Sen. Brady visits Lincoln over prison crisis

Challenges governor to do the same

[August 09, 2009]  Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor, visited the fairgrounds yesterday afternoon. Crowded in a tent with members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, away from the steady drizzle, Brady was on hand to support the prison guards who are facing layoffs under Gov. Quinn's budget cutbacks.

In a prepared statement and during a brief press conference, Brady said better management of the state corrections system would eliminate the need for Quinn to lay off more than 1,000 correctional officers and other staff.

"The governor has unfairly targeted the Department of Corrections and state police for layoffs -- nearly 1,100 correctional officers and staff and 300 state troopers and staff. These are the people who put their lives on the line every day to protect us," Brady said. "Rather than laying off critical correctional employees, the governor should be reducing high-level staff, eliminating mandatory overtime and spreading the shared sacrifice necessary to balance more equally throughout state government.

"I have five corrections facilities just outside my district in central Illinois. I know the kind of economic impact the layoffs will have on those families and those communities as well as many other communities throughout Illinois," he continued. "I'm calling on the governor to reconsider those cuts and layoffs that will cause financial harm to families and communities and put the security of our prison system at even greater risk."

Brady confirmed previous numbers in the Illinois Department of Corrections. "Current employee head count in the DOC is just under 11,000 and is the lowest head count in the department since 1992. The Quinn administration wants to cut corrections staff by another 10 percent. In 1992, there were 30,400 inmates in the system; today there are 45,500 -- 15,000 more inmates for the same number of correctional officers to oversee."

Brady minced no words when commenting on the governor's job cuts, calling them "unconscionable," as he challenged the governor to visit the prisons and see the situation firsthand.

John Black, president of AFSCME Local 2073, called the cuts to staff "horrific," noting the current 327 guards are facing potential layoffs of 128, which is half the current staffing. Black also said the plans to handle the prison system when these layoffs occur are "not ready to go."

Brady went on to say that the DOC is "top-heavy" with bureaucrats and that is a principal reason for the financial problems with the DOC.

In ending, Brady said he challenged the governor to "personally visit these prisons."

[LDN staff]