* Earlier today…

People who live around Logan Correctional Center are trying keep it from being shut down by the state.

* Response from the Illinois Department of Corrections…

The Department has been made aware of a social media posting on Facebook made earlier today. The Department is conducting an internal investigation. CO Angeli has been advised of his administrative leave, effective immediately.

The Illinois Department of Corrections is a multicultural agency deeply committed to ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion. We want to be clear: the comments made by this individual do not reflect the principles and standards of the Department. We apologize to anyone affected by these remarks and reaffirm our commitment to upholding policies and practices conducive to eliminating all forms of exclusion, including, but not limited to, racism, ageism, ableism, sexism, discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender and gender identity, and religious oppression.

We will continue to educate and engage our team on the importance of environments where all feel valued, respected, and included.

* Angeli has had problems before, so the department’s “education” program apparently didn’t work for him. From 2019…

At least 25 Illinois Department of Corrections employees have taken part in online conversations that mocked, demeaned, or disclosed personal and medical information about transgender inmates — including calling transgender women “it” and “he” — in two private Facebook groups, an Injustice Watch review has found.

The posts were written by low-level officers, sergeants, lieutenants, and other correctional staffers — including a counselor and a parole officer — from across the state. The posts included comments degrading transgender women and outing other LGBTQ prisoners. They openly discussed private information about inmates, including alleged sexual acts and medical treatments they received. […]

The Illinois Department of Corrections has specific rules that prohibit employees from disclosing information related to offender’s records.

In response to a post from April, correctional officer Thomas Angeli, who goes by Tommy Angeli on Facebook, commented about transgender woman Janiah Monroe, who had recently been transferred to a women’s facility. “Saw her in healthcare when she first came in…dude looks nothing like a girl..a tall n skinny guy,” Angeli wrote. Later the officer expressed expectations that the inmate would have “something feminine” by way of sexual organs, but did not.

Maybe he figured his union would save him again.

..Adding… The US 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled just this week that IDOC employees can be fired for this behavior…

The Illinois Department of Corrections suspended corrections sergeant Gary Hicks for 10 days after an internal investigation into his Facebook posts—posts a news article described as “Islamophobic” and “offensive.” The internal investigation concluded that Hicks violated Department policies banning “conduct that is unbecoming of a State employee or that may reflect unfavorably on or impair operations of the Department.” Hicks sued the Department and various officials connected to the disciplinary process under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging a First Amendment retaliation claim and an as-applied Fourteenth Amendment challenge to the Department’s policies. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of the defendants on both claims, and Hicks appeals.

We conclude that Hicks cannot sustain a First Amendment retaliation claim because the Department’s interest in manag- ing its affairs outweighs the interest Hicks had in posting the content. Nor can Hicks sustain an as-applied Fourteenth Amendment challenge because someone in his supervisory position would not have to guess that their actions may be “unbecoming of,” “reflect unfavorably on,” “or impair operations of the Department.” We therefore affirm.