SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The union representing guards at the main Illinois women’s prison is embracing a report calling for gender-responsive training.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees state council said Friday, Nov. 18, it agrees with a review that says women were consolidated at Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln in 2013 in crowded conditions without adequate training.
The report by the National Resource Center on Justice Involved Women found that female inmates get harsher treatment than men because of misunderstood emotional reactions.
Ed Caumiant is AFSCME corrections liaison. He says the haphazard merger of women at Logan resulted in overcrowding, too few rehabilitation programs and “a rash of inmate violence against staff.”
Caumiant says the union is ready to work with the Corrections Department to ensure proper staffing and training.