* Gov. Pritzker…

Today Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) announced plans to dedicate capital funds to rebuild Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln and Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, addressing critical infrastructure needs at both facilities. The funding is included in the capital proposal the governor presented the General Assembly as part of his FY25 budget proposal.

The capital investments will begin to address years of disinvestment in facilities built almost a century ago, saving the state hundreds of millions in deferred maintenance and annual upkeep costs. The capital investment plan will initially focus on rebuilding two facilities that have been identified as having the most significant deferred maintenance costs as the administration continues to assess the IDOC infrastructure and where additional investments might be needed.

“The capital funds dedicated to Stateville and Logan further demonstrate our commitment to continuing to rebuild and strengthen our state’s infrastructure,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “These investments will allow staff to work in modern and safe facilities, ensure those who are incarcerated can safely serve out their sentences, and save taxpayers hundreds of millions in deferred maintenance costs from years of neglect.”

IDOC will work with the Capital Development Board and stakeholders on a timeline and next steps, with work to begin pending capital appropriations in the FY25 budget. Based on assessments of each facility and land availability, it is anticipated that Stateville will be temporarily closed and demolished with a new facility to be built on its grounds. The status of Logan in the interim is still to be worked through with various stakeholders, and the location of the new facility is still being finalized.

The plan estimates construction costs will total between $805 to $935 million. Governor Pritzker’s proposed FY25 capital budget included $900 million in new funds to demolish and rebuild these facilities. Long-term, the projects are expected to save the state an average of $34 million in annual operations savings, over the long term, by lowering overtime, maintenance, and utility costs on the facilities. Rebuilding these facilities will also save the state hundreds of millions in deferred maintenance costs that have accrued after decades of neglect. These facilities were selected based on a 2023 CGL report the state contracted to identify and prioritize IDOC facility needs.

In accordance with the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) process, construction will not commence until all requirements of the State Facilities Closure Act are met. The design and buildout of the new facilities is anticipated to be completed over the next three to five years. IDOC will coordinate closely with staff at these facilities, organized labor, individuals in custody, and other stakeholders to ensure a smooth the rebuilding process and the department is continuing its work to hire for a number of open positions.

“This plan marks a pivotal moment in IDOC’s ongoing efforts to ensure the safety and well-being of our staff and the individuals in our care,” said Latoya Hughes, Acting Director of IDOC. “These investments underscore Illinois’ unwavering commitment to implementing modernized and secure correctional environments while taking a fiscally responsible approach to address aging infrastructure.”

“The Illinois Justice Project has an essential goal to reduce the number of people in prison. We also support the elimination of any and all conditions that are unsafe and unhealthy or put those housed in the Illinois Department of Corrections at risk,” said Illinois Justice Project Director Ahmadou Dramé. “We will continue to work with advocates and policymakers alike to reduce incarceration and create humane conditions for those who are incarcerated.”

* AFSCME Council 31…

Our union was only notified late Thursday of the Department of Corrections plan to demolish Stateville and Logan prisons and build new facilities in their place. The department did not seek or consider the input of frontline employees or the union in the development of this plan.

“We have grave concerns,” said Roberta Lynch, executive director of AFSCME Council 31, the state employee union whose members include some 10,000 corrections employees.

“Closing facilities even temporarily would disrupt and potentially destabilize the prison system, while bringing upheaval to the lives of affected employees and individuals in custody.”

While there is no question that state prisons are in dire need of tens of millions of dollars of deferred maintenance, the information released so far raises many more questions than it answers. For example:

• If both facilities are closed for reconstruction, where will offenders be relocated in a way that does not destabilize other facilities? Stateville primarily houses maximum-security offenders. Logan is one of only two facilities that house women and the only facility for medium- and maximum-security female offenders; placing this population at other facilities that currently house male offenders—or overcrowding the only other women’s facility—poses logistical and safety concerns.

• The plan would result in the layoff of all employees at both facilities. Although the department claims that positions would be available for these employees at other facilities, how far away would these positions be? IDOC is already finding it extremely difficult to hire and retain employees in the current environment. This plan could all too easily drive staffing levels so low that the entire system would be destabilized.

• Are there truly no other alternatives to razing these facilities and rebuilding on the exact same site? Stateville grounds encompass some 2,200 acres, Logan 150 acres. Why not build new facilities elsewhere on the grounds while utilizing the existing facilities in the interim? Could rebuilding on the exact location require remediating environmental hazards caused by demolition?

• Stateville is valued for its proximity to the Chicago area, allowing individuals in custody to more easily stay connected to their family members in the state’s largest population center. Logan’s central location offers efficient access to transport offenders to legal, medical and other mandatory appointment in any part of the state.

“We cannot support this plan unless and until the department provides satisfactory answers to these compelling questions,” Council 31 director Lynch said.

*** UPDATE *** Jordan Abudayyeh with the governor’s office…

The union’s grave concerns are unusual given their continued demands to increase the safety and security of the work environment of their members. This plan fully addresses those concerns at the two facilities facing the most serious and expensive maintenance issues. It will ensure that AFSCME members can do their jobs in modern, safe facilities. It is not fiscally responsible or feasible to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in a continuing effort to shore up facilities that have been neglected for decades and used for over a century. As we have assured the union, all of their members will continue to be employed at all times as we transition to safer facilities. As we move forward, transfers of incarcerated individuals will only take place with appropriate timing, in a way that minimizes disruptions to the greatest extent possible, and while ensuring the safety and security of all involved.

* From Logan County…

State Senator Sally Turner (R-Beason), State Representative Bill Hauter (R-Morton), Logan County Board Chairman Emily Davenport, and Lincoln Mayor Tracy Welch released the following joint statement in response to the Pritzker Administration’s announced decision to close the Logan Correctional Center:

“The decision by the Governor’s Administration to close the Logan Correctional Center without any assurance of its reopening within Logan County is both devastating and infuriating. While we recognize that Logan Correctional is in need of repairs, it is only in its current state of disrepair because of neglect and the misplaced priorities of this Administration.

“Logan Correctional is an instrumental part of Lincoln and its surrounding communities. It provides more than 500 direct jobs, hundreds more indirect jobs, and immeasurable local economic benefits. We will continue to fight for each and every one of these jobs and ensure our communities get the answers they deserve from the Governor’s Administration.”

* Sen. Ventura…

— State Senator Rachel Ventura (D-Joliet) released the following statement after the governor announced a plan for transformative capital investments in Illinois Department of Corrections facilities:

“There is no reason incarcerated individuals should be subjected to a facility that lacks basic human necessities — from clean water to outdoor recreational space. The quality of life at the Stateville prison is beyond repair. It’s imperative we build a new facility — but we must do so in a way that takes into account the needs of its residents, their loved ones and workers.

“Employees of Stateville have made Will County their home. A just transition must be put forward to ensure not a single job is lost. Further, conversations must be had to ensure families of incarcerated individuals have a feasible way to see their loved ones — be that an option to zoom or transportation services. It’s imperative we keep people as close to their families as possible.

“I will be monitoring the situation closely and working with state officials to ensure a fair and just transition plan is implemented. All stakeholders — from employees to families — should have a seat at the table to put forth tangible solutions to safeguard jobs and the humanity of incarcerated individuals.”

* John Howard Association…

Today’s announcement by Governor Pritzker to shutter Logan and Stateville Correctional Centers in order to rebuild them recognizes that these prisons are decrepit, unsafe, and inhumane. Acknowledging that both Logan and Stateville are not fit for human habitation represents an important step towards respecting the dignity and rights of people who are incarcerated, and there is benefit to rethinking our carceral environments in order to move towards smaller, more rehabilitative, modernized spaces that are adequately equipped and staffed to provide people with individualized help and treatment and reduce the suffering and trauma so often experienced in our current prisons. However, this announcement does not address the fact that the Illinois prisons are currently well under capacity, with close to 12,000 excess prison beds throughout the system; we can and should also permanently close some of our worst prisons. This makes good sense financially and morally.

The Facility Master Plan Report, commissioned by the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), authored by an independent consultant, and published in 2023 laid bare the unsafe and inhumane conditions that exist at Logan and Stateville Correctional Centers – as well as at many other Illinois prisons – as JHA has been documenting and reporting on for years. According to the report, billions of dollars are required to address the ravages of excessive deferred maintenance at many of the prisons, many of which – including Logan and Stateville – have infrastructure beyond fixing and could never be made to be appropriate spaces to treat, rehabilitate, or house people in custody. Most of Illinois’ prisons were built before the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Prison Rape Elimination Act became law, making them out of compliance with legal safeguards that should be provided to every person and in violation of the civil rights of people who suffer because of this. Wheelchairs and assistive devices cannot be accommodated, and establishing sight lines and protections to stop or deter sexual victimization is not possible. Beyond these issues are the lack of technological infrastructure (making improved and increased communications, information access, and programming impossible) and the horrible conditions people incarcerated in these prisons contend with every day: mold; poor ventilation; discolored, odorous, and particle filled water in cells and showers; water damage that leads to ceilings and floors collapsing; roofs caving in; infestations of rodents and vermin; extreme temperatures; and sewage and sanitation system failures, all of which impact the safety, health, and well-being of the people who live and work inside the prisons.

It is long past time that Logan and Stateville be depopulated and demolished. In 2023, women at Logan who responded to a JHA survey commented that, “our water has legionella, our showers, have leeches, our housing units have black mold & asbestos, The housing units are falling in on us” and that, “Every day, all day, we breathe BLACK MOLD, ASBESTOS, AND COAL DUST”. According to the Facility Master Plan Report, “[o]ur review found the existing Logan Correctional Center to be inefficient, ineffective, and unsuitable for any population. The aging coal-fired power system, molding housing units, and facility layout all work in opposition to the mission and goals of the facility. IDOC should find a more suitable location for housing its incarcerated women” (pg. 44).

Conditions at Stateville are similarly horrible; in assessing this prison as part of the Facility Master Plan Report, it was found that, “[i]n addition to the extremely poor conditions throughout the facility (peeling paint, leaking roofs) the facility’s 100 year old design is reflective of 1800’s prison philosophy, with multitiered housing units. These units are poor for a maximum custody population, but even worse for a multi-custody re-entry mission. The units lack dayroom space or any adjacent program space. Cells are small and there is limited electrical connections resulting in extension cords ran from cell to cell. Due to limited line-of-sight, an intensive level of staffing is necessary to adequately supervise these units. Maintaining a constant ambient temperature is nearly impossible from the lower tier to the upper tier. Shower facilities are poor and create PREA issues. Overall, the facility can’t comply with ADA requirements” (pg. 46). In response to JHA surveys at Stateville in 2023, people incarcerated there wrote that, “Stateville should be overhauled or closed. No hot water for the past two months, legionella bacteria in our drinking water supply, also lead was found… infestation of roaches and spiders. I sleep with roaches crawling all in my bed and I keep myself and my cell clean” and that, “The drinking water is contaminated; people are developing cancer here at an alarming rate; the air circulation is very poor and we are developing upper respiratory problems from breathing in entirely too much dust/other unknown air pollutants on a daily basis for years on end; Black mold inside cells; very bad roach and mouse infestation…”

Removing people from immediate harm by taking them out of Illinois’ most decrepit and unsafe prisons is critical. Closing outdated, uninhabitable, redundant prisons is also critical in order to respect the human rights of all citizens and invest in strategies that will benefit everyone. We can reduce our reliance on incarceration and close the most inhumane prisons, while also considering new ways to house people who must remain that are safe, rehabilitative, and recognize and respect those who live and work inside our prisons. Investing in communities and social safety networks, increasing and improving educational and employment opportunities, and utilizing deflection and diversion more often will improve outcomes. Illinois cannot continue to house and employ people in prisons that pose a danger to everyone inside of them due to degraded and hazardous conditions; the costs are too high when measured in dollars, morality, and our humanity.

…Adding… Rep. Harry Benton…

A full rebuild of Stateville will cause transfer of inmates and staff. There may be some challenges with this, but I am here to work with folks and be a voice through the transition. I am glad they are finally updating the outdated facility for safety and efficiency purposes, which will be good jobs for building trades, but feel terrible for staff that is temporarily transferred. Some staff has already been transferred there from permanent closures in the past.