GALESBURG, Ill. — Two female employees at Galesburg's Henry Hill Correctional Center suffered injuries after being attacked by a male inmate on Friday, March 31, according to an AFSCME Council 31 news release.
The two employees suspected the inmate of passing contraband and instructed him to stop. The inmate responded violently, repeatedly punching them in the head and face.
One of the employees sustained a broken nose and large forehead welts. The other employee was struck in the ear.
The medium security prison which houses over 1500 men was placed on a Level 1 lockdown as a result of the incident.
“This violent assault on AFSCME members just doing their jobs underscores the daily threats that employees face in Illinois prisons,” AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch said. “The Department of Corrections must act urgently to reduce those threats by hiring adequate staff and by restoring consistent disciplinary measures with meaningful repercussions when offender standards of behavior are not met.”
