As prison inmate-led assaults on guards skyrocket in Illinois, AFSCME is urging the state to prioritize the safety of its members. John Baldwin, acting director of the Department of Corrections, claims that the assaults have not been as violent as labor leaders have described and that this increase in assaults is a result of the state of Illinois’ settlement in a lawsuit which held that they need to implement a new system for handling inmates with mental illnesses as their previous system was severely lacking. However, Illinois guards are fearful as Cory Knop, a guard at Lawrence Correctional Center, claims that the only policy changes that take place occur following an assault that could’ve been avoided had management listened to the union’s complaints earlier. AFSCME leaders and members alike are seriously worried about the safety of prison guards as Baldwin proposes that they should just wait until the rate of assaults decreases as a solution.
