Workers at Stateville prison face job uncertainty with closure looming

A union representing employees at Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill remains uncertain as to what its future holds with the impending closure and rebuild of the prison.

Leaders of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees have also raised concerns about the safety of the inmates being transferred out of Stateville to other prisons. They claim those other prisons are understaffed and unprepared to receive those inmates.

The transfer of the majority of inmates out of Stateville was given a Sept. 30 deadline by U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood, who is presiding over a 2013 federal class action lawsuit case initiated by Stateville inmates. The judge had found the inmates were at risk of injury from structural issues at the crumbling facility.

On Aug. 19, attorneys for AFSCME motioned to intervene in the case.

As of Thursday, 103 inmates had been transferred out of Stateville, according to Naomi Puzzello, Illinois Department of Corrections spokeswoman. On Friday, Puzzello said the population of Stateville is 308 inmates, which includes three who are at the hospital outside of Stateville.

“When we come here tomorrow, there could be padlocks on the door. But how would we know? They’re not telling us nothing.”

—  Charles Mathis, a Stateville correctional officer

Members of AFSCME at a rally on Thursday outside Stateville said the transfer of those inmates have created “chaos” in the prison system. They have supported keeping Stateville open while the new facility is being constructed.

“We’re trying to save the lives of hundreds, [maybe even] thousands, of correctional employees, all over the state, who are going to have these individuals brought to their facilities with no planning, no preparation and completely inadequate staffing levels,” said Roberta Lynch, AFSCME Council 31 executive director.

Puzzello said IDOC has “made clear that no one will lose state employment” during the rebuild of Stateville and there “continues to be ample opportunities available within the department.”

But it’s not certain what those opportunities will specifically look like for Stateville employees.

Anders Lindall, AFSCME public affairs director, said IDOC has “made a lot of claims” but offered few specifics.

“That’s true when they’re asked how individuals in custody will access education, health care, rehabilitative programming and family visits elsewhere and it’s true when it comes to future employment opportunities,” Lindall said.

Lindall said under the union contract, IDOC has an “an obligation to bargain over the impact of these changes” for employees at Stateville and other prisons.

“The department should not be moving forward with changes until that bargaining process is complete,” Lindall said.

IDOC officials said they will not comment on the ongoing bargaining with the unions.

One concern raised by AFSCME is whether Stateville employees will have to make even longer commutes if they are moved to prisons elsewhere in the state. Lindall said of the Stateville employees represented by AFSCME Local 1866, there are 321 who live in Will County and 368 who live in Cook County.

Charles Mathis, a Stateville correctional officer who’s part of the AFSCME Local 1866 leadership, contends there is “no plan in place” and there is no transparency from IDOC.

“When we come here tomorrow, there could be padlocks on the door,” Mathis said. “But how would we know? They’re not telling us nothing.”

State lawmakers and local officials also say they are not kept closely informed about the Stateville situation.

“We do need a new facility, but how we transition is important,” said state Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet.

Ventura agreed with the union’s description of the transition as chaotic and said inmates, too, have faced an abrupt change in conditions.

“They’re giving some of these guys one-day’s notice before telling them to pack up their stuff and move to another facility,” Ventura said. “Some of them have spent 30 years at Stateville, and that’s their only home.”

Many of the inmates are being transferred to Pontiac Correctional Center and Menard Correctional Center, where building conditions are as bad or worse than Stateville, she said.

“It’s very upsetting that DOC has decided to move in this direction,” Ventura said.

Ventura agrees with Gov. JB Pritzker that Stateville needs to be replaced. But she also agreed with the union that Stateville should be kept in use while the new prison is built.

That changed with the court decision ordering inmates out of Stateville.

The impact on Stateville employees will primarily fall on the 20% of staff that are not correctional officers, Ventura said.

Because of a statewide shortage of correctional officers, most of those working at Stateville will be transferred to the Northern Reception and Classification Center, Ventura said.

The NRCC located on the same property as Stateville is comprised of newer buildings and used as a reception point for all inmates coming into DOC before they are assigned to prisons.

The continued operation of NRCC will soften the impact of the Stateville closing on the city of Crest Hill, which provides water and sewer services to the site and derives a large portion of revenue from the state operation.

Crest Hill expects to lose $3.2 million, or 15% of its water and sewer revenue, because of the closing of Stateville.

“The good news is that our water and sewer fund is healthy, so we should be able to absorb the loss,” Crest Hill Mayor Ray Soliman said.

Soliman has supported Pritzker’s decision to rebuild Stateville since it was announced. Governors since Rod Blagojevich have talked about closing Stateville without rebuilding.

The Pritzker plan provides some clarity for the long-term, Soliman said.

In the short-term, Crest Hill officials basically know what the general public knows about what’s happening next at Stateville.

“We still don’t have a lot of information,” Soliman said.

The Herald-News Reporter Bob Okon contributed to this story.