An explosion of drug use in Illinois prisons has drawn the attention of corrections officers and others working inside the walls of the state’s correction facilities.
Members of AFSCME Council 31 walked an informational picket line at 23 Illinois Department of Corrections facilities from Vienna in southern Illinois to Dixon in the northern part of the state on Oct. 17.
In a statement from Anders Lindell of AFSCME Council 31, the prison employee union members demonstrated in a call for safer working conditions. A major problem as of late, Lindell said, is the drug issue overtaking virtually all of the prisons in the state. Not only is it affecting inmates, but employees have been exposed as well.
In a written statement, Lindell noted that “Safety Matters,” adding that “AFSCME members are calling on the Department of Corrections to prevent illegal substances, enforce policies requiring clear consequences for offenders abusing substances or assaulting staff, and expedite hiring for safe staffing levels."
“AFSCME members should not have to face violent assaults, illegal drugs and chronic staff shortages as common occurrences when just doing their jobs,” Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch said. “We demand that leadership of the Department of Corrections step up and do more to make this essential work safer.”
William Lee, president of AFSCME Local 494, said that the drug issue has become a bigger problem in recent years. The main issue is inmates getting drugs through the mail, particularly legal mail, which is mail coming to inmates from their attorneys.
An AFSCME Council 31 report notes the growing problem of drugs in IDOC. The report notes incidents from employees at various correctional centers. One incident took place at Menard, a maximum security facility near Chester along the Mississippi River in southern Illinois.
The report cites an August incident at the Menard Correctional Center where 12 staff members were taken to the hospital after a mass exposure event.
The report also cites an April incident at the Henry Hill Correctional Center in Galesburg where a correctional lieutenant was attacked by an inmate over two pieces of paper which tested positive for fentanyl.
A quote in the report from an unidentified Sheridan Correctional Center employee stated, “It’s been getting worse over the past couple years, so much of it, it’s overwhelming.”
Lee said he met with leaders discussing the Pontiac Correctional Center and possible solutions.
“Everything was talked about at the table,” Lee said. He pointed out what he called “a very simple solution,” which would be to scan the inmate mail.
“It’s an easy solution but who’s going to push the button to make it happen?” Lee said. “At some point, DOC and the governor and everybody who has the power to change everything needs to use their power and ability put it to something useful, like staff and help the safety of everybody who works in their facilities.”
This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Prison employees picket over drug safety concerns across Illinois
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