AFSCME Corrections Update: Feb. 2025
Mail scanning program will pilot at two facilities soon
Over the past several years, as the use of drugs among the IDOC prison population has steadily increased, so have the negative consequences for employees—with many being overcome by the substances released into the air when individuals in custody are smoking and others being the victims of assaults by individuals when they are on drugs.
The union and management have both recognized that one of the main means of drug smuggling into state prisons is the mail coming in for offenders. After researching this problem in other jurisdictions across the country, AFSCME developed a proposal for electronic mail scanning. And after nearly two years of further dialogue, late last year IDOC agreed to undertake such a program and signed a contract with an appropriate vendor.
For the past few months, the vendor has been working on getting the necessary technical infrastructure in place. IDOC has tentatively scheduled a piloting of the program at Menard CC and Shawnee CC next month.
There will undoubtedly be glitches along the way in getting this program fully operational. But at least there’s an effort now underway to tackle the ongoing problem of offender drug use.
With all the work that our union has done to lay the groundwork for the mail scanning process, we intend to closely monitor its implementation and to be prepared to urge modifications as needed.
Not helpful
AFSCME members have been leading the fight to stop drugs coming into the prisons. Leaders of AFSCME local unions in IDOC have been strong voices for an effective mail screening program. And our union is now working on a formal binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the department to ensure our continued role in the process.
It is not helpful at this point to have legislators seeking to insert themselves into this situation by passing legislation (e.g. HB 3362 or HB 1852) that would limit flexibility or employee input going forward by effectively banning mail screening and requiring that DOC ensure “distribution of original mail to committed persons.”
The legislation goes on to say that such distribution can only occur “after it has been determined that such mail does not pose a threat.” Certainly, that phrase indicates a concern with safety, but it does not indicate an understanding of the real situation in Illinois prisons. If lawmakers were familiar with the reality of the mail distribution system, they would know that thorough inspection of the mail has been tried and has not proven to be a viable means to ensure that “such mail does not pose a threat.”
Meanwhile, there are also bills introduced to require mail scanning, such as HB 50 and SB 1641. That’s not a good idea either. We don’t want to be locked into a particular method by law if it turns out that for any reason the mail scanning program is not viable. We want our union to be able to have the flexibility to amend any MOU that is reached based on the real-life experiences of members on the job.
There may come a time when there is no recourse but legislative action. But that time is not now. The Council 31 lobbying team will be working at the State Capitol to help legislators understand that drug smuggling into the prisons is best addressed through collective bargaining and the labor-management process that allows employees’ voices to be heard.
Action needed to stop offender assaults on staff
Correctional employees within IDOC remain at risk of assault by incarcerated individuals and exposure to potentially toxic substances—problems that IDOC management has failed to effectively address.
As reported in the previous member bulletin, there has been a disturbing uptick in such assaults, including those in which the individuals in custody throw bodily fluids, including urine and feces, at staff members. Additionally, at Pontiac CC and Logan CC staff members were seriously injured when individuals threw boiling water and bleach at them.
While at some facilities, management has put a plan in place to try to prevent the recurrence of such incidents, at others, assaults on staff occur without consequences for the offender and without management instituting a lockdown when needed or implementing a corrective action plan to prevent further attacks. Without operational changes to prevent assaults, it is frontline staff that are at risk. AFSCME will continue to demand that management address each incident of assault and issue corrective action plans to increase staff safety and prevent more assaults from occurring.
AFSCME members are encouraged to continue filing detailed incident reports whenever an assault or an exposure occurs, making sure that a copy of this documentation is sent to the local president.
Keeping up the fight to Fix Tier 2
Over the past year, the We Are One Illinois coalition—of which AFSCME is a leading member-- made it clear that we won’t stop until a true fix to Illinois’s unfair Tier 2 pension system is passed and signed into law. Together with other public sector unions, we packed eight town hall meetings across the state, brought some 3,000 union members to the State Capitol on Nov. 13, and sent thousands of emails and made thousands of phone calls to legislators demanding a change to the system.
IDOC workers have been front and center in this fight, speaking at multiple town halls about how difficult it is to hire new workers at correctional facilities, in part due to the unfair retirement system, as well as the negative effects on morale that the different pension tiers have within the workplace.
Now our opponents are mobilizing to push back our momentum. With big-money backers, they’re publishing op-eds that cite a Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) report claiming that our coalition bill—the Fair Retirement and Recruitment Act—would add billions of dollars to the state’s pension debt. The Illinois Policy Institute—well-known for its hostility to public sector employees—is helping to lead that charge, but other extremist forces are joining in. A foundation established by the billionaire Koch Brothers recently announced a mail campaign to oppose pension reforms.
We know that additional revenue is a needed solution to paying for the critical fixes to the broken pension system. Securing that revenue will be a challenge–but one we are ready for and prepared to overcome. Sen. Martwick has committed to reintroducing the Fair Retirement and Recruitment Act during the spring legislative session, and we will once again make our voices heard in support of pension fairness for all.
Northern Region Training Academy to open in Morris
In the previous bulletin, we reported on the new cadet training academy opening in Carterville, a result of efforts by the AFSCME Standing Committee and the Joint Labor-Management Recruitment, Hiring, and Retention Task Force to open regional training facilities to address the severe understaffing within IDOC.
In addition to the new academy in Southern Illinois, IDOC has also signed an agreement with Elementary School District 54 in Morris, which will serve as the training academy for the Northern Region.
This additional academy opens another 100 slots for cadets, and along with the new academy in Carterville, triples the capacity of each training class, and allows applicants from Northern Illinois the opportunity to commute home each night rather than needing to spend six weeks overnight in Decatur.
Further updates on when the Morris academy is set to open will be shared in subsequent bulletins.
Federal tax deduction available to IDOC retirees
With tax season well underway, here’s a reminder for any IDOC retirees you may know. Retired IDOC employees can apply for a special federal tax deduction of up to $3,000, made available to retired public safety employees. Married couples where both parties are retired public safety employees—such as police, fire, EMS, or corrections—can claim a deduction of up to $6,000.
Retirees must claim the deduction on their personal 1040 tax form on line 5B, a separate form from the annual 1099R sent from the state pension fund. Instructions on claiming this special deduction are included in the IRS Publication 575, page seven, with additional information on page two.
The deadline to file 2024 taxes is April 15, 2025. If retirees have questions on how to claim the retiree public safety employee deduction, they can contact AFSCME Council 31 Retiree Coordinator Maria Britton-Sipe at [email protected].