By C1 Staff
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The correctional officers’ labor union has joined in criticism of the governor’s decision to move most of the female inmates in the state to the all-female lockup in Lincoln, saying it’s caused violence to spike.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union released in a statement that inmates at Logan Correctional Center were charged in nearly 400 cases of assault against prison employees or fellow inmates in the first 18 months after the facility was converted to a women’s prison, reports the Journal Gazette.
Department of Corrections spokesman Tom Shaer countered, saying that after investigations, the number dropped to 273.
He also said that most of the incidents involved seriously mentally ill inmates and were deemed not as serious after further investigation.
Shaer also claimed that the facility had only seen one serious inmate-on-inmate assault and one inmate-on-staff assault since the prison opened, which differs from what prison officials reported to the John Howard Association.
They reported that there were two inmate-on-inmate violent assaults in its December report on the prison.
“The situation at Logan is volatile, violent and dangerous for employees who risk our personal safety every day we serve,” said AFSCME Local 2073 President Shaun Dawson, a correctional officer. “There is simply not enough staff to maintain order and safely house and rehabilitate the inmate population.”
Shaer said about 38 percent of the Lincoln population is classified as seriously mentally ill. The department is in talks with a federal monitor to address the mental health needs of prisoners.