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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA RELEASE: July 16, 2009

PHOTOS + VIDEO + AUDIO AVAILABLE
Stephen F. Eisenman
s-eisenman (at) northwestern.edu
626-394-3311

Laurie Jo Reynolds
lreyno (at) artic.edu
773-505-3896

Muslim, Jewish, Catholic and Protestant community leaders demand change at Tamms
Fiscal crisis adds impetus for supermax reform

CHICAGO—Faith and civic leaders, legislators, and prison reform advocates addressed a crowd of 200 people at an interfaith prayer vigil at the State of Illinois Building on Thursday. A day after the passage of a stopgap state budget, they demanded an end to human rights abuses at Tamms supermax, the most expensive prison per capita in the state. Islamic, Jewish, Catholic and Protestant leaders explained why their faiths called them to speak out about Tamms, and leaders from offices of the mayor, the governor, and the Illinois Department of Corrections confirmed a commitment to change.

The event demonstrated the strong ecumenical opposition to the use of long-term isolation, and added momentum to the growing movement for reform of the prison. Besides the inhumanity of prolonged isolation, speakers identified the senselessness of spending $67,000 per prisoner per year at Tamms for conditions that induce or worsen mental illnesses, create barriers to reentry, and put Illinois in the international spotlight for human rights abuses. By comparison, per prisoner costs are $20,736 at Menard, $32,693 at Stateville, and $33,031 at Pontiac where Illinois’ death row is located. #file_2#

Prayers were lead for those in isolation, for the healing of all families impacted by violence, and in support of the safety and well-being of the state’s 11,000 correctional officers. In addition to the difficulty of their jobs, those officers now face the prospect of layoffs and staff shortages due to the state budget crisis.

There was also a benediction for mentally ill prisoners at Tamms, for whom solitary confinement is especially damaging. The recent death of a mentally ill prisoner at Tamms was cited by attorney Jean Maclean Snyder as emblematic of failures at the supermax. Robert Foor, incarcerated for residential burglary, had been housed in isolation at Tamms for ten years, where his mental condition worsened. He was 33 years old and would have been paroled in 2012. The cause of death has not been determined.

Men at Tamms are kept in solitary confinement for 24 hours per day, fed through a hole in their cell door, and are allowed no phone calls, contact visits or religious or educational programs. Although the prison was designed as a short-term “shock treatment” program, it was discovered last year that one-third of prisoners have been there for over a decade. Many have serious mental illnesses. Two months ago, Gov. Quinn tasked new IDOC director Michael Randle to review policies at the supermax, and chart a “new direction” for the department.

Speaking at the vigil, Tim McLean, Chief of Intergovernmental Relations at the Corrections department, revealed that Randle would soon announce a ten point plan for change at Tamms. “I can tell you that his second day on the job he spent about 10 hours at Tamms,” McLean said. Both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called upon the IDOC and Governor Quinn to immediately alleviate inhumane conditions at the prison.

Rep. Julie Hamos, sponsor of HB 2633 to reform the supermax, was hailed by all the groups for her principled and courageous leadership, and faith leaders explained how conditions at Tamms violate the fundamentals of their faith. Jane Ramsey, head of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, called on Gov. Quinn and the State Legislature to cease the “horrific abuses at Tamms, cold storage, long term isolation, mistreatment of the mentally ill, lack of due process, arbitrariness, as these are the same human rights violations that caused authorities to cease identical treatment at Guantanamo Bay.” The parallel to U.S. torture overseas was also made by Junaid M. Afeef, head of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, “In the face of anger, fear or despair we reaffirm our strength and our wisdom by acting humanely. But incarcerating people in places like Tamms, Gitmo and the so-called communication management units at Federal prisons like Marion, Illinois and Terre Haute, Indiana, without safeguarding their human rights is unjust.” Rev. B. Herbert Martin of the People’s Church, who has given pastoral guidance to family members of Tamms prisoners for the past decade, urged the state of Illinois to do better.

Jonathan Jackson, Rainbow PUSH Coalition national spokesperson, committed the internationally recognized civil rights organization to fight for radical change at Tamms. Vance Henry, Deputy Chief of Staff in the Mayor’s Office, discussed the 30,000 prisoners each year that return to Chicago neighborhoods, and expressed concern that Tamms creates barriers to successful reentry. Vance invoked Christ’s injunction to visit those who are imprisoned, “I hear Jesus’ words echo from 2000 years ago when he said ‘I was in prison and you visited me not.’ And by those words he challenges all of us to make this a priority.” Billy Ocasio, Senior Advisor to Governor Quinn, assured the crowd of the governor’s commitment to addressing problems at the supermax.

Prayer vigils also took place in Urbana, Decatur, Quincy, Plainfield, Carbondale, and Springfield. Prisoners at Tamms supermax held a day of prayer, reflection and atonement in their cells. The Day of Prayer for a New Direction at Tamms Supermax was organized by Tamms Year Ten, a coalition of more than 70 allied organizations.

Speakers present in Chicago:
+ Rep. Julie Hamos, sponsor of HB2633 to reform Tamms supermax prison
+ Jonathan Jackson, national spokesperson, Rainbow PUSH Coalition
+ Rev. B. Herbert Martin, Pastor, People’s Church and Progressive Community Center
+ Junaid M. Afeef, Esq., Executive Director, Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago
+ Jane Ramsey, Executive Director, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs
+ Billy Ocasio, Senior Advisor to Governor Quinn
+ Timothy McLean, Chief, Office of Intergovernmental Relations, Illinois Department of Corrections
+ Vance Henry, Deputy Chief of Staff in the Mayor’s Office for Community and Faith-Based Initiatives
+ Deacon Pablo Perez, Kolbe House, Catholic Conference of Illinois
+ Rev. Larry E. Turpin, Pastor, United Church of Hyde Park

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