Thursday, October 27, 2011
 
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Legislators grill DOC officials; closing Logan makes no sense

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[October 27, 2011]  "What an incredible night! I don't know when I've been as proud of this community," wrote Keith Snyder in an email to LDN late Wednesday night. "Thank you to the close to 1,200 people who attended the hearing. Thank you to the speakers -- all were so eloquent and passionate. Thank you for the spirit of this community that was on display tonight. We delivered a strong and proud message that we must 'Save Logan,' and that message was heard loud and clear."   

Snyder was referring to the attendance and show of support that came from the Lincoln and Logan County community at Wednesday night's hearing regarding the closure of Logan Correctional Center. 

Indeed, the large auditorium in the chapel on the campus of Lincoln Christian University was packed to nearly full capacity with supporters of the prison, the vast majority of them wearing their red "Save Logan" T-shirts and carrying "Save Logan" posters and signs. 

The hearing was conducted by the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, a 12-member panel consisting of co-chairs Sen. Jeffrey Schoenberg and Rep. Patricia Bellock; Sens. Michael Frerichs, Matt Murphy, Suzi Schmidt, Dave Syverson and Donne Trotter; and Reps. Kevin McCarthy, Elaine Nekritz, Raymond Poe, Al Riley and Michael Tryon.

It was an opportunity for local legislators, community leaders, business owners, local civic organizations, union representatives and Logan Correctional Center employees to come before a state body and voice their objections and concerns about the proposed closing of the prison, slated to occur at the first of the year. 

In all, 43 people came forward and spoke about what losing the correctional center would mean to the city of Lincoln, the county, local businesses and themselves. 

The evening began with state officials coming before the panel. They were David Vaught, director of the governor's Office of Management and Budget, and officials from the Illinois Department of Corrections -- S.A. Godinez, director; Bryan Gleckler, chief financial officer; and Anne McElroy, chief of labor relations. 

In opening statements Vaught outlined the financial situation for the DOC and said the state could not spend what it didn't have. He also noted that Gov. Pat Quinn's original budget included money for all the state's prisons, but the General Assembly did not pass it.  

He said Quinn had submitted three vetoes back to the General Assembly, and if they will sustain the vetoes, there could be a remedy for the situation. 

Vaught also said the state is still going to come up short in money for prisons by about $50 million, even with the closing of Logan. 

Godinez told the panel he has 38 years of prison experience, 29 of them in Illinois, and the decision to shut down Logan had been a painful one. He would later refer to himself as the "bad guy" for proposing Logan be the one to go. He, too, said the $9 million the state would save in closing Logan wouldn't come close to solving the problems in the budget. 

"I'm not here to say I want to close Logan," Godinez said. "Instead, I wish for Logan to stay open, and I make a plea for the Legislature to increase the appropriation level." 

After the opening statements, various legislators asked questions of Godinez and Vaught, including Rep. Raymond Poe, who reminded the panel that in previous years Pontiac was slated for closure and it didn't happen. He wondered why now the focus was on Lincoln, instead of going back to Pontiac.  

He also commented on the use of Logan as a transfer site for prisoners, saying that was a valuable part of the prison, but Godinez countered by saying the busing in of prisoners for transfer didn't use the actual prison buildings. 

Poe and many others questioned the logic of closing any prison in Illinois when populations are already far exceeding total prisoner capacity. 

When asked where the prisoners would go, Godinez said there were 11 prisons with gymnasiums. He said Logan was a dormitory-style facility where the prisoners are already staying in large rooms with multiple beds, so for them there would be very little change. 

Shannon Kelly, AFSCME union president for Logan, would later correct Godinez's statement, saying only one house at Logan was dormitory-style. 

Sen. Larry Bomke spoke about the efficiency of the Logan facility, noting the cost per capita of prisoners was lower in Logan than virtually everywhere else. He asked why the state would want to close the most efficient prison. 

Godinez said he felt that all the prisons were run very efficiently. He said efficiency was not the only reason for closing Logan -- that there were other factors involved. 

Bomke said, "With all due respect, that doesn't make a lot of sense," which brought a loud round of applause from the audience. 

Bomke also questioned the logic of closing a juvenile facility in Murphysboro and turning it into an adult facility while also closing Logan. 

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When Rep. Rich Brauer took his turn with questions, he focused on exactly how the state was saving money by closing Logan. 

Gleckler said the total cost reduction would come to $16 million, but it would cost $7 million to relocate the prisoners, so the net would be only $9 million for this year.   

Brauer asked how housing prisoners in gymnasiums would be cheaper than running the Logan facility. 

Gleckler noted costs for food and clothing, but Brauer countered those were fixed costs that went with the prisoner wherever he was. 

Gleckler then said it would save money in the 356 employees of the facility. He noted there are over 600 openings in prisons throughout the state. All the Logan employees could transfer to other locations, which would save the state dollars in overtime costs. 

Gleckler also said increasing the population in the prisons that are left open would lower the per-capita operating cost of each prison.   

Brauer said for him, it didn't add up. He said in the end the state is not going to lower its costs by closing Logan.   

Brauer finished by saying, "You're sitting on a dynamite keg here as you overcrowd prisons even more." 

Rep. Bill Mitchell began his questioning of the group by asking if they knew what the unemployment rate of Logan County was. Vaught answered by saying he didn't have that information, and Mitchell countered with, "That says a lot." 

Mitchell also asked if the group had seriously worked with the appropriations committee on this issue. He said, "I'm on that committee and you haven't talked to me." 

Mitchell also targeted Vaught, referring to the meeting at the governor's office on Tuesday and noting that Vaught wasn't present. He surmised perhaps he was in Chicago, but Vaught said he'd been in Springfield all week. 

Mitchell also asked about hiring on an executive level and noted some recent appointments. He punctuated his statements by saying, "The big dogs are making out OK." 

A panel member, Rep. Michael Tyrone, also asked questions of the group, focusing on the legality of housing prisoners in gymnasiums, and was told it was not preferable, but there are no laws prohibiting it.   

Tyrone asked if there had been other attempts to cut costs across the entire department and was told there had been. Gleckler said the department had identified $14.8 million in other cuts. 

Tyrone concluded by saying he for one would not be supporting the decision to close Logan, which drew loud cheers from the audience. 

Sen. Bill Brady also blasted the group with questions, targeting primarily Godinez. He coaxed Godinez into admitting the Logan facility was well-run and efficient, then questioned why a prison that was well-run, efficient and manned by good people would be targeted. He also questioned public safety with the transfer of prisoners to already overcrowded facilities and housing them in gyms, but Godinez maintained there was little risk to the public.   

Brady then wondered, if that was the case, why not turn all the prisons into gymnasiums? 

Brady pinned Godinez down, saying, "This doesn't make sense." To which Godinez said, "I don't disagree." Brady then countered, "So you do agree, this puts people at risk." 

Misc

Rep. Patricia Bellock, co-chair of the panel, also asked questions of the group, wondering if the housing of prisoners in gymnasiums would be a temporary situation. The answer was, "We hope so." 

This concluded the questioning of the budget director and DOC officials.   

The next step in the hearing was to listen to testimony from various factions, including elected officials both state and local. 

The next segment in this series of coverage of the COGFA hearing will include that testimony. 

[By NILA SMITH]

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