Former residents, community members and attorneys speak about the latest developments in a class action suit demanding immediate action
CHICAGO – On March 15th Governor J.B. Pritzker announced a five-year plan to close and rebuild Stateville Correctional Center. The announcement came after reports that the facility has deteriorated to a dangerous and inhumane level.
Yet today, nearly four months after Pritzker’s announcement, the facility remains operational, with over 400 people still incarcerated in increasingly hazardous conditions.
“The Illinois Department of Corrections must move people out of Stateville now,” said attorney Heather Lewis Donnell of Loevy + Loevy. “There is no reason for further delay. More delays invite serious injuries and possible death.”
Mr. James Soto spoke about his personal experiences at Stateville, including concrete falling “about five feet from where I was walking” and the dangerous conditions, including the “unbearable” heat. Other former residents of Stateville spoke along with advocates and family members.
Civil rights law firm Loevy + Loevy represents the people housed at Stateville in a class action lawsuit, Dobbey v. Weidling, which seeks to address threatening conditions at Stateville. These hazardous conditions include structural vulnerabilities to the buildings as a result of more than $250 million dollars in deferred maintenance, exposure to extreme temperatures, unsafe drinking water, mold, and vermin.
The hazardous nature of the Stateville buildings has been confirmed by several experts, including most recently the State’s expert that conducted an evaluation of all IDOC facilities by an independent justice facility planning firm CGL. That report ranked Stateville dead last in terms of its “Building Conditions Index (BCI)” among all the evaluated IDOC facilities, approaching the firm’s “inoperable” ranking.
The quarter house, built in the 1920s and opened nearly a century ago, in 1925, is in particular distress. This is the housing unit where most residents live and concrete is falling from the walls. Back in August 2023, a chunk of concrete fell from near the ceiling five stories up, landing just feet from a correctional officer.
The Illinois Commission of Government Forecasting and Accountability, which evaluates closures of state operations, has completed its review process for the Stateville closure. There are no barriers preventing the State from transferring people out of Stateville now.
A recent tragedy at Stateville has underscored the urgent need to move people out. On June 19, 2024, Michael Broadway died in his cell at Stateville Correctional Center. The unlivable conditions at Stateville—including extreme temperatures, poor ventilation, and airborne and waterborne contaminants—likely played a role in his death. At the press conference, former residents of Stateville shared statements from people who are still housed there. This includes an account from Abdul-Malik Mohammad, the named class plaintiff for Dobbey v. Weilding.
A video of the full press conference can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/IRA4rkHhGU4
