Dwight Correctional Center (DCC) was founded in 1930 as Oakdale Reformatory for Women. Over the past 83 years, the reformers have maintained a commitment to the concept of rehabilitating criminals and bad people to re-enter society positively and productively. Adaptation is done and experiments are conducted as prisoners population and changing conditions are needed. The facility was closed in 2013 when the State of Illinois tried to balance its budget. At the time it was the only maximum security prison for adult women at the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), including women in prison until the death penalty was removed in Illinois in 2011. The name "Oakdale Reformatory for Women" fell under common use in the early 1970s when IDOC co-ed experiment started. DCC is also sometimes referred to by other names, including the Dwight Reformatory and Illinois Penitentiary for Women at Dwight. The facility is located at 23813 E. 3200 North Road in Nevada Township, unrelated to Livingston County, Illinois.
Video Dwight Correctional Center
1930 - Establishment
Interest in a reformed penitentiary system for women emerged in early 1914 among women's service and advocacy groups in Illinois. In 1919 the law was passed by the Illinois Senate and the House of Representatives which would establish "state sanitarium for women over the age of eighteen," but no funds were provided at that time. Proponents of female reformers sought for several years after gaining seizure, but failed. In 1925, twelve country women's organizations representing 300,000 women formed the Joint Legislative Council of Women and the Illinois State Committee at the Illinois Reformatory for Women, which earned $ 300,000 and began building. At its founding, the reformers joined 22 other states in the United States that had separate reform facilities for women.
Building Update
Once funding is secured, locations are identified for new reformers, and architects are involved. The reform lies 75 miles south of Chicago on 160 acres of farmland and a forest about two miles outside the town of Dwight, IL, easily accessible from Interstate 55. The buildings are constructed of brick and yellow stone and architecturally of style Norman is French and is set in the middle of oaks and sprains. The administration building has a slate roof and a full brass front door. At the time of devotion in 1930 there were eight cottages, as well as administrative, industrial, service, and agricultural buildings. Wire fences that easily climb around the entire channel, but serve "only to show the boundaries of the reformer property."
All the facilities at different times compared to "cool country clubs," ivy-league campuses, "lofty experiments," "a monument to a handful of Illinois club women who fought for ten years," "Park rich people of some multimillionaire, "a" monument of evil, "a monument to the belief" that in time evil can be abolished, "and in 1976," a monument to the liberation movement of Women. "The administration building is described as" something belonging to a man in Old England and a brotherhood house in America."
Destination Reform
At the dedication of reform in 1930, Illinois State Prison Inspector Frank D. Whipp stated that the reform program would include training in "useful trade," including "domestic science, mild forms of agriculture, and stock raising.. "with the aim of" returning poor girls and women to society, clean, healthy, and with reconstructed characters. "
The founders of the Oakdale Reformatory for Women described their duty to be "unlucky lifter." A staff member is needed who can "understand the underlying cause, who can see the storm and see something more than thunder and lightning, look into the mud and see something more than dirt, which can take the hand of a forger and read more than a name other than himself, look into the eyes of a murderer and see more of a knife, a gun or a bottle, that can understand something from the emotion of sexual harassment of homo-sexuality or open sex sanity, and detect more than irreverence or prostitution. " The state governor, for the dedication of the facility, stated that the reform was "far from the days of shelves and thumb screw." The staff members of the reformers are the ones who will tell parole, "Go, and do not sin anymore." Workers are expected to follow inmates through the period of their detention and prepare them for release.
The cornerstone of the Oakdale Reformatory for Women was built and the facility was officially dedicated on November 19, 1931, by Illinois Governor Louis L. Emmerson. In his speech to the meeting, the governor reported that a dedicated structure was built by the state at a cost of $ 850,000, with an additional $ 150,000 expected at that time to be spent on "semi-security units." He stated that the institution was not "Sunday School" and that discipline would be preserved. "It should be fair and just, but firm" and inmates need to get the freedom available to them. Helen Hazard, an educated and experienced woman in a penitentiary system, was hired to become her first supervisor.
Maps Dwight Correctional Center
1930-1950 Helen Hazard's Superintendence
Helen Hazard earned her Bachelor and master degree at Columbia University in New York City. He spent time in England and in the European continent studying a penitentiary system for women, and previously serving as superintendent of Niantic, CT, female reformer and assistant supervisor of Aldernson, WV, institution for women. He started his work at Oakdale on March 15, 1930, while the reforms were still under construction so he might bring the program perspective to the building.
On November 24, 1930, the Oakdale Reformatory received its first prisoner. The original plan was to accept only first offenders and women between the ages of 18 and 25, but within four years the agency had opened its program to women who had committed any crime. The population swelled when women jailed in a women's prison in Joliet moved to DCC, joining nearly 600 women who lived there until then.
Model Cottage
Inmates are assigned to eight cottages, each holding 15-28 women. Each cabin includes a kitchen, living room, bathroom, bathroom, and bed, which is secured at night. Each inmate has his own bedroom equipped with a bed with "deep spring and comfortable mattress," a closet, rocking chair, and closet. Some of the furniture was made of wicker made by prisoners at Joliet. Each has a fireplace, as well as a piano and radio for entertainment, and each has a female staff. Only one cottage has a bar, and it is used for inmates who need discipline or identified as requiring higher security. It also includes a hospital section where new inmates will receive orientation and undergo medical, psychiatric and psychological evaluation before being treated in the general population. The hospital is famous for offering excellent service to the prisoners.
Security
The entrance to the facility is not kept or closed during the day, and the inmates are locked in their bedroom at night. The guard on campus is said to have posted "to keep visitors out rather than inmates in."
Security does not consist of a women's movement tracking system around the campus in accordance with the time it takes to pass between the point of departure and destination. If a prisoner does not arrive within the time allowed, the alarm will be raised. Freedom of movement depends on a system of propriety and loss, which also affects the length of the woman's punishment. Convicted inmates are appointed out of their white stockings. Those who do not get the trust wear black stockings and must be accompanied at all times by white-twisted convicts. Serious violations resulted in solitary confinement for a limited time and bread and water diet.
Reform Program
The Reformation also assigns every inmate a job that contributes to the maintenance and quality of facilities and communities. In cottage inmates are expected to keep their own space and share the net. They took turns arranging tables in the dining room and preparing meals in the kitchen, which was equipped with modern equipment. It is anticipated that many of the skills acquired in everyday life can be translated into a call at the time of release. Inmates are also assigned to fieldwork where "women work as men." There is poultry work, including feeding chickens and collecting eggs. Some plant gardens, plow and torture, harvest crops, and even install tiles for drainage. Some herded on farmland, and the others took care of the land. The women saw wood for their fireplace. Laundry is mostly occupied by washing and ironing of prison clothes, beds, and other linens.
More than 6% of Oakdale prisoners are illiterate, and half of the women are under the "fifth-grade intelligence grade." For these inmates the completion of education is a full time job. Women are expected to have at least grade 6 education and are urged to complete basic classes, and some progress to high school classes. Prisoners also acquire practical skills such as typing, stenography, stencil, and use of Dictaphone. The inmates assigned to the garment factory made all the clothes worn by women in DCC, as well as the clothes for female prisoners in other prisons. In a few years the American flag for other state institutions was created, as well as dresses, pajamas and other items for inmates freed. The long-term plan is that garment manufacturing will become a major industry in Oakdale.
The reform program also includes recreation, including parties, dancing, baseball, volleyball, and drama. A decade later the only sport was baseball, and it happened in the summer. In winter, women read, sew, or if behavior is justified, watching a movie. Worship and Bible study are provided according to the choice of denominations of inmates. The program also includes discussions in current events and lessons in etiquette.
In a report by Osborne Association, Inc., of New York City in 1933, Dwight was identified among the best female institutions in the country. The report states that management is progressive and constructive in programming. In 1934 Oakdale was considered a "model institution" by the National Reform Association.
Second Decade
A decade in prison operations continues to base the reform program on the good, but the prison life is more restricted. All windows and cottage doors are equipped with bars combined with architecture. Armed guards are available, and an electric alarm system is installed. The room door was equipped with a peephole to allow the observation of the prisoner while he was locked in his room. Incoming and outgoing letters are censored, and the frequency of visits is based on compliance records of inmates. The inmates are under lock and key whenever they are in their room, which in the daytime amounts to no more than about 15 minutes. Prisoners are classified by merit and loss and given a trial every 3-4 months to voice a complaint and review the classification. Violations can produce isolation cells, which are achieved by emptying their rooms from all the furniture except mattresses and feeding them only bread, water, coffee, and tea.
Resources continue to incorporate balanced food and personal freedom with respect to clothing, hairstyles and work options. Prisoners have income that can be used in the office of the commissioners and postal orders. Prisoners are expected to contribute to the welfare of society through daily work and learn to cook, sew, clean, and serve, and read and write. When women are released back into the community, reform agencies send them with $ 10, suitcases, clothing, travel expenses to destinations, and work references.
After 13 years as head of the section, Hazard took time off in August 1943 to join the women's branch of the military. Elizabeth Mann, a parole officer in Dwight, served as acting superintendent until 1946, when Hazard took the position once again. Hazard had a nervous breakdown in 1949 and resigned in 1950. O.H. Lewis, a former warden at Pontiac (IL) Correctional Center, assumed the position of acting director until Doris Whitney from Detroit, MI, was appointed in July 1950.
1950-1953 Whitney's Superintendence
Doris Whitney had previously been forced to resign as supervisor of the women's division at the Detroit Correction House (MI) on August 15, 1949. Her supporters claimed that it was a "political issue" related to her decision not to employ the son of a supervisor. Inspector Detroit called a bad performance. Eight months into his supervisor, at the end of March 1951, the state senate committee launched an investigation of conditions in the judiciary after hearing an increase in the number of complaints and after beating a guard by an inmate known to be dangerous. Among the allegations there was Whitney's absence, lack of discipline, "fancy entertainment," drinking parties, and frequent visits to Whitney Pontiac's shop with "a man who has a strange accent." It was also reported that a car from New York belonging to a man was parked in a reformer's garage. Furthermore, Whitney's new program "glorifies inmates too much, causing them to feel equal to the employees." "A complainant reported that the entire Dwight community was upset.
Whitney accepts responsibility for some disciplinary issues, stating that education and rehabilitation programs have failed. He also stated that prisoners were violent, and some were criminally insane. The facility was inadequate, and the staff was poorly trained. He says that two female guards are "'weak minded,'" some male guards aged 60-70 years are "'incompetent and physically incapable of handling their jobs,'" and that one person is being treated by the inmate himself. Nothing can be stopped because they are civil servants. Another man, he said, had a "rough tongue and he was a gossip." He said that he felt vulnerable because he was new in that position. The researchers report their conclusions in May. They stated that staff qualifications and supervisors would be investigated, that criminally criminal inmates would be transferred to state hospitals, and that Whitney was not in his position long enough to stand trial. The committee also reported that the problems at the reformers had begun when Elizabeth Mann became the de facto supervisor at the time of Hazard's resignation in 1950, and the employees, taking advantage of his experience, "'begin to carry out appropriate reforms for themselves.'"
Many of the same complaints follow Whitney next year. There are allegations of "mismanagement, favoritism, and negligence." Whitney is not available at night and "often becomes a roadhouse protector." The allegations also say that there is tension in the prison and that resolution is required as soon as possible. Whitney was fired on January 28, 1953, and Helen Hazard was appointed the next day to pick up another post. The danger again became ill and resigned in September. Mary Powers, a female watchdog at the Chicago police, was then appointed to the position.
1954-1962 Ruth Biedermann's Superintendence
Biedermann designated
Mary Powers resigned because of health problems on June 7, 1954, just 9 months after taking the position. Ruth Biedermann, who since 1947 served as head of the Women's Police and Matrons Division of the Chicago Police Department, was hired on July 26. Biedermann has been screened by a group of citizens under the leadership of John Howard Society. John C. McNamara, who served as Assistant Superintendent of Prisons, was appointed supervisor at Dwight until the effective date of Biedermann's appointment.
Biedermann was given the task of increasing the rehabilitation rate and reducing costs. After a visit to the reformers a year later, Governor William G. Stratton welcomed his progress, taking into account better housekeeping practices and food services, as well as a 40 per cent reduction in the cost of per capita inmates. Improved recreational opportunities and enhanced educational programs contribute to a "sense of promise" in reform institutions. Biedermann is credited with improving the education program at Oakdale. Thirty-one prisoners are enrolled in primary and 46 in high school. Chicago City Junior College offers television classes in social sciences, Germany, humanities, physical sciences, anthropology, and musical appreciation.
Inmates who violate the regulations in the prison were sentenced to 7 'x 11' isolation cells and fed water or milk and bread for the first two days. Assistant inspectors lead daily "courts" in which violations are reviewed and new classifications are made. Inmates may be disciplined for failing to report to a location, talking and giggling through the night, and ignoring the staff warning. An inmate receives a ticket to "paint in the hospital and try to talk to a prisoner in the quarantine." Prisoners report more "bans" than "dos."
Decentralized Facilities Needed
In 1957, the John Howard Association reported problems with density, inadequate facilities, and moral lag. Beidermann noted that the reformers had been built for less serious offenders. Serious and serious breakers are sometimes placed in the same room as small offenders. Double cells 28-30 women in each hut stretched the adequacy of two toilets and two bathrooms in each hut. Beidermann also called double-celling as a contributor to homosexual practices. John Howard's report states that the population is expected to continue to rise. Biedermann recommended a larger and centralized building to replace the cottage model.
In 1959, a bill was introduced to the state legislature to budget $ 1,200,000 for a centralized facility that would house and feed 200 inmates --- the first new building on campus since 1933. The bill was approved by the Illinois Representative Council, but failed in the Senate. after Senator Everett M. Peters described Dwight as "the 'state club' of the state prison system."
Biedermann resign
In February 1961, Beidermann dismissed Dwight psychologist Albert E. Eller for "improper conduct of a state official, disrespecting his superior and the state penitentiary system, and inefficiency." A former criminologist states that Eller is not a team player on staff. Eller responded with accusations that the system under Biedermann was "'decadent'," that the Biederman government had "'blood in his hands'" after the suicide of an inmate in isolation, and that Biedermann was "' ill" and needed help. He testified at the hearing on October 30 that Dwight does not have a human relations program that promotes rehabilitation. He stated, "'If a more human relationship is extended to custody, there will be less need for weapons and tear gas in the tower.'" The sociologist at Dwight, Albert G. Lassuy, testified that Biedermann was "too punitive". "He is also suspected of negligence in the care of a disconnected jaw from an inmate, who was not X-rayed or set for a month after the injury. At about the same time there was a complaint to the local union that the firing of a typist in October was intended to injure the union. Unity came to the typing's defense. Biedermann resigned voluntarily on March 3, 1962.
1962-1973 Margaret Morrissey's Superintendence
Director of Public Security, Joseph Ragen, seeks an educator to head the prison, but after more than 20 interviews can not find a qualified person. Ragen pointed to Margaret Morrissey, a scribe/typist in the Statesville prison near Joliet, described by Ragen as strict and fair and had extensive administrative experience with inmates and employees and fund management. Morrissey states that the ultimate goal is to transform women into law-abiding citizens with compassion, humor, and "a genuine smile." The state prison inspector, H. W. McKnight, intervened acting as superintendent until Morrissey took up his post on 1 July.
Reform and Education
In 1967 Morrissey reported to the Department of Public Security that educational programs included elementary, high school, and television lectures. In 1970 DCC, along with other IDOC prisons, competed in a special series of Emmy Award winning quiz shows for high school students, "It's Academic." IDOC believes it will have an impact on public perceptions of prisoners and prison reform. In a contest between DCC and Pontiac Correctional Center, Pontiac won, 440-120.
Prisoners are trained in laundry, cooking, and administration skills. In horticultural training the inmates learn flower arranging, gardening, and landscaping, and in farming management of poultry, sheep, pigs, cows, and horses. Some inmates are trained in routine care and laboratory technology, and others record textbooks for the blind. A prisoner learns Braille to write material. The reformers offer moral guidance, counseling, and meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous. House of St. Leonard in Chicago held a session to help the inmates by re-entering the community.
The charm program, which has a high attraction for inmates, includes classes with body posture, courtesy, and self-care. Morrissey states that it teaches prisoners to "'respond to the inner urge to do the right thing'" and generate greater confidence when it appears before the parole board.
Sewing is the main job, training and employing 100 women in an early, advanced, single, and diverse class. Employee inmates make little money and are allowed to spend $ 10 per week on their salary.
Bad Morals Among Prisoners and Staff
Morrissey inherited problems with aging and inadequate facilities, as well as dissatisfaction among inmates and staff. In 1962, to handle poor turnover and morale among staff members and to improve security, he reduced the cottage working hours from shift 24 hours to 8 hours. The local federation of the United States, County, and Municipal Employees, the AFL-CIO, petitioned the Department of Public Security for the same wage among male guards across the state after Joliet's salary alone was raised by $ 50 per month. The union also requested that the wages of the female wardens, who were paid initially $ 100 less than male guards, were equal to male guards. Hollis McKnight, Illinois state prison inspector, vetoed the request, citing limited funding, different job descriptions of officers, and the needs of guards to ask male guards to request assistance from time to time.
Aging and Population Reductions
When in the fall of 1966 DCC celebrated its 35th anniversary, officials announced plans to build a $ 1 million centralized building for food, recreation, storage, a 40-bed dwelling area, and several administration offices. The lodges to be replaced by new facilities will be vacated and used for other purposes. Construction is expected to be completed in 1967.
In 1967 little improvements were made to several existing facilities, including the rehabilitation of water storage tanks. An investigation into a state prison in 1967 stated that in the Dwight Reformatory the rooms of inmates, who were still living in eight huts, needed to be modernized.
By the time the 1960s was about to end, Dwight's reform, the only female prison in Illinois, had a decline in prison population to about 120 women, 200 inmates fewer than a decade earlier. The reduced number of inmates is caused by people who work closely with systems to reduce criminal reporting such as abortion and prostitution; increased use of community-based drug programs; shorter, suspended, and experimental sentences; greater sympathy for women by the judiciary; and the possibility of smaller women committing violent crimes. The new IDOC code was effective on January 1, 1973, however, increasing the population by admitting the women had committed minor offenses and who had been sentenced to more than 60 days, as well as 17 as young as 17 years old.
1973 - The John Howard Report
In January 1972, John Howard Society conducted a review of the Dwight Reformatory, still considered a medium-sized security facility. This report was published in the spring of 1973 and is based on interviews with inmates, whose stories of administration are too focused on "'compliance, obedience, and submissiveness.'" The prison guards state that reforms are carried out by the " "and that women suffer from" profound psychological repression. "
The report states that inmates are not allowed to "wave, whistle, or sing" as it passes between buildings. They were supervised in the bathroom and bathroom. They were barred from entering another inmate's room, sitting near another in the dining room, or touching in any way because of administrative concerns about lesbian relationships. Inmates are locked in their rooms between 06:00. and at 6:00 pm and had to use the potty in their room during those hours. The report also recounts complaints by inmates about inadequate nutrition, and observes that most staff members are "white, low educated, rural-oriented," and communicate racial bias in their administration of the rights and rights of inmates. The community also notes that women can not pass state licensure exams for beauty schools even after 1500 hours of training, and prisoners do not have adequate medical, legal, and drug recovery services. There are no mental health resources at all. A prisoner describes the prison as "living hell."
The report recommends employing an inspector who has professional training in correctional systems management. Margaret Morrissey resigned as inspector in March, and assistant inspector J. Wayne Algood stepped in as interim until August 1, when a new supervisor, Robert Buchanan, took a fixed position. Meanwhile, responding to John Howard's report, Algood stated that prisoners of inmates were invalid or exceeded his ability to resolve, citing lack of funds as one reason certain complaints have not been addressed.
1973-1974 Robert Buchanan's Superintendence
Buchanan states that returning to the rehabilitation model is a priority, such as increasing the population to fill all the beds. He raised the "silent system", allowing speech and singing if the prisoners did not use dirty words. He allows the items the warden has labeled before, including stuffed animals, toys, certain trinkets, cosmetics, and jewelry. He reduced the restrictions on dress codes and the advantages of the former government's lesbianism prevention program, stating that it was preventing ordinary friendship. Abuse of privileges will be handled, he said, on a case-by-case basis. Buchanan states that it is not necessary to punish all prisoners for the offense of some people. Violations will be dealt with by refusing recreation time of inmates, or in serious cases, isolating prisoners for no more than 15 days. There will be no physical punishment. He stated that prisoners should be given the right to medical care, counseling, vocational development, and academic resources provided to outside people and that the program would be the best. Daily schedule adjustments allow prisoners to get an education without giving up recreation, and greater freedom is given to move around the campus. However, Buchanan disagreed, with the report's recommendation that the number of staff members should be taken less than five times a day, due to the increasing freedom of the inmates. Buchanan also proposed to improve the rehabilitative climate and normalize life in prison by making it interfere and begin transferring men from Vienna to DCC.
The All-Male Plan and Disclaimer
On January 22, 1974, IDOC announced that the reform would be all men. The plan would make DCC a minimum security prison to reduce prison population in men's maximum security prisons and complications from overcrowding. The transfer of men to DCC is expected to begin on February 1, and complete transfer of women to other facilities in March. Women who need maximum security will be transferred to Cook County Correctional Center, and women eligible for work-offs will be transferred to a new facility in Chicago with supervision twenty-four hours a day. The remaining women will be placed in a co-ed facility in Vienna, IL, a minimum security prison. On February 14, the DDC administration extended the farewell to the female inmates with a steak and chicken dinner for 200 people and a joint dance.
Objections to plans for women, especially those to be transferred to the Cook County facility, were raised by the Dwight Task Force, a women's advocacy group. The Task Force stated that the verdict shows "abandonment" to female prisoners. Cook County jails have been built, they say, to ask people to wait for the trial, not for women in need of long-term rehabilitation. On April 23, a civil rights lawsuit was filed to block the move until the local authorities have the same services and facilities as those in the DCC, including indoor and outdoor training areas, libraries, educational programs and privileges such as women allowed to wear their own clothes. Residents of Pontiac also objected to the change. After the meeting, Allyn R. Sielaff, Director of IDOC, canceled his decision in January to make the prison a man and announced that it would remain interfered. No date is set to move more people to DCC.
On June 1, 1974, Buchanan was transferred to serve as the IDOC's admissions and diagnostic center. He was replaced by John Platt, who had served as a supervisor at the Illinois Youth Center in Valley View since 1970. He was originally scheduled to serve as a planned adult watchdog at Joliet, but was sent to DCC when plans to transfer women to other facilities failed.
1974-1977 John Platt's Superintendence
John Platt stated that he planned to build Buchanan's work and not try to "run a dungeon." Personal responsibility will be nurtured by giving more freedom, resources, and options to inmates. Prisoners are allowed to decorate their rooms as they wish. Many have cable television. All have pipes. There is a snack and laundry room, two bowling spots, a place for roller skates, gym equipment, and other indoor services. The benefits of commissioners 'products are transferred to the prisoners' benefit fund. The cottages can keep dogs, and even Avon calls, offering a 40% discount to inmates for the product.
William W. Fox Developmental Center
In 1976, inmates were given the opportunity to enlist volunteer work at the William W. Fox Developmental Center in Dwight. The women receive 512 hours of instruction and after completing the course it is eligible to take the civil servant exam. Prisoners work or study a full day five days a week and are deployed when other volunteers help residents with personal hygiene and feeding. Prisoners are sometimes motivated to participate initially with the desire to leave the campus of the Correctional Center, but in some cases find a call they plan to pursue after being released. IDOC compensates women $ 17.00 a month for their work.
Occupants of the Prisoners
Despite the improvements, prisons are struggling to maintain an environment conducive to positive change. In July 1976 twenty-one women refused to be locked in their rooms and "started swinging chairs and throwing bottles, ashtrays and other items at the correctional prison officers" because the government had enacted a prevention rule that prohibited women from visiting between rooms. Tear gas forces women outside and law enforcement officers are summoned. Several women were indicted in December on charges of worsening batteries. In September, the main guard, one of several male guards added when male prisoners arrived, was dismissed after being observed by female officers who sexually harassed a prisoner. Earlier in the year two female guards were dismissed for a kiss incident. In the summer of 1977 two rather small "inmates" who wanted to stay in the same cell beat the brick wall between them, tore the walls, broke windows, pulled the radiator out of the floor, ripped the bed, and beat the guard with a pipe lead. Several inmates were charged with an aggravated battery and an attempted murder of a guard with a guitar string. One was accused of biting an officer and another hit an officer with his wallet. The fear of sexual violence by other inmates prompted a prisoner to escape.
All-People Prison Proposed and Abandoned
In early 1977, the new Corrections Director, Charles J. Rowe, reviewed the idea of ​​turning DCC into a men's prison. As in 1974, the aim was to overcome the density and conflict of prisoners in male prisons. In this plan, women will be transferred to the Geneva Youth Center, which will be converted to serve adult women. Rowe stated that changing the DCC to male prisons would also reduce the incidence of romance inmates, who, although prohibited, had produced two pregnancies. The population of women in need of incarceration swelled, however, which made the rearrangement of prison populations impractical. In April Rowe canceled plans for the male population, but also proposed to end the "experiment" of ko-ed.
1977-1979 Superintendent Charlotte Sutliff
In June 1977, less than a year after taking a position at DCC, John Platt was transferred to another post. Charlotte Sutliff, who has been trained in corrections and previously served as the superintendent of the DuPage Youth Center, is appointed in his place. Sutliff stated that he plans to involve more people in decision making because it promotes greater responsibility. He said, too, that he plans to build two 50-unit dwellings and a new recreation center in two years and rejuvenate existing buildings. He will continue his predecessor program, add more leisure activities, and increase populations in reform institutions to capacity. On the arrival of Sutliff, the co-ed "experiment" was over. In mid-June the women remaining at the Vienna Correctional Center were transferred to DCC and people at DCC to Vienna.
The steady increase in the number of women jailed in the DCC - a 340% increase between 1975 and 1979 - resulted in putting 5 women into a room and in a lack of space for a fully effective reform program. Pipes and heaters are very bad, and scattering inmates in separate buildings creates security issues and needs more staff. Barbed wire is added to the security fence to further prevent the escape.
The garment industry produced curtains, towels, pajamas, robes, shifts, dresses and blouses in 1980. The factory manager stated that the skills obtained in sewing would be translated into outside work, but a spokesperson from the Government Accountability Office said that their skills would "'technically useless' because of the ancient equipment of the prison." Inmates can earn about $ 5.00 a day working from 8:00 am to 3:45 pm. on weekdays, and some use the funds to help support their children at home.
Sex Sexual Assault and Legal Charges
Fearing sexual violence by other inmates in September 1977 a 22-year-old tried to escape by climbing over a DCC fence. He stated that he saw lesbian activity in the public sphere and has been told that 85% of inmates are lesbians. He said he was also worried that inmates would forcibly cancel his pregnancy. While lesbian activity is prohibited in prison, new regulations prohibit women from entering other inmates' rooms.
In September 1979, two senior staff members, an investigative officer and a security chief, were accused of sexually assaulting two prisoners. The inmates also alleged that "sex parties" were being held, and that they were being arranged by an inmate secretary working in the office of the investigative officer, who was in a cabin. Inmates alleged that sexual harassment had been reported when Sutliff first arrived, but the investigation cleared the defendants. In a 1979 report, another inmate, given a lie detector test, supported the allegations of the two complainants. Two staff members were suspended and eventually terminated. Sutliff, the director of corrections described as "a good warden" and not guilty of any wrongdoing, resigned on September 14. The lawsuits were filed by two inmates in July 1980 against two officers, Sutliff, Assistant Director of Corrections, Linda Giesen, and Correction Director for $ 9,999 respectively. The court found supporting the administrators, and the cancellation of the trial was stated in the case of one of the officers.
1979-1982 Linda Giesen Superintendence
On October 1, 1979, Linda Ann Giesen, assistant chief of operations at DCC reformatory, took Sutliff's position. Giesen, who has a criminology degree and has played a key role in informing state officials of the sex abuse scandal, stated that he plans to have an "open door" policy and be accessible. He stated the need for procedural guidance and more objective operations. He said that he believed a system could be set up to prevent abuse and maintain order. The immediate enhancement requires female guards to accompany the inmates to the appointment, the placement of the glass panels in the interview room, special schedules for guards, the transfer of staff offices to more appropriate locations, new segregation units, new management positions to deal with inmates and disciplinary complaints, new procedures to undertake search and identify contraband, and new systems to track locks.
Tension Escalate
In February 1980, a female guard was reportedly sexually assaulted by a male sergeant, an allegation backed by a lie detector test. He was placed on "official leave," and the man continued during the investigation. The female guard refuses the leave and stops instead. An anonymous male guard reported that "the place (DCC) is ready to be detonated" because the guard does not feel safe and the administration is inconsistent and uninterested in the relationship. In June a female guard was beaten by an inmate and could not call for help because there was no other guard in the area with maximum security and he was not equipped with a radio. He stated that he felt his government discriminated against him and that beating was part of a larger guard abuse pattern.
One hundred 100 members of FALN (Fuerzas Armadas de LiberaciÃÆ'³n Nacional) protested against the treatment of four Puerto Rican inmates right outside the gate of the reformers in November 1980. This was one of several incidents that Giesen faced during his tenure. In January 1981, inmates complained to the panel of corrective officials that there was no job training, that work and vocational programs were limited, that there was a waiting list for drug abuse groups, and that they were discriminated against. Prisoners at DCC are able to reach Jr. College degrees are limited mainly to cosmetology, office skills, and sewing, while male prisoners in some prisons can earn a 4-year degree. They also complain about poor administration of prisoners' relationships with children. In March there was a widespread outbreak of salmonella that struck more than 65 inmates who were not reported to the authorities as required for two weeks after starting. The state audit finds issues with pharmaceutical and telephone records and weekly staff numbers and notifies the administration that if they do not complete their budget for the next fiscal year it may be affected.
On July 15, 1982, Giesen was transferred to a new male prison in Dixon, IL, as part of a major administrative change in Illinois prison. Jane C. Huch, assistant warden at DCC since 1980, became a new warden.
1982-1992 Jane Huch (Higgins) Superintendence
Huch has been trained as a teacher, attended college in New York, worked at Head Start in Harlem, and taught at St. Louis, MO, and Springfield, IL, before his service at DCC. Stating that he wanted a change, Huch became a parole officer in Cook County and later became the administrator of a job-releasing program at DCC and a teenager in Chicago. He was appointed assistant warden of DCC in 1980. His goal as a warden, he stated, was to provide incentives for inmates to move to lower security, build quality care programs, and expand education.
Extension and Facility Upgrades
In 1984 two new cell homes with a total of 96 new beds were added to the facility to reduce population density, effectively increasing the ranking of prison capacity to 496 with two inmates per room. By the time the inmates moved into a new cottage, however, the population stood at 518 and is expected to increase. The aging facility continues to require great care. In 1986 water treatment and sewage plants are at the capacity and necessary improvements in heating, piping, and energy efficiency. In 1987 the prison was allocated $ 2.5 million for repairs, and by 1988 most of them were nearing completion. The drought in 1988 further suppressed water supplies in prisons, which drew water from wells.
The offer also tried to fix the softball diamond, bring back the basketball court, and added benches. A 46-bed mental health unit is also created. Church Women United of Illinois, with the help of the appropriation by the General Assembly, responded to Huch's vision of a multi-purpose chapel with a capacity of 200 by raising a portion of the $ 600,000 cost. The construction of the chapel began in 1991 and the building was dedicated in May 1993.
Parenting and Substance Abuse Programs
Huch supports the law to provide services to prisoners and their children, including the establishment of a new center where inmates can visit with their children, but the bill is not adopted. However he introduced prisoner training for parenting and child development and relationship management issues arising out of detention and separation. He also created a "Children's Corner" where mothers and children can visit in a comfortable atmosphere.
Huch launched a drug abuse treatment program, which in 1989 treated 27 women of all security classifications and had a waiting list. Funds are provided by grants from the Chicago Gateway Foundation. Inmates in the program, who are spiritual-based, are placed together in a cottage and treated as inpatients. The core of the program is to increase self-esteem and problem-solving skills of prisoners and training to refrain from the use of drugs. Meeting groups maintain honesty in emotional expression and provide an arena to broadcast complaints.
Campaign Program
In September 1985, 24 trusted inmates were allowed to attend a Salvation Army weekend camping event for mothers and children in the nearby Green Valley Camp. Building on the success of the weekend, Huch filed a petition and received a 3-year grant from the federal government for a permanent camp on a reformatory campus, a project launched in 1986.
Originally held on Fridays to Sundays from Remembrance Day to Labor Day, the camp arranges family reunion time with tent camping on refurbishment, cooking and outdoor activities. Up to fifteen inmates and their children, babies up to age 16, participate every weekend, and the show, for some children, "summer spotlight." Only inmates without disciplinary sanctions can participate and women of all security classifications qualify.
In 1998, the local AFSCME union protested the event because its reform was "a prison, not a campground". Further, they claim, the event increases the likelihood of contraband entering a prison, an escaped prisoner, or a child harmed by other inmates on the grounds. They say that the area has no good lighting and the guards have been discouraged from hovering over the family. "The local AFSCME president, Renee Bantista, further states that" 90s female prisoners are equivalent to their male counterparts... more aggressive, affiliated with the gang. "In 2004, the camping program has been shortened to a one-day event.
Excess
In 1986, Governor James R. Thompson proposed the construction of three new jails to overcome the density in Illinois prison for men. The plan will also reduce the population in older institutions with 3,854 beds, 26 of which will come from DCC. At that time the DCC was the most populous state institution in the state, an average of 560 inmates per day, higher than the ideal capacity of 470 and the design for 345. The prison was already contracted with a county jail to entertain prisoners and consider the possibility of building release schools work in the community. However, plans for work-release facilities were blocked by communities that wanted prison, but not prisoners.
The following year IDOC announced plans to transfer 75 women to Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln, IL, where they will share public spaces with male prisoners already there. In February 1987, the first women had moved, and after a period of gradual integration, men and women shared mealtimes, as well as recreation, education, and library privileges. Women live in separate units, which are at a minimal cost adjusted to women's needs. In order to qualify for joint prisons, inmates should be classified as secondary security, have less than seven years remaining in their sentences, and have demonstrated the ability to adapt to new situations. Forty women volunteered to move, but other inmates are expected to eventually be moved unconsciously. IDOC states that it will probably be a temporary solution to the density problem that will continue to infect Illinois prisons.
Staff Difficulties
In 1988, the DCC had a population of 668 inmates and a staff of 184. Employee morale was low because they were required to work 16 hours a day in compulsory overtime. On one occasion an employee was scheduled for five days in a row for 16 hours, two of which the guard refused. The pressure on the staff was exacerbated by absentee or sick staff members.
In the summer of 1988 two guards were injured by four inmates in the prison isolation area when the guards sought to capture the contraband, which consisted of more personal belongings than inmates in isolation allowed. A guard, who was hospitalized, was beaten on the head and feet and the other in the groin. The rebellion of the four men triggered the anger of others in segregation, resulting in extensive damage to the cell. The tactical unit should be called. Furthermore, eight guards were injured in the previous two weeks. The outbreak was associated with staff density and shortcomings. Huch stated that he always asked for more staff, but was prevented by the General Assembly, which decided how many guards could be hired every prison. In the spring of 1989 the prison was finally authorized to add another 22 staff members to manage the population, which by then had grown to 770. In March 1990, IDOC doubled the number of staff at DCC, but the additional action of double-celled women. in Logan and Dixon's penitentiary centers, sought or built facilities that could provide an additional 200-250 beds, and urged a law that extended "good time" provisions for the release of prisoners who were convicted of armed robbery could not alleviate the consequences. from the "explosive" growth of women in the penitentiary system or the limits of the sewerage system at DCC.
Kankakee Satellite Facility Opened
In November 1991, IDOC opened a minimum 200-bed satellite security facility for female prisoners at the former Illinois Youth Center in Kankakee, IL. This action was taken after a federal court ruled in favor of a class discrimination suit that stated that women were not given the same educational and vocational training as men and placed together regardless of their security classification.
The state also allocates funds for needed building repairs and infrastructure improvements, including upgrades to locking and roof replacement systems. A death penalty unit was completed in 1991 to accommodate the first prisoner of death penalty since the death sentence was restored in Illinois in 1972. The Fund was frozen by Governor Jim Edgar, however, for road rehabilitation and expansion of parking, the removal of underground storage tanks, and expanding medical facilities. The decision also to freeze spending on the chapel was filled with a strong letter-writing campaign, however, and Edgar reversed his decision.
In 1992 the Illinois prison housed nearly 30,000 inmates in space built for 20,000. Four facilities are empty because the state has no means to finance them. To address the increasing density, Governor Jim Edgar set up a task force that recommends a solution that does not endanger safety or add to costs. A bill that would force the closure of the Kankakee attachment to a DCC jail terminated, however, by the action of the home allocation committee.
1993-1998 Gwendolyn V. Thornton
Security Issues
Violence
In mid-1993 DCC faced several safety related issues. Physical violence between prisoners and guards was increasingly common, prompting prison guards to attend a rally at the Capitol in Springfield in May 1994 asking for funds to hire additional guards to cope with increasing violence. Guards are particularly vulnerable because they are not allowed to carry weapons, maces, or nightsticks.
A guard is attacked by cleaning chemicals. A prisoner was beaten by two others. A kitchen knife was confiscated in a prisoner's skirmish, and a pair of scissors disappeared for two weeks. Another guard is cut with glass, and again stabbed with an emergency knife. A social worker who accompanied a child during a visit to her mother was attacked by a front-cuffed convict. In 1998 a prisoner started a "near riot" when he became fierce over the theft of his soft drink, and the other inmates joined in the fray by throwing books and chairs at higher level officers.
Several violent incidents have raised concerns about leniency in prisons. In one case a guard was stabbed with a fork after a prisoner in segregation was denied recreation time. Despite the violence, inmates were given recreation later that day. In another, a prisoner was released from segregation five days after a razor blade was found in his cell. The usual punishment for such offenses is one year in segregation.
AIDS
In 1993 AIDS had a serious impact on prison populations. John Howard Association and Lutheran Social Services report that 4% of all inmates in Illinois have an HIV disease or predecessor and that "contagion in an AIDS prison is tantamount to surrendering" unpunished death sentences to some prisoners. '"They recommend the distribution of condoms or reduce the arrangement of two-to-cell to single cell No recommendation is adopted A bill to give AIDS tests to all inmates to separate those who were declared positively defeated by the state judiciary committee because the money would better used to combat crime.
Truth-in-Responder
A national movement to pass on penalty correctness policies in addition to overcrowding at DCC and other Illinois jails. Prior to the issuance of the Illinois law in August 1995, most inmates served between 35% and 50% of their sentences. The punishment law is punishable, requiring those convicted of murder to serve 100% of their sentences and those convicted of sexual violence and other violent crimes to serve 85% of their sentences. It is estimated that the new law will increase the prison population by 60% and the state cost $ 320 million over the next 10 years.
Facility Extensions and Repair
In 1994, Illinois's budget and governor Edgar's spending allowed some improvements to the DCC facility. Americans with Disabilities Act require the installation of ramps for public access areas. Road interiors are repaired, computer systems installed, water towers are built, and a commissary is provided for employee rest areas. IDOC also plans to add at least 100 additional beds at the Kankakee facility to provide additional space for 845 detainees living in the DCC facility. $ 8 million needed for medical facility repairs and for expanding cafeterias and educational buildings was released in February 1997 after a two-year partisan battle.
New Selected House
In 1995, Governor Jim Edgar announced plans to add a cell house with 448 privately-funded beds at DCC which were then leased by the state. Construction will begin in the spring of 1996. The $ 85 million facility opened on May 27, 1997, and "X-shaped," requires fewer guards than other models. John Howard Society criticized the state legislature for trying to "build its way" out of overcrowded problems, insisting that legislatures are needed to address the root causes of crime instead. Illinois, they noted, is the only state for dual cell inhabitants in maximum security. They cite increased attacks on staff, prisoner health issues (including new forms of tuberculosis and AIDS), and higher rates of recidivism because prisoners are not equipped through education and vocational programs to reenter the community.
Inmate Advocacy
In 1994, lawmakers introduced legislation to allow children aged 5 and under to stay with their only prisoner in a special prison unit, whose goal was to save a child in its form for years do not limp among foster homes and consequently to reduce the potential of children for committing crimes in the future. State Representative Dan Rutherford leads the violation of the bill, saying that the state should not play "nannies and nannies" for girls who are convicted of serious crimes, sometimes violence. "Physical and psychological health of children can be risky, he said, and money could be better spent in improving the care system.However, Legal Aid to the Imprisoned Mother continues to urge state corrective officials to provide shelter for non-violent prisoners to live with children. younger children.
In 1996 IDOC was ordered by courts to increase educational and vocational opportunities for women. The training at DCC, which stretches to the limit due to excessive populations, is also under fire as it limits its curriculum to most of the "pink trade," and not toward developing the skills needed outside of prison.
In 1997, the National Justice Institute estimated that 65% of female prisoners had chronic or acute problems with drug or alcohol addiction before imprisonment. DCC has invested more than $ 200,000 annually for drug rehabilitation programs, and it received an additional $ 200,000 from the federal government that will be used to add 140 beds to a 90-bed facility.
Prisoners' Protection of Sexual Harassment
In March 1996, two guards resigned after prison officers reported sexual intercourse between several guards and inmates. As many as a dozen staff members, including lieutenants or captains, were allegedly involved. Allegations of sex acts are described as "consensus" and possibly because of inmates living in "honorary dormitories" where the encounter takes place less supervision and given more independence by obeying the rules. In May three additional guards were on administrative leave, others had resigned, and three were disciplined for failing to report the activity. The inmates involved are demoted in their classification. A former employee and union official said that several reports about favoritism made for management were ignored and management did not help the guards enforce rules and procedures.
A study by the John Howard Association and New York Human Rights Watch found evidence of "'sexual intercourse, sexual violence, inappropriate sexual contact'" in prison, as well as "verbal and continuous verbal degradation of unwarranted detainees and visions. surveillance. '' They claim that inmates who profess sexual offenses are generally not treated seriously, even when the evidence shows their honesty, and
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