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| Illinois Judge Shelves Prison Food Plan |
| By Lincoln Courier |
| Published: 12/16/2002 |
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A Grundy County, Ill., judge has ruled against an Illinois Department of Corrections' plan to privatize prison food services, saying it would weaken prison security. Council 31 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the largest state employee union, filed a lawsuit and restraining order against the plan, which the state estimated could save up to $22 million a year. If food services were privatized, more than 500 state workers would likely lose their jobs. 'This was an important victory,' AFSCME executive director Henry Bayer said in a statement. 'We felt strongly that privatizing dietary services in prison kitchens - where inmates have access to knives and other potential weapons - would have posed a great risk to prison security and to our members. We're very pleased the judge has ruled this way.' 'I have not seen the ruling,' Corrections spokesman Sergio Molina said. 'Once we get the ruling, we'll sit down and decide how to proceed.' Prison privatization, both in food services and in transporting prisoners, was a campaign issue this past election, with Attorney General-elect Lisa Madigan saying she believed such moves were illegal because of the security risk. The judge's order does not keep DOC from privatizing prison commissaries. Privatizing those commissaries could affect 116 state workers across Illinois, Molina said. He added that Corrections now uses private food services at its adult transition centers, commonly known as work release centers, Molina added. |
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