CHICAGO, IL - A former state corrections official appointed to oversee changes at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center says the facility's staff is resistant to reforms -- endangering its residents, according to documents obtained by the Chicago Tribune.

Brenda Welch, a former assistant warden at the Joliet Correctional Center, characterized the administrative staff at the center as "somewhat defensive regarding present practices" in memos detailed in Wednesday's editions of the Tribune.

Welch made some of the observations in a report dated June 30 and addressed to two court monitors.

U.S. District Judge John Nordberg appointed Welch to the position in early June as part of an agreement between Cook County and the American Civil Liberties Union to institute reforms at the juvenile center.

Under the deal, a panel of four independent experts was to have 60 days to recommend improvements, and Welch was in charge of making sure that they were implemented.

But Welch says the staff has been "resistive to new ideas."

In a letter to facility Supt. Jerry Robinson on July 10, Welch wrote, "Basic safety, sanitation and security procedures are not currently enforced. The lack of security creates a dangerous environment for staff and residents."

A spokeswoman for Robinson told the newspaper that the facility has "complied with all recommendations."

ACLU attorney Benjamin Wolf said Welch's observations will be included in an improvement plan to be submitted to Nordberg for approval.

Among the problems Welch uncovered were shattered glass doors, resident confinements of up to 36 hours despite a mandated maximum of 24 hours and a lack of daily room checks.

She said facility staff have found bullets, cigarette lighters, pornography, marijuana and homemade weapons during searches of resident rooms.

The agreement between the county and ACLU stems from allegations by the organization that children, and sometimes staff members, abuse residents at the center. In 1999, the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit against the facility on behalf of residents.

That suit was settled in 2002 when the county agreed to improve conditions, but the ACLU asked a federal judge in November to appoint an independent manager to oversee reforms because the group was concerned about residents.

In April, the FBI said agents are investigating whether there were civil rights violations at the center. State Attorney General Lisa Madigan also is investigating the facility over accusations that there were fraudulent payroll documents, grant applications and requests for payment.

"It will let us know or monitor where they've been during the day in real time," said Gary Sherzan of the Iowa Department of Corrections.

He said the new $2.4 million program will allow the state to monitor offenders, making sure they stay away from schools, day-care centers and playgrounds.

"We'll place them on electronic monitoring, and our warrant team will pick them up. We'll monitor them and when the violations occur, we'll place them back in the institutions," Sherzan said.

The bracelet and Global Positioning System tracking device allow the department of corrections to know where the sex offenders are at all times.

"It has a cell signal inside it and it will download and let us know where the offender is going. We can see the path they are taking, every time they (step)," said Lois Osborn who works with the bracelets.

The statewide program will be run out of Des Moines.

"It's a tool among many. We do polygraph. We do treatment. This is just another tool," Sherzan said.