | Archives
Previous Post: *** UPDATED x1 *** You just don’t see this stuff every day
Next Post: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Posted in:
* From August 10th…
Illinois prisons “aren’t country clubs,” Gov. Pat Quinn said Friday in rejecting the notion that news reporters should be let inside to see conditions in the crowded system for themselves.
Letting journalists visit the prisons is a security risk, the Chicago Democrat said, and taxpayers will have to trust his administration’s experts on how the system is run.
“That’s my decision,” Quinn said. […]
“Prisons aren’t country clubs,” he said after cutting the opening-day ribbon for the annual state fair in Springfield. “They’re not there to be visited and looked at.”
* But, lo and behold, some community college students “visited and looked at” a prison just the other day…
Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration is describing a prison tour by community college students as “educational” while continuing to bar news reporters as a “security risk.”
The Department of Corrections says 25 criminal justice students from Heartland Community College in Normal toured the maximum-security Pontiac lockup on Friday. […]
Corrections spokeswoman Stacey Solano says Heartland’s “educational” tour was closely monitored. But she wouldn’t say how a media tour would be handled any differently.
The governor is most definitely hiding something. That’s the only conclusion which any reasonable person could possibly arrive at.
Enough, already.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 1:53 pm
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
Previous Post: *** UPDATED x1 *** You just don’t see this stuff every day
Next Post: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
WordPress Mobile Edition available at alexking.org.
powered by WordPress.
I had family members who worked in DOC. It is rife with corruption from cronyism to incompetetence, starting at the top. Journalists would have a field day as one question afer another would open doors that the Governor would just as soon keep shut. Labor issues to questionable practices by department.
Comment by LisleMike Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 2:05 pm
He is hiding a LOT. But not only Quinn. Members of the House and Senate both have been shown what Quinn is hiding, and have chosen to keep silent also. That is what brought on the mad dash to intimidate staff (searches leaving work, ISP interviews, threats of criminal prosecution, etc.)a few monthes ago. This isnt new, just ongoing.
Comment by SO IL M Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 2:08 pm
In stupid ArchPundit tricks, I visited the Quad Cities minimum security prison in college as a part of a Sociology class. It was very interesting and quite worthwhile. However, some idiot tried to bring a keychain with a knife in. Mostly it amused the guards.
Comment by ArchPundit Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 2:23 pm
==The governor is most definitely hiding something. That’s the only conclusion which any reasonable person could possibly arrive at.==
Can you fully discount the possibility that his positions and policies (and those of his administration) are simply random?
Comment by Anonymice Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 2:26 pm
This is what happens when people emotionally pass laws to increase punishments without asking themselves what it will cost. There are tradeoffs in life. If you want to be “tough on crime”, your taxes have to go up to pay for it. If you don’t want your taxes to go up, you can’t keep locking people up for non-homicide DUI and marijuana.
Comment by Colossus Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 2:29 pm
Selective memory lapse seems to be the only logical explaination.
Comment by Downstater Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 2:30 pm
Cutbacks have made prison conditions more spartan and miserable. Quinn would just a soon not have a media spotlight on what’s transpiring on his watch.
Comment by reformer Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 2:36 pm
Move along - nothing to see here.
Comment by veritas Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 2:42 pm
Governor Quinn is hiding plenty. All the media has to do is start interviewing the guards during there shift changes. And conduct the interviews off Department of Corrections property.
Comment by Sheridan Guy Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 2:45 pm
“Most definitely hiding something”? What does one hide at a prison? I’ve seen 2 different episodes of “Lock Up” where Illinois prisons are the setting. Apple spends millions trying to keep secrets, secret….and usually fails miserably. The Gov cannot hope to keep anything at the prison secret for long. I find it hard to belive there is a cover up here.
Comment by Lobo Y Olla Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 2:51 pm
the GA (senate) used to have a committee on corrections that visit the facilities, in order to provide oversight (what a concept). i think jack graham from barrington was one of the principals. i think thats why graham correctional center is named after him.
Comment by langhorne Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 2:54 pm
What are we hiding? Let your imagination run wild …
Comment by Pabdon Allasch Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 2:57 pm
The students is the CJ program at the Community College where I teach tour prisons all the time.
Comment by G'Kar Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 3:03 pm
That dangling participle is the sort of usage up with which I will not put-hat tip to WC
Comment by steve schnorf Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 3:07 pm
the math is bad. 49k inmates in a system w a capacity of 33k, and Q is closing prisons. when you put 5 lb in a 3 lb bag, somethings gotta give.
Comment by langhorne Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 3:29 pm
The governor is most definitely hiding something. That’s the only conclusion which any reasonable person could possibly arrive at.
Enough, already.
Rich, Maybe you should try to interview the 25 Hearttland students to see what they observed.
Comment by downstate hack Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 3:35 pm
Quinn needs to be careful, I hear there is a group of college aged kids going around the country in a van that ask questions and start to meddle in things. So make sure to keep them away too…
They also have a big dog
Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 3:37 pm
Andy Shaw just enrolled Heartland’s justice program.
Comment by frustrated GOP Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 3:44 pm
=Quinn needs to be careful, I hear there is a group of college aged kids going around the country in a van that ask questions and start to meddle in things. So make sure to keep them away too…
They also have a big dog =
Ruh row, PQ, ruh row.
Comment by TCB Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 3:55 pm
If that professor talks, who knows, we could close a couple of community colleges …
Comment by Pabdon Allasch Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 4:04 pm
Up till just last may ,Menard had tours for guest of the staff every year . Menard would have 200-300 guest walk right down the gallery in the cell house ( nothing ever went wrong and a good time was had by all .
Comment by Dinger Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 4:24 pm
A truly enterprising journalist would commit a felony.
– MrJM
Comment by MrJM Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 4:27 pm
I’ve developed a concept of ‘undersized’.
The fake NFL officials were ‘undersized’ for the job they got foisted upon them.
The NFL commissioner was ‘undersized’ for letting it get to the point of fake officials in the 1st place for the total $ they were talking about.
I can go on to national politics, national pols re rape, etc.
The IL governor is just ‘undersized’. Buddies only; decisions with NO logic. Just ‘undersized’.
Comment by sal-says Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 4:28 pm
Actually what is going on is…
The Quinn administration is using prisoners to prepare the ‘grassroots’ pension campaign. All day long inmates sit in front of computers, commenting on blogs, creating facebook and twitter accounts, awaiting the day when they will strike…
They will step up and start blogging, tweeting and liking Pat Quinn’s plan to ’save’ the pension system…
wait…
No I am typing just what you guys told me to type…
No not the hole again…
ahhhhhh
Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 4:31 pm
Like any reporter could afford to visit a country club.
Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 4:52 pm
I’m feeling really left out because I don’t understand this story — unless Rich is being sarcastic.
Why does letting students tour the prison prove he is hiding something?
Comment by Dan Bureaucrat Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 5:00 pm
Even John Howard misses the obvious when they visit prisons. Numbers for classes don’t hit the mark. Attendees versus capacity and what about completion of courses? Do the math.
Comment by Really? Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 5:02 pm
Dan,
I do not to claim to speak for Rich, but if it is unsafe to allow reports to visit a prison it would seem it should be unsafe for a group of students to visit a prison.
So, unless it is demonstrable that it is safe to allow students but not reporters to visit a jail then it would appear that safety is not the reason reporters are not allowed to visit.
So logically it would seem that the reason they don’t want reporters there is something besides safety. The most logical reason you would not want a reporter at anything is that there is something they would find interesting that you would rather they not report.
ergo, hiding something
Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 5:23 pm
This is what elected officials can expect when they try to eliminate government positions, lawsuits, lobbying and public embarrassment. The workers’ mission, once shared with their bosses, changes from “doing the job” to “preserving the sinecure”, no holds barred. Government is relatively easy to grow, as new missions are identified, but very hard to shrink when certain missions are deemed expendable. To the employee in the public sector, government becomes “all about me”.
Comment by James Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 6:12 pm
Oh my goodness–just bring in an agreed-to small group of respectable reporters already, they will report their respective stories responsibly, interested Illinois or other U.S. citizenry will observe and process (because as Taxpayers we DO have a right to know what’s going on in there(!)…)and we’ll have moved on from this picayune quandary already! And then let’s move on with bigger problems. This is America for lands sake. And who IS to stop a persevering journalist from seeking out the Hearland students for a follow-up story, anyway? They’d probably be flattered to boot!
Comment by Just The Way It Is One Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 6:24 pm
Quinn/IDOC lets watchdog prison monitors in whenever they want. They have full access. So do legislators. Why does he allow that? Have they revealed what Quinn Is trying to hide?
Comment by state worker Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 7:01 pm
An indictment of Quinn, but also if the sorry state of journalism in our state. There must be other ways to get this story than a “tour”.
Comment by wishbone Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 8:18 pm
The governor keeps the prison passes next to his Super 8 discount card and grassroots pension reform playbook in his vacation home on the island of makebelieve.
Comment by Michelle Flaherty Wednesday, Oct 24, 12 @ 10:09 pm
–That dangling participle is the sort of usage up with which I will not put-hat tip to WC–
Churchill — well done, Schnorf.
One of my favorites:
Churchill was seated next to Lady Astor at a dinner.
He was quite loaded.
She was appalled.
“Winston,” she said. “You’re drunk.”
He replied: “You’re quite right, lady, but you are ugly, while tomorrow, I will certainly be sober.”
Aghast, she saidm “If you were my husband, I’d put poison in your tea.”
And he replied: “If you were my wife, I’d drink it.”
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Oct 25, 12 @ 12:00 am