AFSCME raises serious concerns, questions about plan for Stateville, Logan prisons

Our union was only notified late on Thursday, March 14, of the Department of Corrections plan to demolish Stateville and Logan prisons and build new facilities in their place. The department did not seek or consider the input of frontline employees or the union in the development of this plan.

“We have grave concerns,” AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch said. 

“Closing facilities even temporarily would disrupt and potentially destabilize the prison system, while bringing upheaval to the lives of affected employees and individuals in custody.”

 While there is no question that state prisons are in dire need of tens of millions of dollars of deferred maintenance, the information released so far raises many more questions than it answers. For example:

• If both facilities are closed for reconstruction, where will offenders be relocated in a way that does not destabilize other facilities? Stateville primarily houses maximum-security offenders. Logan is one of only two facilities that house women and the only facility for medium- and maximum-security female offenders; placing this population at other facilities that currently house male offenders—or overcrowding the only other women’s facility—poses logistical and safety concerns.
• The plan would result in the layoff of all employees at both facilities. Although the department claims that positions would be available for these employees at other facilities, how far away would these positions be? IDOC is already finding it extremely difficult to hire and retain employees in the current environment. This plan could all too easily drive staffing levels so low that the entire system would be destabilized.
• Are there truly no other alternatives to razing these facilities and rebuilding on the exact same site? Stateville grounds encompass some 2,200 acres, Logan 150 acres. Why not build new facilities elsewhere on the grounds while utilizing the existing facilities in the interim? Could rebuilding on the exact location require remediating environmental hazards caused by demolition?
• Stateville is valued for its proximity to the Chicago area, allowing individuals in custody to more easily stay connected to their family members in the state’s largest population center. Logan’s central location offers efficient access to transport offenders to legal, medical and other mandatory appointment in any part of the state.

“We cannot support this plan unless and until the department provides satisfactory answers to these compelling questions,” Council 31 Executive Director Lynch said.