Eye On Illinois: Solving prison infrastructure challenges a long, labored process

One year later, have things improved?

When reading the Capitol News Illinois story about a federal judge ordering the state to move almost everyone incarcerated at Stateville by the end of September, I recalled writing about the depressing condition of many correctional facilities. Turns out that column ran Aug. 16, 2023, and while I don’t expect Springfield to use it as a benchmark, rereading it 52 weeks later isn’t especially encouraging.

“People should pay attention,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a radio interview last summer, addressing a May 2023 report (tinyurl.com/IDOCstudy) showing $2.5 billion in deferred prison maintenance. “The Legislature should have hearings about this. And we should talk about: Do we need to put more money into the capital needs of those facilities?”

Lawmakers did allocate $900 million in the current budget to close and rebuild Stateville and Logan. But those plans aren’t moving quickly, facing opposition from labor unions and concerns about devastating the Lincoln economy if Logan inmates and staff are moved to Crest Hill. There are no substantive plans in place other than pledges to keep everyone at Logan until something new opens and to comply with the order to get hundreds of people out of Stateville.

Surprise would be misplaced. As CNI detailed, the legal battle over conditions at Stateville goes back 11 years with settlement conversations happening for nine. Lawyers argue more than 420 inmates “are at risk of dire injury due to the structural vulnerabilities, degradation and deterioration of those buildings that put them at risk of serious physical injury or even death,” and there’s no real counterargument, especially since someone did actually die there in June, attributed to excessive heat and bad ventilation.

I’m generally supportive of sentencing reforms, ensuring the correctional system is actually preparing people to return to society and exploring a wide range of options to address overcrowding and staffing shortages. I don’t think prisons should be viewed as economic development engines, for communities or private businesses. I loathe capital punishment and worry about coerced confessions, bad evidence and unreliable testimony leading to wrongful convictions.

But there are times when people must be removed from society until they no longer pose danger, and even if we disagree over where to draw those lines, is there common ground in the belief those people at least deserve better conditions than decrepit, century-old, dehumanizing edifices?

The Department of Corrections is long past overdue for a complete and total reinvention. Illinois could lead the country in protecting society while rehabilitating criminals and allowing them to provide for their families and perhaps even their own confinement. But that type of investment is astronomically expensive and politically unpopular.

By next August, what will improve?

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. Follow him on X @sth749. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.