|
| | HR0233HAM001 | | LRB099 10638 MST 35262 a |
|
|
| 1 | | AMENDMENT TO HOUSE RESOLUTION 233
|
| 2 | | AMENDMENT NO. ___. Amend House Resolution 233 by replacing |
| 3 | | everything after the heading with the following:
|
| 4 | | "WHEREAS, The Tamms Correctional Center opened in 1995 in |
| 5 | | Tamms, Alexander County as a
200-bed minimum-security prison; |
| 6 | | in 1998, it expanded, adding a 500-bed facility, designed to |
| 7 | | hold the most dangerous and violent male
prisoners in the |
| 8 | | State; and
|
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Following the closure of the Tamms Correctional |
| 10 | | Center in January of 2013, the inmates
were transferred to |
| 11 | | maximum security prisons; this put a strain on the already |
| 12 | | overly crowded
State correctional system; with the |
| 13 | | maximum-security prisons taking in more inmates, many of
their |
| 14 | | existing inmates were then transferred to lower-security |
| 15 | | facilities; this trend rippled through the State system; and
|
|
| | HR0233HAM001 | - 2 - | LRB099 10638 MST 35262 a |
|
|
| 1 | | WHEREAS, Currently, the State correctional system holds |
| 2 | | around 49,000 inmates, however the
facilities that are open are |
| 3 | | designed to hold around 32,000 inmates; with the State's |
| 4 | | prisons being
so drastically over-crowded, staff and inmate |
| 5 | | safety has again become a major cause of concern; and
|
| 6 | | WHEREAS, The current levels of inmates in the overly |
| 7 | | crowded State correctional system has
caused major concern for |
| 8 | | the safety of staff working in the prisons; at Pickneyville |
| 9 | | Correctional
Center on September 25, 2013, inmate Rodolfo Rosas |
| 10 | | attacked 3 male guards and one female guard; they were taken to |
| 11 | | an area hospital and treated for various injuries, including a |
| 12 | | broken nose; and
|
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Over-crowded correctional facilities are not just |
| 14 | | a safety problem for staff but also
create a dangerous |
| 15 | | atmosphere for other inmates; since the closure of the Tamms |
| 16 | | Correctional Center, other
facilities having to deal with the |
| 17 | | over-population issue have resorted to moving hundreds of |
| 18 | | inmates into
a gymnasium as cells have become too crowded; and
|
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Incidents of violent fights between inmates have |
| 20 | | increased since the closure of
the Tamms Correctional Center |
| 21 | | because the current correctional system is having difficulty |
| 22 | | handling the
over-populated prisons; and
|
|
| | HR0233HAM001 | - 3 - | LRB099 10638 MST 35262 a |
|
|
| 1 | | WHEREAS, If the State of Illinois would utilize the former |
| 2 | | Tamms Correctional Center it could help
increase safety inside |
| 3 | | the State's correctional centers for both the staff and |
| 4 | | inmates; the
space inside the former Tamms Correctional Center |
| 5 | | would also greatly help to reduce the strain over the State's
|
| 6 | | over-populated correctional centers; and
|
| 7 | | WHEREAS, The former Tamms Correctional Center should be |
| 8 | | refitted and reopened in order to ensure the best outcomes for |
| 9 | | inmates and staff in helping to keep people safe and in helping |
| 10 | | aid in rehabilitation; therefore, be it
|
| 11 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
| 12 | | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we |
| 13 | | urge Governor Rauner to refit and reopen the former Tamms |
| 14 | | Correctional Center to help control the over-crowding in the |
| 15 | | State's correction system and to ensure the safety of |
| 16 | | correctional staff and inmates; and be it further
|
| 17 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
| 18 | | delivered to Governor Rauner and the Director of Corrections.".
|