* From a legislative letter addressed to Illinois Department of Corrections Acting Director Latoya Hughes…

Dear Director Hughes,

In light of calls to suspend or electronically scan incoming mail for residents in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), we urge you to allow people who are incarcerated to continue to receive their original physical mail. These demands have escalated in recent weeks after several “exposure incidents” in which Correctional Officers have made claims of overdose symptoms after handling mail.

The safety of correctional staff and residents is a paramount concern. However, restricting physical mail has not been shown to improve safety, and we urge you to investigate and document the root of the problem before taking drastic action. In 2017, The American College of Medical Toxicology and the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology issued a joint report debunking the possibility of incidental transdermal exposure causing overdose symptoms as well as explaining that it would take an extremely high level of long term high-level airborne exposure to cause any effects. In addition, in multiple cases this summer, no evidence of the presence of any drug has been reported in spite of officers going to the hospital and facilities being placed on lockdown in reaction to the “exposure events.” In addition, ProPublica reported in 2023 on the widespread inaccuracy of the very field tests being used in IDOC facilities in these incidents and their high degree of false positive results.

In recent years, many prison administrators have claimed that delivering scanned copies of mail will stop the flow of drugs into their facilities, but there is no evidence that mail scanning has had this effect. Other states that implemented mail scanning to stop the alleged problem of drugs coming into prisons through the mail saw drug use and overdoses increase.

Physical mail—including letters, cards, drawings, and photographs—is an affordable way for people who are incarcerated and their loved ones to communicate. Maintaining close relationships with a person’s support system during incarceration supports rehabilitation and improves public safety. Mail is essential to maintaining a sense of hope and connection, and restricting it has measurable negative impacts on mental health, behavior, and success when people return home. Scanned copies of photos and cards simply aren’t the same, especially when you factor in the limited access to tablets and the costs associated with accessing them.

We look forward to your response and working with you to ensure the safety of everyone in IDOC facilities. We do not doubt that drug abuse in Illinois prisons (as in the rest of society) is a problem, but it should be solved by addressing the root of the problem through comprehensive substance use disorder treatment for people who are affected by it rather than eliminating this vital lifeline for everyone. Taking mail away works directly against the bipartisan goal we all share of supporting rehabilitation.

Thank you for your consideration of this critical issue.

Sincerely,

Rep. Kelly Cassidy
Sen. Robert Peters
Rep. Justin Slaughter Rep. Kevin Olickal
Rep. Will Guzzardi
Rep. Laura Faver Dias Rep. Norma Hernandez Rep. Lilian Jimenez Rep. Ann Williams
Sen. Lakesia Collins Rep. Anne Stava-Murray Rep. Yolanda Morris Rep. Theresa Mah
Rep. Kim du Buclet Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid Rep. Mary Beth Canty Rep. Hoan Huynh
Rep. Laura Faver Dias Rep. Kam Buckner
Rep. Dagmara Avelar Sen. Laura Fine
Sen. Adriane Johnson Rep. Nabeela Syed
Sen. Mattie Hunter
Sen. Karina Villa
Sen. Ram Villivalam Sen. Javier Cervantes Sen. Mark Walker
Sen Celina Villanueva Sen. Mary Edly-Allen Rep. Sonya Harper
Sen. Mike Simmons

IDOC has not yet responded to the letter. From the governor’s office…

The safety of DOC staff, individuals in custody, and everyone entering facilities is the administration’s top priority within the department. Governor Pritzker appreciates the perspective from lawmakers on this issue and remains committed to working with them to ensure essential communications and family connections are maintained for individuals in custody.

* Some links from the authors…

• A year after the New Mexico Corrections Department banned physical mail and implemented mail scanning, a July 2022 state Legislative Finance Committee report indicated that the new procedure had zero effect on drug use in the state prison system. The report noted as well that positive results on random New Mexico drugs tests on people who are incarcerated rose to 3.7% in 2021–2022, nearly doubling the previous rate (2%) before the mail restrictions were implemented in 2020–2021. (https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2022/sep/1/florida-now-digitizing-inco ming-mail-state-prisoners/)

• According to data from October 2022, overdoses rose in Missouri prisons despite the implementation of mail scanning. In the first six months of 2022, Missouri prisons averaged a little more than 34 overdoses a month. Mail scanning went into e ect on July 1, 2022. In July, August, and September 2022, the average number of overdoses increased to 39 per month. (https://www.riverfronttimes.com/news/overdoses-rise-in-missouri-prisons-des pite-strict-new-mail-policy-38708405)

• According to a 2023 article, data provided by the Pennsylvania DOC revealed that across a number of metrics, the drug problem in state prisons became worse following the implementation of mail scanning. In August 2018, 1.0% of people incarcerated in Pennsylvania tested positive on random drug screenings; as of December 2022, that rate had grown to 2.7%. (https://www.pennlive.com/news/2023/04/nearly-5-years-after-inmate-mail-scanning-policy-took-effect-pa-prison-drug-problem-remains.html)

• Mail is often the most commonly used, affordable, and accessible form of communication for people who are incarcerated and their loved ones. Decades of academic research indicate that visits, mail, phone, and other forms of family contact for incarcerated people have meaningful, positive impacts including better health, better behavior while incarcerated, better post-release outcomes, and reduced recidivism. (https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2021/12/21/family_contact/#:~:text=The%20re search%20is%20clear%3A%20visitation,recidivism%2C%20and%20improvement %20in%20school).