The failures of gang control by the Illinois Department of Corrections

By Andrew K. Ott

Guest Editorial in “Gang Specialist” newspaper circulated 04/12/2013

Every Law Enforcement Agency and Corrections Facility in United States

The current administrative policies and procedures of the Illinois Department of Corrections have allowed the street gangs/security threat groups to once again gain a hold in Illinois prisons.

After years of hard work by many devoted individuals in identifying and controlling street gang activities in the Illinois prison system, these proud staff have watched the last two years as their hard work went by the way side.

The current director and his policies of allowing this organizational activity to occur, without fear of Tamms placement or discipline, has allowed street gangs to organize and once again develop a communication network.

When confronted with fiscal budget contraints, the current director volunteered to shutter the super-max prison at Tamms. Many wondered why anyone with an extensive security background would suggest such a thing. While others thought it had always been on the director’s agenda and possibly had to do with his association with former Latin King gang members and their neighborhood improvement business, “the new Humboldt park saints,” major contributor and supporter of closing Tamms.

One must keep in mind and would have to question the events of staff being killed by gang members at Stateville Correctional Center during the director’s tenure there as assistant warden of operations. Another event during his tenure at Stateville was the disappearance of a Latin King that ended up in the meat loaf, his skull found some years later (this story can be researched).
Regardless, the outcome was the closing of the Tamms super-max and the deterrent was gone. The gang chiefs transferred to Pontiac Correctional Center now have access to Chicago street information through visits and also now have the capability to send messages throughout the other facilities across the state.

Signs of increased organized gang activity has been seen within the maximum security facilities with a large increase of one-on-one inmate fights of opposing street gangs. These facilities have also seen a rise in staff assaults, and the number of homemade weapons or shanks have increased as well. The finding of more major contraband, such as drugs and cellphones within the maximum facilities are all on the increase and are gang controlled criminal activities.

At the medium security facilities, the gangs/security threat groups have all got back on count and many signs of the organized activity has been observed.

On the increase over the last year. multiple inmate fights have occurred at several medium security facilities involving opposing gangs and aid and assist rules apply.

While the agency downplays these incidents and calls them isolated, the gang rules of requiring members to be active and on count, as well as assisting fellow gang members if an opposing gang is in an altercation, has not existed in the medium facilities for over 15 years. It is now prominent and taking place on a daily basis. Some certain factions of Latino gangs haven even shaved their heads to show solidarity. One-on-one inmate fights and staff assaults have also dramatically increased in the medium security facilities.
The minimum security facilities have also seen an upswing in activity. Multiple inmate fights are a weekly event, with even Logan Correctional Center having a 40 inmate fight involving boot camp minimum security inmates.

Illinois Department of Corrections has once again created it’s own gang problems. The lax disciplinary policies have allowed activities to increase without the threat of discipline.

The current director and administration have tried to alleviate segregation time for infractions, and have streamlined the ability for wardens to review and give inmates lost good time back for disciplinary infractions.

The agency has decreased lockdowns and lockdown time frames for serious inmate behavior issues, all while downplaying multiple inmate fights, staff assaults, finding weapons and cellphones, etc. This loose policy has given the green light once again to a group of individuals that thrive on criminal activities regardless if incarcerated or on the street.

The current director and administration have claimed that segregation does not work and there are other avenues and methods to deter bad behavior. While this strategy may work elsewhere, every state and it’s inmates are different.

Cook County and Chicago street gangs make up the largest percentage of IDOC. It is a fact that over the course of the last two years these gangs have taken advantage of lenient administrative policies, overcrowding, under staffing, AFSCME employee focus on contract and financial issues, the loss of the deterrent Tamms, and the loss of strong leadership and management in the Correctional Intelligence Unit.

The Correctional Intelligence Unit designed and mandated by Illinois statute has been allowed to fall into the current director’s lax policies. The department that tracks and compiles intelligence on gangs/security threat groups is understaffed and the focus has been changed from internal intelligence in the prison system to political intelligence and the outside system.

The Intel Unit is being used for parole initiatives in politically correct areas to serve a political agenda instead of gathering facility gang intelligence within the correctional system.

Much experience has left this unit over the course of the last two years. The unit manpower should be increased with all the current problems at every facility but just the opposite is being done.

Where the Correctional Unit once had the power to shuffle gang members and transfer problem inmates to break up gang activity and organized communication networks, due to fiscal constraints and bed space issues this no longer happens.
These are all the failures of the current director and administration’s policies that have allowed the street gangs to once again get a strong hold within Illinois correctional facilities.

We have basically allowed it to happen and created a prison environment where the inmate has no choice but to join up or get on count for self-preservation.

The agency no longer pushes the following gang deterrent strategies: inmate mail is not monitored as it once was to catch gang and criminal activity communications; informants are not developed and used; lockdowns are no longer used except if absolutely necessary; segregation is now not recommended unless absolutely a necessary; inmate phone calls are not monitored and analyzed; street issues occurring between rival factions are not shared with the correctional intelligence unit for monitoring or shared with front line staff; rival gang member numbers are not balanced; transfers to interrupt gang communications are not used; gang leaders and chiefs are not isolated; and tracking members and certain gang activities are not done on a consistent basis.

Worst of all, the current director acknowledges the gang leaders and talks and negotiates with them while at facilities. this puts them on a pedestal of authority and gives them recognition and power within the gang and with it’s members. This is similar to negotiating with terrorists and should never be done at this level of authority – not ever.

It’s a sad day for Illinois for sure. An agency that decided to take back control after the Richard Speck tapes, and spent millions of taxpayer dollars and millions of man hours doing so, has once again relinquished control to street gangs by allowing and over looking their current activities. Within just two years time the agency has spiraled backwards twenty years.

The accountability falls with the agency leadership. Three inmate murders so far, multiple staff assault injuries, and multiple inmate fight injuries. We can only hope that someone makes a drastic change, and quickly, before the agency has a much more serious dramatic occurrence.

Shame on you Illinois for allowing this to happen to one of the most admired correctional systems in the nation. Hopefully changes will be made during the upcoming senate confirmation hearings for the director, as there has been much scrutiny and criticism from both sides of the aisle.