Rules Limit Inmate Property and Visitation in Illinois

AFSCME Council 31 in Illinois and the Illinois Department of Corrections are implementing policies to limit and control inmate property and keep contraband out of state prisons.

“We were all in agreement that property was out of control,” says AFSCME Local 1133 President Renee Bantista. She is a CO at Dwight Correctional Center in Dwight, Ill. “The new rules will cut down on places to hide contraband and make the cells easier to search.”

The rules:

• inmates in segregation are limited to two one-hour, non-contact visits a month;
  
  
• all maximum- and medium-security inmate’s items (except a fan, TV, audio equipment and a typewriter) must fit in “property boxes”;
  
  
• inmates must wear state-issued clothing or garments bought in the facility commissary;
  
  
• the staff controls and supervises hair perm products;
  
  
• inmates’ TVs must have clear plastic housings to make it easier to conduct shakedowns;
  
  
• inmates cannot receive packages from outside the prison;
  
  
• no posters, photographs, or papers can be hung on cell walls, bars, ceilings, doors, windows, furniture or the new storage boxes;
  
  
• inmates can wear only standard prison commissary wrist watches to cut down on bartering and extortion.
  
  

Bantista says property rules will enhance security in several ways. “Boxes from home were an avenue for contraband to be sent in. And it took up time to search each box. This will free up officers for security duty.”

AFSCME Council 31 Director Henry Bayer says, “The union has long sought input on matters of prison security, which is a life-and-death issue for our members. ... this example of union and management working together has yielded results that both parties take pride in endorsing.”