Logan Correctional Center staff, workers from other correctional centers unite on softball field to give back to community, maintain awareness of proposed Logan facility closure
 

[July 16, 2024]    While many may think that competition is the only thing that takes place between teams on an athletic field, a softball tournament featuring workers from Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln and other Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) facilities from around the state hopes to accomplish more.

The six-team softball tournament is scheduled for July 26 from 5 PM until approximately 9 PM on the softball fields at Lincoln Park District, 1400 Primm Road in Lincoln. Admission to the event is free, but attendees are encouraged to bring a nonperishable food item or monetary donation to benefit the Lincoln-Logan Food Bank.

According to tournament organizer Eric McNamara, the event will help build camaraderie between staff members and will be an opportunity for workers at Logan to give back to the community.

“I thought this would be a good way to bring a positive spotlight to IDOC,” said McNamara, a lieutenant at Logan Correctional Center as well as treasurer of AFSCME Local 2073, which represents Logan employees. “People who work within the prison system often get a bad rap in the public eye.”

Earlier this year, Governor J.B. Pritzker announced plans to close the Logan facility and move it to northern Illinois, a move that would have a major impact on the workers, the individuals in custody and the economics of the region.

“I thought this softball tournament was a good way to bring IDOC and the public together,” said McNamara, an IDOC employee since 2004. “When I heard about the closure, I took it upon myself to start planning this. I never knew it would get so big.

“We want to show the governor’s office and residents of the area that Logan Correctional Center is a valuable resource to the people of Central Illinois and the IDOC. This event is a way for us to give back to the community and say thank you to the people for their support.”

The Committee on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA), an advisory body that provides information and recommendations to the governor, did not have a quorum present at its June meeting, so no formal recommendation was made by the committee about the future of Logan. However, members of the COGFA committee were quoted as saying IDOC and AFSCME need to work out a solution together.

McNamara said he hopes this event will assist with that process. He has sent emails to IDOC administrators inviting them to attend the event.

“AFSCME Local 2073 is trying to fulfill that recommendation: for the IDOC and AFSCME to get together and make a plan,” he said. “This is us inviting them to help us all resolve this issue together.”

In addition to Logan Correctional Center, the tournament will feature teams of employees from Lincoln Correctional Center, Taylorville Correctional Center, Decatur Correctional Center, Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill and a team comprised of workers from both the Peoria Adult Transition Center and Illinois River Correctional Center in Canton.

In addition to the food drive, a 50/50 drawing will be held to benefit the Lincoln-Logan Food Bank.

AFSCME Local #2073 is the branch of AFSCME representing employees of Logan Correctional Center and has approximately 500 members. AFSCME advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and prosperity and opportunity for all working families.

[Eric McNamara]