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What, me worry?

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* I’m sure everything will go smoothly with this plan. Yeah. No foreseeable problems at all…

The maximum-security women’s prison in Dwight will close by month’s end in a complex shift of inmates that involves the conversion of a men’s prison to a penitentiary for women and the transfer of hundreds of overflow inmates to other lockups around the state, according to a timeline obtained by The Associated Press Tuesday.

Gymnasiums outfitted as temporary quarters at six prisons started receiving 600 inmates last week, according to the memo prepared by the Illinois Department of Corrections. A spokeswoman confirmed the itinerary but said it could change for any number of reasons, including weather. […]

Dwight’s closure means emptying the Logan Correctional Center, located in Lincoln, of its male inmates. It will become a women’s prison and combine the populations of Dwight and Lincoln Correctional Center, which is also located in the city of Lincoln, near the Logan lockup. The other women’s prison is in Decatur.

A “swap” of 1,000 men and 1,000 women between Logan and Lincoln is scheduled for March 12, IDOC spokeswoman Stacey Solano confirmed Tuesday night.

* And it’s not just Dwight…

Inmates at six Illinois prisons will be bunking in gyms in the coming weeks as part of the state’s ongoing struggle with overcrowding.

With more than 49,000 inmates packed into space built for about 33,000 prisoners, Illinois Department of Corrections Director S.A. Godinez notified the union representing prison employees on Wednesday of the pending changes.

Prisons in Vandalia, Danville, Centralia, Canton, Vienna and Hillsboro are affected.

* Related…

* Gym housing of inmates creates additional safety concerns

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 10:10 am

Comments

This all sounds very expensive, moving prisoners, temporarily housing them, renovating other prisons.

Comment by 3rd Generation Chicago Native Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 10:24 am
It seems that we’ve been doing the same thing for a couple of decades, maybe it’s time to reevaluate our approach to law enforcement and corrections to produce less recidivism and more productive members of society instead of warehousing able bodies human beings in gyms and paying other able bodies human beings to stand guard over them.

Does anyone have a source for an overview of offenses that inmates are currently incarcerated for? It seems like DOC should be able to produce some data on XX on murder, XX on arson, etc., that would be helpful to interested researchers.

Comment by Colossus Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 10:33 am
Colossus

We had a way to reduce recidivism and warehousing costs. It was called the death penalty. It wasn’t used enough but it was there. I used to work in the prisons and i can tell you rehabilitation doesn’t work never has. As for the Gymn Housing this is the single worst option available. Imagine 100 inmates held in one single room with absolutely no way to seperate groups or individuals. Add the fact that you have between 2 to 4 Guards and you have a recipee for a riot. bit i am sure Quinn in his wisdom has it figured out.

Comment by Mason born Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 10:57 am
Colossus you make perfect sense. If we let more criminals out of jail early we can then create jobs for more local police as well as private home security services, gun dealers, and whoever makes those iron bars to put over your windows.

Comment by Downstate Illinois Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 11:06 am
Selling Thompson for what reason?

Comment by Cincinnatus Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 11:59 am
Mason -
You seem to have missed the part where I said we need to find some new ideas instead of just trying the same things we’ve tried in the past, including things that the people of Illinois have rejected as being inefficient and not worth our time and money.

I would like you to point out a study that shows the death penalty reduces recidivism and is lower in cost than traditional imprisonment. I don’t know that it doesn’t, but if you have support for your statement, I’m all ears.

Comment by Colossus Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 12:10 pm
Sounds to me like a ______(you name the ethnic group) firedrill!!!!!

Comment by downhereforyears Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 12:38 pm
The men’s minimum and medium are crowded and that is senseless. Most Illinois prisoners have non-violent offenses and serve less than a year. We surely don’t have to pack prisons with people like that. In fact, they do better with community supervision. (I.e, they are more likely to commit another crime if they end up in an IDOC prison.) Real dumb.

That said, legislators will undoubtedly continue increase sentences and send more down the river.

Comment by Dan Bureaucrat Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 1:05 pm
The early release program has backfired on the. DIRECTOR S.A. Godinez who misinformed Quinn on the amount of inmates that would be released early. Only a handful and not thousands as touted. Now with closures we have a very severe dangerous issue. The mismanagement of one of the largest State agencies needs some Accountability!

Comment by Barney Fife Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 1:30 pm
Collossus

Capital punishment never worked out to be cost efficient (or all that fairly administered either), but it was a perfect specific deterent. No one who was executed ever committed another crime.

Whether it had substantial general deterent effect was debatable.

Comment by titan Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 1:37 pm
Barney, no one touted thousands, although the prison population is artificially spiked right now by 4,000 because of the 2009 suspension of good-time. Most COs and administrators alike would like that program to return in full force.

But, in the interest of being constructive. What are your specific recommendations?

Comment by Dan Bureaucrat Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 1:37 pm
Are they going to relocate the urinals?

Comment by Eileen left Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 1:41 pm
- Eileen left - Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 1:41 pm:

“Are they going to relocate the urinals?”

Ala Wrigley Field?

http://www.urinal.net/wrigley_field/

Comment by Cincinnatus Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 1:44 pm
Titan - thanks for the logic check. And here I even had my V8 this morning…

Comment by Colossus Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 1:51 pm
Total mismanagement and poor planning by IDOC. An inmate can refuse housing (being celled in a gym) and should be disciplined and placed in segregation. What happens when segregation is full? Hear only “good, model” inmates being moved into gyms, nice reinforcement to good behavior! And, naturally can’t put trouble inmates in gym.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 2:12 pm
The men going to gyms will be the low-level people in the system serving short sentences.

Their incentive to behave is that they can earn sentence credits for good behavior and lose it otherwise. Incentives work. Deterrents don’t.

Keep in mind that these are people with low behavior problems (like people who go to boot camps who run around with very little supervision) and that there will be extra staff in the gym dorms.

Comment by Dan Bureaucrat Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 2:24 pm
Well Dan. In the interest of all involved, might I suggest building instead of closing? When you are over populated closing and selling prisons doesnt add up. Might I suggest reading Post Pontiac Riot Reports. Over crowded, understaffing, serious incidents diwn played by spokesperson and administration, staff assaults up, and increase in one on one inmate fights. Sounds all to familiar to me.

Comment by Barney Fife Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 2:25 pm
Dan the B

You like everyone else to back up their claims with studies. What study or document do u base your information from?

Comment by The liberal is here!!! Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 2:45 pm
And yes, deterrents do work. The IDOC is now trying your way. Let’s talk in a year…

Comment by The liberal is here!!! Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 2:49 pm
No death penalty.., no Tamms… No segregation…no deterrents… Let’s see how this story develops.

Comment by The liberal is here!!! Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 2:51 pm
Cinci, I could have gone the rest of my days without acquiring that bit of potty info.

No wonder the Cubs s**k.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 3:40 pm
Let put it like this. It has became very clear that the Government body of Illinois and the Director of the IDOC as well as his Executive (if that’s what you want to call them) have no idea what they are doing. I was in the IDOC for over 30 years and everything was going well until the current Director took over. He and Government people need to be replaced before individuals have to experience another Riot like that of Pontiac in 1978, because that is where it’s heading. The problem is not why the budget is where it is, it’s because of the ones in charge of the budget. It’s a sham that the Government body of Illinois would rather put a dollar as more important than an individual’s LIFE. Need to clean it up fast time is running out…

Comment by concerned Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 4:03 pm
Well stated concerned. Deterrents do work. The current Director cut Segregation time and listened to the Vera Institute.Now all the Segrgations in the State are full, simply because there are no deterrents. Just the opposite occured. This Director and his Inept Executive Administration must go. Sit back and watch. The inmates will fix it for us.

Comment by Barney Fife Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 4:29 pm
Look, this is massive, and it’s predictable that there will be implementation snafus. I’m not terribly interested in playing “gotcha” on this issue because I don’t think PQ had any better choices to pick from.

Comment by steve schnorf Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 6:37 pm
I’m interested in the logisticscs of swapping a 1000 men and women from prisons that are close enough to walk from one to the other. Iso that what is going to happen? Just what is the likelyhood of one or more of them just walking off,,, because I don’t see them actually chaining them all up, or handcuffing them just for this short walk.

Comment by mythoughtis Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 6:44 pm
Barney Fife,
When you cut segregation time, then you send up with more space available in segregation. The Vera Institute was brought in because you COs were using segregation for every little thing, rather than using judgement, mediation and other skills. THose are the strengths you should use, not thoughtless punishment. In fact, throwing someone in seg leads to worse behavior and makes things worse. So good C/Os, lieutenants and administrators try to chose alternatives. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for some segregation, just that Illinois needed some help.

Comment by Dan Bureaucrat Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 7:30 pm
I can house two, maybe three, if their cute…..

Comment by What is to be done? Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 9:33 pm
Dan, Facts. Every Seg in every Facility is Full. Fact. Every deterrent plan doesnt fit every State & its specific inmate population. Fact. Staff Assaults & one on one inmate fights are higher in Fiscal 2013 than they have ever been in last five years. Fact. The Director stated at Vienna “we know we have a problem & we are doing the best we can. Fact. Thats an admission to a problem? Fact. When the OEIG found the Director & Exec Admin guilty that concerns me that corruption lies at the very Top. Fact. The A.P. story on the Beck dui cover up further confirms that corruption. Fact. Its almost Finished & coming to a Halt. Believe that.

Comment by Barney Fife Wednesday, Mar 6, 13 @ 10:25 pm
Barney Fife,
1) If seg units are full, sounds like they needed to reduce overuse of seg. Maybe they need to reduce it even more.

2) I don’t have the violence stats for FY13. Forgive me for doubting you, but all last year AFSCME claimed violence was up, when in fact inmate-on-staff assaults were down and other violence was the same.

3) If the director thought that Vienna is a problem and they are doing the best they can, then what are you complaining about? Men’s facilities are too full. The prison population needs to be reduced. That was my original point. Have you thought of going to the legislature and asking them to stop escalating sentencing laws. Tell them we can’t afford to lock people up so that they can have tough-on-crime blurbs on their campaign flyers.

Comment by Dan Bureaucrat Thursday, Mar 7, 13 @ 10:45 am
Barney, you are still harping on the hire of an Assistant Warden of Programs in a minimum-security prison? Ok. That has nothing to do with the conversation at hand and neither does the DUI. But here’s what came of that:

In response to OEIG, the governor’s office asked CMS’s Bureau of Personnel’s Examining and Counseling Division “to review that hire’s background against the written employment requirements, although such analysis is not required for positions that are both Rutan exempt and partially exempt from the Personnel Code. CMS’s Examining and Counseling Division determined that the hire HAS achieved the requisite education and employment experience equivalent to the written requirements for the position.”

Comment by Dan Bureaucrat Thursday, Mar 7, 13 @ 10:46 am
Dan Bureaucrat
Its clear that you have never been in the IDOC as employee or Inmate. Maybe you should try that and then make a statement. The IDOC is loaded with corrpution. But when people let the Inmates run things as they are. You will see the outcome.
Apply for a job in IDOC or just go to prison and you will see. Let everyone know how it goes…

Comment by concerned Thursday, Mar 7, 13 @ 1:46 pm
Dan. You are somewhat versed, but might I suggest you call Jack & return to the State Fire Marshall Office! Concerned save your fingers he is a misplaced P Hack.

Comment by Barney Fife Thursday, Mar 7, 13 @ 4:56 pm
I hear you Barney very true. Enjoy

Comment by concerned Thursday, Mar 7, 13 @ 5:14 pm