(CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Logan Correctional Center does not fare well in a new assessment from a prison watchdog group. A report from the nonprofit John Howard Association outlines what executive director Jenny Vollen-Katz says are unsafe and inhumane conditions, along with $116 million in deferred maintenance.
The list of problems, says Vollen-Katz, is long: “From the presence of black mold to lack of ventilation, the presence of rodents and pests inside the facility, crumbling infrastructure, ceilings that cave in, along with the lack of air conditioning in places that are very hot during the summer, which can lead to and also exacerbate existing health issues.”
Logan, near Lincoln, is slated for closure, with its all-female population to move to an as yet unbuilt facility in Crest Hill, near Joliet. Vollen-Katz says that brings an uncertainty which does not help the psyche of inmates or employees.
“We have a situation that was not great to begin with, with physical conditions that are very problematic, to say the least; that are unsafe and inhumane, and we have added to that stress and tension of living in this very difficult environment by creating a lot of uncertainty for the people inside and the people who work in the facility.”
