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By Barton Lorimor Email | @bartonlorimor

* From the Governor’s Office…

Governor Bruce Rauner has nominated John R. Baldwin to become the next Director of the Illinois Department of Corrections. Baldwin is the former Director of the Iowa Department of Corrections and brings more than 35 years of overall experience to the position.

Baldwin led the Iowa Department of Corrections from January 2007 until his retirement in January of this year. As the director he oversaw a staff of nearly 4,000 officers who supervised 38,000 offenders. During his tenure, he worked with the Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative to build a state-specific cost-benefit analysis on the state’s corrections department. The data was used to make more informed policy and budget decisions in an effort to reduce recidivism.

Baldwin began working for the Iowa Department of Corrections in 1983. In addition to his leadership as Director, Baldwin was the Deputy Director of Administration where he oversaw a number of areas including the budget, personnel and evidence-based practices. Prior to that, he supervised the business office for a forensic psychiatric hospital that was under the control of the Iowa Department of Corrections.

Baldwin holds a master’s degree in political science from Iowa State University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Iowa.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Aug 14, 15 @ 1:45 pm

Comments

Maybe he can bring some professionalism to the Rauner administration.

Comment by Liberty Friday, Aug 14, 15 @ 1:56 pm
okay, nice pick

Comment by Honeybear Friday, Aug 14, 15 @ 2:07 pm
(Insert obvious nasty comment here about collecting a public pension while working for another government body.)

Comment by Just Me Friday, Aug 14, 15 @ 2:31 pm
I hope he can turn-around the prisoners, & retrain the staff. Non-violent drug offenders & should be in a rehabilitation facility instead of a prison. Prisoners with mental illness should be in a treatment facility. No one gets rehabbed in prison.

Comment by Mama Friday, Aug 14, 15 @ 2:37 pm
He is actually a pretty good administrator and middle of the road. He’s coming from a democratic administration in Iowa and has worked in a unionized facility which is there also. Our prison system is in horrible condition in terms of space. Maybe he can teach Arizona Bob a thing about Sheriff Joe.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Aug 14, 15 @ 2:39 pm
@Mama
Yeah, Cook County Prision. It’s the state’s largest psychiatric facility right now.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Aug 14, 15 @ 2:41 pm
Looks like a great pickup for the State! Particularly at DOC which has long needed a good head.

Comment by Ghost Friday, Aug 14, 15 @ 2:54 pm
==(Insert obvious nasty comment here about collecting a public pension while working for another government body.)==

(Insert another obvious nasty comment here about asking if they are being hired in with a Tier I or Tier II Illinois pension - and if Tier II will they also receive additional retirement compensation for being hired in at Tier II. Hey there is a precedent for this concern)

Comment by Joe M Friday, Aug 14, 15 @ 2:54 pm
why bury the appointment on a friday, and the first day of the fair?

Comment by Langhorne Friday, Aug 14, 15 @ 3:11 pm
guess not everyone is leaving Illinois for Iowa

Comment by WeeblesWobble Friday, Aug 14, 15 @ 3:24 pm
Hey, Mama, you do realize that a state dept head doesn’t set sentence policy or prison terms, right? They don’t have leeway to unilaterally send a convicted and sentenced inmate out to a rehab facility nor can they create such an in house program on their own. You DO know that, right? smh

Comment by dupage dan Friday, Aug 14, 15 @ 3:40 pm
What will his contract look like? Will he draw a pension in one state and a full time salary here? What preconditions were put on him by the governor’s office?

Comment by Precinct Captain Friday, Aug 14, 15 @ 3:50 pm
Being retired from IDOC> I can tell you if things aren’t done the Governors way the he will be gone regardless of party. I don’t know if the staff needs retrained as one commenter wrote. If you have never worked in the system you can’t imagine the stress. Everyone gets upset and seems the inmates are meaner when it gets real hot outside. Hope he does a good job.

Comment by Roger Friday, Aug 14, 15 @ 3:59 pm
who cares if he draws a full pension from his last job, he earned it!

if we can make use of his skills and he is willing to work for us, go team Illinois lets make use of his skills.

Comment by Ghost Friday, Aug 14, 15 @ 4:14 pm
roger-
Everyone is meaner when its hot outside.

Comment by anon Friday, Aug 14, 15 @ 4:16 pm
I wonder if they found someone open to micromanagement from the governor and AFSCME.

Comment by State worker Friday, Aug 14, 15 @ 4:57 pm
The last Director came from outside the state, and abandoned ship pretty quickly. Hopefully this one sticks.

Comment by Lincoln Lad Friday, Aug 14, 15 @ 5:22 pm
Did Shakman and the federal oversight monitor sign off on this?

Comment by Dr X Saturday, Aug 15, 15 @ 12:35 am
Mama-what makes you think staff need to be re-trained? Staff only follow policy set forth by administrators.
It is better to be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

Comment by efudd Sunday, Aug 16, 15 @ 10:34 am
Looks like the new director can hit the ground running with the personal ID leak fiasco.
Nice to start your job with thousands of employees and AFSCME already having a legitimate gripe.

Comment by efudd Sunday, Aug 16, 15 @ 10:37 am