AFSCME Council 31: We oppose Gov. Pritzker's plan to demolish Stateville, Logan prisons

As the union for most employees of the Illinois Department of Corrections, we have grave concerns about the department’s stated plan to temporarily close, demolish and rebuild the Stateville prison near Joliet and Logan prison in downstate Lincoln.

Closing the facilities for an extended period would all too likely disrupt and potentially destabilize the prison system. What’s more, doing so would bring upheaval to the lives of affected employees and individuals in custody.

The state corrections agency did not seek or consider the input of frontline employees or the union in the development of this plan.

There is no question state prisons are in dire need of tens of millions of dollars in deferred maintenance. But the information released so far raises many more questions than it answers. For example:

• If both facilities are closed for reconstruction, where will offenders be relocated in a way that does not destabilize other facilities? Stateville primarily houses maximum-security offenders; Logan is one of only two facilities that house women and the only facility for medium- and maximum-security female offenders. Placing these populations at other facilities poses logistical and safety concerns.
  
• The plan would result in the layoff of all employees at both facilities. The department claims employees could temporarily move to positions in other facilities. But where, and for how long? For an agency already struggling to hire and retain employees, this disruption threatens to further undermine the goal of safe staffing.
  
• Is there truly no alternative to razing these facilities and rebuilding on the exact same site? Stateville grounds encompass some 2,200 acres, Logan 150 acres. Why not build new facilities elsewhere on the grounds while utilizing the existing facilities in the interim?
  
• Stateville is valued for its proximity to the Chicago area, which allows offenders to more easily stay connected to family in the state’s largest population center. Logan’s central location offers efficient access to transport individuals to legal, medical and other mandatory appointments in any part of the state. Wouldn’t it be better to keep these facilities online during the rebuilding process?

Unless and until the department provides satisfactory answers to these and other compelling questions, our union cannot support this plan.

Roberta Lynch, executive director, AFSCME Council 31, Chicago

Abortion should be a private matter

Thank you for printing the op-ed “Illinois History Offers Lessons on Politics of Abortion” by Patrick Wohl. He mentions how Illinois was very divided on this issue in the early 1990s, especially during the race for state representative between Penny Pullen and Rosemary Mulligan. The Webster v. Reproductive Health Services decision opened the doors for lots of state restrictions on abortion across the nation. Illinois was not always a bastion for reproductive freedoms.

This op-ed reminded readers that such a time could come again. That is why it is more important than ever to elect pro-choice reps at the state level. Since Roe was overturned, each state has made its own rules and laws regarding choice. It is tough to keep score.

Abortion should not be a political issue at all. it was never mentioned in any level (state or federal) of political discourse during the first half of our nation’s history. The Founding Fathers and those who came after them (for 100-plus years) believed it was a private matter. We should return to their way of thinking: It is a private matter.

Jan Goldberg, Riverside