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What’s he hiding?

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* I was given a prison tour several years ago by the Department of Corrections. We went to mostly maximum security facilities, and I was far from the first reporter who went on such a tour. But Gov. Pat Quinn, who constantly touts himself as being for more open government, has repeatedly denied requests by the media to tour even minimum security prisons. One can only wonder what the governor is hiding…

Want to know what conditions are like inside Illinois’ prisons? You’ll have to take someone else’s word for it.

And for the most part, that someone has to be the state of Illinois or the union that represents correctional officers and other prison workers.

Gov. Pat Quinn, a Democrat, is steadfast in his opinion that media tours of the state’s taxpayer-funded prisons, even the minimum-security ones, are a security risk and not a good idea.

“Prisons aren’t country clubs. They’re not there to be visited and looked at. I think we have to make sure they’re secure, and I think the security of the public is paramount when it comes to prisons,” Quinn said during questioning by reporters after he cut the ribbon for the 2012 Illinois State Fair in Springfield.

The issue of prison tours gained traction this week after a report by Chicago public radio station WBEZ that one of its reporters was turned down when he asked for a tour of the minimum-security prison in Vienna to investigate conditions there for prisoners.

Other reporters’ prison tour requests have been turned down, as well.

“I think it’s important that we listen to those who are on the front line at the prison with respect to working there and understanding their decisions regarding the safety of the prison,” Quinn said Friday. “Our corrections officials who are running the prisons are wardens. They have expertise that we ought to pay attention to.”

But Alan Mills, legal director at the Uptown People’s Law Center in Chicago, which represents Illinois inmates in legal cases, said Quinn is off base.

“Clearly, not only is it in the public’s interest, I think it’s the public’s right to know what’s going on in the prisons. Government should never be able to force the public to rely on its own version of the events. That’s what journalists and outside watchdogs are for,” Mills said. “The argument about security is hogwash.”

Mills said state officials have allowed tours of the Stateville and Dwight prisons regularly, and they have run tours of Tamms “when it suits their interests.”

“So there is no reason why they can’t run a tour and allow access to a medium-security prison. Do they have to assign someone to walk you through? Yes, but so what?” he said. “I think the public is legitimately able to conclude from their refusal to let people in that they don’t want people to see what’s going on in there.”

* Treasurer Dan Rutherford led prison tours when he was a state legislator and doesn’t understand Quinn’s adamant refusal to let reporters inside…

“I would concur with him that they are not country clubs. I would add to that they are also not tourist attractions,” Rutherford said in a conference call following Quinn’s remarks.

“I think it’s important that under the right conditions and right security escorts, that the media and policy makers have a chance to see the inside of the penitentiaries, ask the questions, dialogue with the staff and - for that matter - dialogue with the inmates,” Rutherford said.

Rutherford, a Republican, said the Democratic governor’s decision “gives the perception of hiding something, even if one’s not.”

* WBEZ wants to get inside some prisons. The station has been reporting on some deplorable conditions, including…

Overcrowding in the Illinois prison system has officials putting inmates in some rather unusual places. Men recently released from Vienna prison describe being housed with 600 other inmates in an administration building with only seven toilets.

And…

Mayo says, “I thought to myself this is supposed to be a minimum security institution, but this was more like a maximum security institution in that I couldn’t believe that they would actually expect people to live under those type of conditions. The place is infested with rats and the rats were so aggressive that we used to call them kangaroo rats ’cause while I was there quite a few guys had rats actually jump up in bed with them.”

And…

Okay, one last, and disturbing, example of life in Building 19. It comes from attorney Alan Mills at the Uptown People’s Law Center in Chicago. Mills says a cockroach burrowed into the ear of an inmate while he slept and it had to be surgically removed.

“The wax in [the] ear is one of the things that roaches will eat,” Mills said. Mills has talked to inmates at Vienna but he hasn’t actually been allowed to see the conditions for himself.

John Maki has. “Building 19 was one of the most depressing things I’ve seen in my life,” Maki said. “I just thought this is a human tragedy on a lot of levels. Part of me thought what a terrible way to spend taxpayer dollars.”

* Meanwhile, Gov. Pat Quinn’s press secretary told reporters last week that an e-mail exchange about moving a southern Illinois press conference was available online. Not quite…

Gov. Pat Quinn’s office continues to withhold emails that could shed light on whether his staff moved the location of a southern Illinois news conference to avoid protesters.

Even so, his spokeswoman says he remains committed to the issue of transparency in state government.

One document his office released Wednesday, apparently an exchange of emails, is completely censored — or “redacted.” Officials blacked out even the dates and times of the emails and the names of the senders and recipients.

“This is the most redacted email I’ve seen,” said Esther Seitz, a media law attorney in Springfield. “I’ve seen an email where at least the subject and the ‘from’ and ‘to’ lines were disclosed, but the content of this email was blocked in whole.

“Pretty much, (the governor’s office is) withholding the entire document. I don’t see why they’re giving you that email at all. There’s no point.”

* Here’s one of the redacted e-mails…

Sheesh.

* The governor was asked about both issues late last week…

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 11:28 am

Comments

Ummm . . . we were given prison tours when I was a Dunn Fellow several years ago. We were just fresh out of college and were still green behind the ears. Pontiac was one of the prisons we toured. Quinn just continues to step in one giant heaping pile of dung here. I guess it’s fitting that he’s at the State Fair near all of those animals as he is saying this stuff.

Comment by Demoralized Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 11:36 am
Rutherford gets it right…the perception of “hiding something” is worse than the reality. So what if a media tour makes a prison sound or look like a tough, unpleasant place? The overwhelming majority of Illinoisans want prisons to be tough and unpleasant — within reason, of course. No one wants Abu Ghraib, but no one wants a prison to look like a four-star hotel either.

This might be a case where the Quinn administration’s liberalism is getting the best of them. A Republican or moderate Dem wouldn’t worry about an NPR affiliate reporting on cock roaches or leaking toilets in the state prison system.

Comment by Rick Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 11:47 am
years ago the GA had a committee or commission on penal institutions that regularly toured prisons. sen. john graham was chair.

Comment by langhorne Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 11:50 am
That document has not redacted. .it has been razed.
So much for the disinfective effect of sunlight and all that rot. This answer clearly does not fall within the text or the spirit of the FOI Act.

Comment by Jake From Elwood Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 11:50 am
So much for Mr. Open Government. When it’s his government, he’d apparently rather have it less “open.”

Comment by Ron Burgundy Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 11:54 am
I’m not a fan of his, but you should also add that Tom Dart let msnbc film an entire show series in his jails. The images weren’t pretty, but there were no concerns or problems. Here’s the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKIWq1mxtRI

Comment by Shore Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 11:55 am
Governor Tranparency has gone dark.

Comment by anon Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 12:00 pm
Quinn and his staff seem to forget that the truth always comes out especially when you go to such lengths to hide it.

Comment by Cassiopeia Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 12:00 pm
Quinn is a phony and hypocrite–start to finish.

Comment by Thoughtless Penny Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 12:02 pm
Why would he want reporters to go see the inside of prisons that he hasn’t even taken the time to go see himself? Keep up the good work Pat

Comment by state worker Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 12:04 pm
The series “lockup” was inside Stateville in 2005. Isn’t it ironic That the “speck tapes” taken by inmates was the only way the public found out about a failed prison system. Are we going back to those days… Maybe now it will take other inmates to really educate us on this question, since the press is banned from the prisons.

Comment by Lockup Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 12:07 pm
Seems that the press was getting a bit too close to some embarrassing information.

Question is, who was it ready to embarrass and was there a deal struck by both Quinn and the union to keep the press out?

Just noticed that Quinn got to keep his ticket at the fair. They took mine after I paid cash, and I wasn’t issued a receipt? Why no cash control at the fair? Pretty odd at best. Can you say “shoebox.”

Comment by Sunshine Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 12:17 pm
Interesting, because a few weeks ago, Senator McCann from Carlinville was at the Greene County Work Camp and Pittsfield Work Camp, talking to inmates, no staff were allowed to answer any staffing level questions, he was actually told they were overstaffed and everything worked and was up to date… I hope is is smart enough to know he was lied to.. Of course, he did get a tour….

Comment by maybeforsomenotforall Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 12:22 pm
Shore makes a good point about Dart. He’s opened up Cook County Jail to anyone with a t.v. camera. It hasn’t always looked pretty, but it certainly has hurt Dart.

Comment by Rick Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 12:25 pm
I meant HASN’T hurt Dart!

Comment by Rick Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 12:26 pm
This is the kind of crap that happens when you surround yourself with Blagojevich apparatchiks

Comment by Lie down with dogs Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 12:27 pm
If reporters are barred from “tours” then college class tours or high school tours should also be discontinued. Students entering facilities many times with inappropriate clothing choices take place at several prisons each year.

Comment by Really? Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 12:27 pm
=And for the most part, that someone has to be the state of Illinois or the union that represents correctional officers and other prison workers.=

I think Andy Shaw and the BGA “investigators” are the only folks who takes Quinn’s political deputies’ word over that of rank and file workers.

The evidence is mounting to support Thoughtless Penny’s 12:02 pm assertion.
Quinn’s siege mentality,his dishonesty, and the record of his unethical staff point to something quite different than a “nice” but extremely inept guy. The apologists who continue to call Quinn and his team “nice but clueless” belong on the trash heap of Illinois political history.

Comment by Crime Fighter Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 12:30 pm
==no one wants a prison to look like a four-star hotel either.==

Maybe that’s what he’s trying to hide.

Was PQ always this bad, or is it just that actually having power corrupted him faster than most? All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.

Comment by Anonymice Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 12:32 pm
Quinn’s way out of line from a government standpoint. The public needs an independent party checking on conditions.

He’s also shooting himself in the foot from a p.r. standpoint. The requests aren’t going to go away and the issue will only get larger until he lets them in.

Certainly, his press staff must realize that. Are they afraid to tell him or does he just not value their advice?

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 12:35 pm
==or does he just not value their advice? ==

That one.

Comment by Way Way Down Here Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 12:47 pm
Well, maybe if he just beats on the table and squeals ‘Im the GOVERNOR’, everybody will just stop asking all these pesky questions. Just who do all these nosy people think they are?

Comment by Cindy Lou Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 12:52 pm
Just another important job the State is supposed to be doing, but fails at.

The sad part is vast amounts of money are consumed, constituencies are created and paid off while the citizens look the other way. It works because the prisoners are undesirables.

No one no matter how undesirable, should be forced to be housed in substandard conditions.

Comment by Plutocrat03 Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 12:54 pm
The gov’s office needs to be more aggressive in their press and PR strategy. Saying that we shouldnt be forced to depend on the state to describe the prisons isnt the issue. They dont say enough. They just sit back and let everyone else define them. Their hesitation and silence allows everyone else–union or angry reporter–to fill the void.

Comment by state worker Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 3:07 pm
@Spellchecker -

I’m not even sure what that “sentence” is supposed to mean, but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t belong on Capitolfax.

YDD

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 3:36 pm
Shouldn’t the governor be saying “ok, let’s reduce the prison population and relieve this problem”? And shouldn’t people complaining about prison conditions push him on that?

Given the IDOC’s recent budget cuts of some 110 million, it’s not clear what the IDOC could do to solve these problems right now even if they let every reporter in the world in the prisons. They don’t ask for all these people.

I also might add that the rest of you clearly have more faith in reporters than me. Having them in the prisons might be a step for the gov’s PR but most are sensation seekers and are only looking for a certain kind of story. It might not advance the dialogue all that much.

Comment by state worker Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 3:37 pm
Every comment some of you make is… to make sure your interest of closing that evil “torture chamber” Tamms is complete… And to not let any of these other issues affect that outcome.

Comment by Tamms Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 4:10 pm
Went on a tour of the Canton facility many, many years ago. They actually let me OUT after it was over too.

It was no innocuous. Quinn is biting himself in the ass by not allowing journalist tours.

Comment by Billy Dennis Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 4:14 pm
To be fair to the forum… I was referring to state workers comments that appears to defend this action of banning the press. If I am mistaken with my assumption… then I apologize …

Comment by Tamms Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 4:26 pm
Is it possible that since the Governor announced the closing of Tamms that it may not be safe to have tours!

Comment by Gary Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 4:59 pm
@stateworker -

Don’t hold your breath waiting for AFSCME, Republicans or downstate Democrats to come up with a plan to reduce our state’s prison population.

Unfortunately, the governor is not in an extremely strong position to push an aggressive plan of his own.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 5:28 pm
The $100,000 question here is: what did Rich Miller think of his maximum security prison tour?

Comment by Dan Bureaucrat Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 5:34 pm
Quinn goes by the old adage any publicity is good publicity. Its from the days when nobody paid attention to him . His utter lack of media discipline is killing him. Why not have the DoC director handle this. Earth to PQ you don’t have to answer every question…and please drop the clichés .

Comment by Media genius Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 9:32 pm
@Media Genius -

I actually think Quinn did a pretty strong job. 13 minutes is a long press conference for the state fair…Quinn handled about a half-dozen topics will in that time.

Sure, his answers could have been more concise. But I thought he did well.

His best response by far was pointing out that he was on a statewide tour with business leaders who can’t understand Republicans’ hesitancy to pass pension reform.

Surprising we haven’t heard that more.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Aug 13, 12 @ 10:27 pm