The State of Illinois has begun evacuating prisoners from the Stateville Correctional Center, which is scheduled to close due to unsatisfactory living conditions.
However, some prison staff members are now concerned about their future due to plans to dismantle the prison and construct a new one at the current Crest Hill location.
The union that represents the majority of prison employees says it is seeking clarification on whether or not its members will be employed after a new facility is constructed, as well as what will happen after all of the inmates are released at the end of the next month.
The catchphrase emanating from the Stateville Prison picket line these days is “No layoffs, no chaos.”
“We don’t want any layoffs,” Eugene Washington, president of AFSCME Local 1866 stated. “This is going to impact peoples’ future, peoples’ employment.”
About 900 Stateville workers, according to AFSCME Local 1866, express concern about their jobs.
“It’s pretty frustrating,” Washington said. “Right now, they just want to get rid of the inmates—the individuals in custody—and we are left hanging with what they are going to do with us.”
Approximately one hundred inmates have been moved from Stateville to various facilities throughout the state thus far. This occurs after a judge ruled that the about 420 prisoners must be released by the end of the following month owing to “hazardous conditions.”
“Is it old? Does it need repairs? Yes,” Washington stated. “But it’s not decrepit.”
However, their perspectives on jail maintenance diverge. Recently, the prisoners demanded that the jail close right now.
According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, opportunities will remain inside the department and no state employee will be let go while a new prison is being built.
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However, Washington stated that there is a worry that those prospects might be hours distant from the Stateville positions that the jail staff currently hold.
“They haven’t showed us where this new facility is supposed to be. They haven’t given us no promises on jobs are going to be secure with demolishing Stateville,” Washington stated. “No layoffs. No chaos. Show us the rebuilds.”
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