NEW RULES IMPROVE PRISON SAFETY

Corrections Head Cites Reductions In Violence, Drug Use

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (March 6) -- The state prison director said Monday that
tighter inmate discipline has led to a safer environment for prisoners and
employees.

Behavior controls were just one change highlighted by Donald N. Snyder Jr.,
director of the Illinois Department of Corrections.

"The system that we were used to wasn't working; we had to change the
status quo," he told graduate students from the University of Illinois at
Springfield.

Snyder described the penalties for assaulting either staff or other
inmates. "If you touch or assault a corrections officer or staff or anyone
in the population, you are going to go to disciplinary segregation for a
year," Snyder said.

Disciplinary segregation means an inmate has fewer visiting privileges,
less access to the commissary and decreased television and radio
privileges. The punishment is also used for drug users.

Snyder said that when he began, 50 percent of inmates were testing positive
for drug use. Now if inmates are shown to use drugs, they are sent to
disciplinary segregation for six months. He said positive drug tests have
dropped to below 2 percent.

He credited the changes with creating a safer prison environment. However,
the union that represents guards and other prison employees disputed some
claims.

Henry Bayer, executive director of the American Federation of State, County
and Municipal Employees, said the union's figures showed that the number of
assaults on guards went up from fiscal year 1999 to 2000. Bayer also said
some improvements occurred before Snyder took charge of the prison system.

State Rep. Charles A. "Chuck" Hartke, D-Teutopolis, a member of the House
Prison Management Reform Committee, said Snyder had done a "fantastic" job
improving the prison system.

Snyder said that while the prisons are filled beyond capacity, the crime
rate has been dropping. He credits the drop to the strong economy, which
provides jobs; the baby boomers growing out of their "mischievousness;" and
the department developing programs to keep inmates from returning.