Writer shares concerns about possible closing of Tamms prison

To the editor,

I just attended the COGFA hearing at Shawnee Community College regarding the closure of the Tamms Supermax Prison. 

My husband has been a Tamms Supermax employee for the last twelve years. 

For the most part, we keep his “work stuff” separate from our family’s home life.   

However, when the possibility of the closure came to light, I felt like I needed to get more involved. 

I had never attended a hearing like this before and didn’t know quite what to expect. 

I have to say that I left this hearing feeling very frustrated, disappointed and confused.   

The meeting commenced with the Pledge of Allegiance followed by speeches made by four State of Illinois Executive Branch officials. 

Three of the four officials were from the Illinois Department of Corrections; S. A. Godinez, director; Bryan Gleckler, chief financial officer; and Anne McElroy, chief of labor relations. 

The fourth person, Austin Baidas, is the associate director from the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget. 

Needless to say, these individuals were there on behalf of Gov. Quinn and tried to address why it is practical and economically sound to close down the newest and safest prison in the state. 

They also attempted to demonstrate how everything could just go back the way it was before Tamms Supermax was built; that Pontiac, Stateville and Menard could take all of the inmates and that everything would be fine. 

The panel of four was then questioned by the committee of state legislators. 

Rep. John E. Bradley asked them some tough yes or no questions. The main point being, how are we going to add more inmates to prisons that are already operating over the maximum capacity. 

Rep. Mike Bost also pointed out the fact that he was in office before the Supermax prison was built and is well aware of all the issues the Illinois Department of Corrections had with inmate and staff assaults and murders at facilities like Pontiac and Stateville. 

He pointed out that if these facilities couldn’t effectively control these inmates before how will they now? 

Mr. Godinez even indicated that they would not be revamping these old facilities at all. 

It is important to understand that the Supermax prison was designed to take the prisoners who couldn’t peacefully exist in other prisons. 

These inmates posed not only a threat to staff but to the inmate population as well. 

Next some of our local elected officials, including Sen. Gary Forby and Rep. Brandon Phelps, spoke as to why we should keep the Tamms Supermax prison open and the devastating effects this closure would have on an area that already has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state.

What left me feeling so disappointed by the Governor’s Executive Officials and some of the state representatives is the fact that they didn’t stay for the entire hearing. Most of them didn’t even stay for half of it. 

Correct me if I am wrong, but if you are holding a hearing to learn about all aspects of an issue, shouldn’t you actually stay and listen?  What good does it do to hold a hearing if no one is listening? 

Speaking of disappointments, Cairo raised Senator Donne Trotter sat through most of the meeting looking very bored and disinterested. 

When he did speak it was just to inform our local representatives, Forby and Phelps, that they shouldn’t indulge the crowd and quit with their rhetoric. 

The state representatives, employees, and highly regarding members of the community who spoke on the behalf of saving Tamms Supermax were not using rhetoric they were speaking from their heart with the experience, knowledge, statistics, and truth to back up what they said.           

There were several other groups that spoke at the hearing, some for and some against the closure of the Supermax prison. 

One of the main issues that I found most frustrating were all of the advocacy organizations that wanted to speak on the behalf of “human rights” and the treatments for mental illness. 

First, they are inferring that there is a violation of the Supermax inmates’ human rights.  

Not one time, during the whole hearing, did any of these advocates refer to the “human rights” of the victims and of the correctional officers. 

I am pretty sure when a person is raped or sexually assaulted they probably feel like their “human rights” have been violated too. 

Where are the advocacy groups for these people?  Is it not socially “cool” to fight for victim justice anymore, is it not politically correct? 

They also referred to the fact that they didn’t feel like the mental health treatment available for the inmates at the supermax prison was adequate. 

They referred to several studies on how supermax prisons destroy prisoners’ lives. 

I would like to see what studies these groups have on the mental health of these assailants’ victims. 

Why are these advocates not concerned about the victims of these criminals and making sure they receive the proper mental health treatments. 

These advocates are speaking of how it is inhumane to house people under lock down without human contact. 

I am going to venture out and guess that some of the victims of these inmates wished they would have had a little less human contact.

Family members of prisoners also spoke on behalf of the closure of the Supermax.

I assume that it goes without saying that no one wants a family member in prison. 

I feel for them, and anyone that has a loved one who chose a path in life which led them to be housed in a prison. 

I would be devastated if that happened to a member of my family. 

But what if. . .these people had a loved one that had been murdered?  What kind of justice would they expect? 

These people also had signs that said, “I am a mom.” 

The correctional officer that was stabbed to death had a mother too? 

There was also a woman there who said she drove back in forth five hours to visit with inmates at the Supermax to give them some kind of company.  She said the conditions of the Supermax prison “eats at her soul.” 

I wonder if she has ever bothered visiting some of the victims these inmates have assaulted. 

I wonder if her soul is okay, knowing that victims live with what happened to them or their loved ones every day. 

These victims had no choice about what happened to them unlike most inmates who chose their path. Do some people have the ability to change? I think so, but I also think we would be naive to think everyone has that ability. 

There were several employees from Tamms, that had previously worked at other prisons like Pontiac and Stateville, that spoke at the hearing. 

Some of which had been victims of violent stabbings at the hands of prisoners who are now housed at the Tamms Supermax facility. 

Without a doubt, they attest that Tamms Supermax has brought a level of safety for officers as well as other inmates. 

There were 26 correctional staff members killed before the Supermax facility was built and there have been none since. 

You can not argue with those statistics.  Father Jerome Fortenberry, who has spent a lot of time at the Supermax facility speaking with and listening to the prisoners, said he has received correspondence from prisoners who left the Supermax and went back to a Maximum Security Prison. 

He said they told him that they wished they could come back to Tamms because it was safer than any other prison.

 I would again like to reiterate the fact that I am not sure what the exact purpose of this hearing was or who was listening. . .but I hope someone was. 

I hope all of the state business is not handled in this manner, or maybe it is.  Maybe this is why we are in the shape we are financially. 

If they do shut down the Tamms Supermax Facility, I have one request. 

Gov. Quinn needs to personally be held accountable for the deaths of any correctional officers and personally explain to these families that he is sorry for their loss, but his budget was more important than the life of their loved one.

Signed, Jaime Watkins, Jonesboro