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Federal judge’s Stateville closure order is a big loss for AFSCME

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Illinois

A federal judge on Friday ordered Illinois prison officials to move most of the people incarcerated at Stateville Correctional Center to other prisons around the state by Sept. 30 after civil rights lawyers argued the living conditions at Stateville were too hazardous for those housed there.

The court order from U.S. District Judge Andrea R. Wood gives the clearest first steps yet for the Illinois Department of Corrections to begin the process of closing the sprawling facility after state officials announced earlier this year a plan to dismantle the prison and build a new one on the Stateville grounds.

The plan is part of a nearly $1 billion project that includes tearing down Logan Correctional Center, a women’s prison in downstate Lincoln, and possibly rebuilding that as well on the Stateville site in Crest Hill, near Joliet.

* From the order [fixed link]…

Defendants also have confirmed that for purposes of resolving Plaintiffs’ preliminary injunction motion, they will not oppose entry of a preliminary injunction that imposes the least intrusive means necessary to correct the risk of harm class members face from falling concrete at Stateville by requiring the Department to transfer class members who remain housed in Stateville’s general housing units (Quarter House and X House) by September 30, 2024. Defendants acknowledge that such an order is consistent with the State’s publicly announced plan to begin closing Stateville 180 days after the start of the closure process required by Illinois law. Defendants do not dispute that this relief is narrowly drawn and extends no further than necessary in that rather than ordering the Department to make extensive repairs to Stateville’s facilities, ordering the transfer of class members out of Stateville’s general housing units is consistent with the State’s publicly announced plan to begin closing Stateville 180 days after the start of the closure process required by Illinois law. Defendants also do not dispute that the relief is the least intrusive means necessary in that the Department maintains its discretion to develop its own plan to transfer class members and implement that plan in a time and manner of the Department’s choosing, provided that the Department completes the required transfers by the Court’s deadline of September 30, 2024. […]

The Court defers to the Department to develop its own plan to transfer class members and implement that plan in a time and manner of the Department’s choosing, provided that the Department completes the required transfers by the Court’s deadline of September 30, 2024.

* Illinois Department of Corrections…

The Department previously indicated to the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA) that it would not begin to wind down operations at Stateville Correctional Center until at least 180 days from filing its notice to COGFA. The Department did not oppose the preliminary injunction entered on Friday, and our anticipated timeline for transfers is in line with the order issued by the court. Our priority is ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of everyone involved during the transfer process, along with a smooth transition to the new facility when the time comes. Once the rebuilds are complete, the Department will have modern facilities with the technological and structural capabilities necessary to provide a safe and secure environment for staff and individuals in our custody, enhancing rehabilitation and reentry opportunities and fostering safer communities.

* AFSCME Council 31…

“The closure of Stateville would cause immense disruption to the state prison system, its employees, individuals in custody and their families. We are examining all options to prevent that disruption in response to this precipitous ruling.”

* Sen. Ventura…

Following a federal judge’s ruling that the Illinois Department of Corrections must move most of the incarcerated individuals out of the Stateville Correctional Center by the end of September, State Senator Rachel Ventura (D-Joliet) released the following statement:

“After working intimately with system impacted individuals at Stateville, I recognize how important educational programs are at the facility. As the state transitions individuals out of Stateville, I am advocating for them to be placed in facilities that meet their needs, including those pertaining to education, accessibility and workforce and restorative justice programming.

“I encourage the Department of Corrections to work with all stakeholders, including AFSCME, universities, families and restorative justice programs to make sure the transition fulfills the needs of those impacted.

“We must keep stakeholders, families and employees in mind during this transition and be cognizant of their limitations and financial barriers when it comes to transporting these individuals and job relocation. I will continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure all parties are given full transparency.”

* Background…

Stateville may close as early as September under Pritzker’s prison plan

* Attorneys Say People Housed at Stateville Prison Should Be Transferred Over ‘Dire Injury’ Risks at Aging Facility: An IDOC spokesperson said the department cannot comment on active litigation, noting IDOC previously indicated it would not begin to wind down operations at Stateville until at least 180 days from the time it officially filed its notice of the closure. That would put the wind-down date at Sept. 13.

* I Watched My Neighbor Die a Preventable Death Due to Scorching Heat in Prison: As I write this, I am sitting in a tiny, unventilated cell five stories high at Stateville Correctional Center, a prison located about 30 miles southwest of Chicago. It is a decrepit, 100-year-old prison deemed unfit for human habitation. When the temperatures outside rise into the mid-90s, which has been occurring repeatedly this summer, the heat index in my cell rises to at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Aug 12, 24 @ 1:44 pm

Comments

Most of the “system impacted individuals” that Sen. Ventura references are in there for murder and it’s going to be very difficult to move these individuals to other prisons safely. Hopefully IDOC has been preparing for this since they are apparently not appealing the injunction.

Comment by Chicagonk Monday, Aug 12, 24 @ 2:09 pm
If they have to move all staff and inmates out of the Gen pop bldgs by the end of September it is going to be a total mess. Glad I don’t work there anymore.

Comment by Neef Jr. Monday, Aug 12, 24 @ 2:15 pm
===Hopefully IDOC has been preparing for this since they are apparently not appealing the injunction===

lol

Understatement of the day.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Aug 12, 24 @ 2:16 pm
Link to the order is broken fyi

Comment by Anon E Moose Monday, Aug 12, 24 @ 2:16 pm
Given the descriptions of the conditions there, I’m amazed AFSCME is attracting any attention to themselves at all.

A guy died in there, in large part likely due to the conditions at the facility.

Those are the same conditions those workers are in too.

The union wants its workers to stay in those conditions instead?

Comment by TheInvisibleMan Monday, Aug 12, 24 @ 3:13 pm
Nobody ever likes their cheese moved. Even if it is on fire or about to wash away in a flood. The inertia to keep a bad thing going just because it’s convenient for some is not a reason to do nothing. You can’t fix Stateville. The IDOC has known about overcrowding and deteriorating conditions there since at least the eighties. The prison guards were happy to let IDOC kick the can down the road for thirty years or more, long as they had jobs. Now that road meets a cliff and they are all shocked and disgruntled etc. I have empathy for them but also, they absolutely knew the day was coming and none of them did the right thing, the hard thing, when there was time to make a gentle transition. Help them relocate to other prison jobs but they could have avoided all of this if they could think past next week. I mean that to the townspeople as well as IDOC and AFSCME. And every governor for the past three decades who knew about this and left it unhandled.

Comment by Give Us Barabbas Monday, Aug 12, 24 @ 5:00 pm
Does AFSCME have the courage to “Turn the back” to JB on Govs Day?

Comment by Frida’s boss Monday, Aug 12, 24 @ 5:59 pm
People will have jobs at other facilities and recall rights for 4 years. Plus jobs at other agencies . Remember DJJ is apart of this if they have openings…..

Comment by Adt770 Monday, Aug 12, 24 @ 6:15 pm