Illinois
Illinois data shows inmates with violent records from shuttered prison sent to medium-security sites
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Among the approximately 400 inmates transferred when Illinois’ decrepit Stateville prison closed over the summer, 278 were convicted of murder and 100 more are serving time for other violent offenses.
Yet, nearly four in five of the offenders formerly housed at the suburban Chicago lockup were not shipped to top-level maximum-security prisons, where the toughest criminals, troublemakers and escape risks are housed. Instead, they went to mid-level medium-security facilities, according to an Associated Press analysis of Illinois Department of Corrections data.
Prison employees believe housing for the transferred inmates was based on which facilities had bed space and sufficient personnel who are adequately trained in a critically understaffed system.
All transfers properly placed, prison agency says
Corrections spokesperson Naomi Puzzello said all of the transfers from Stateville are appropriately housed and that none was reclassified to a lower security level to match that of the receiving prison. She acknowledged scores of maximum-security beds are vacant but said corrections’ understaffing played no role in the transfers.
However, the AP obtained minutes from a meeting at a separate facility nearly a year before Stateville’s shutdown in which administrators discouraged staff from bumping troublemakers up to a higher risk level because “maximum security beds are in short supply.”
And the AP found that in more than half of the relocations, ex-Stateville inmates were transferred without regard to a corrections guideline that those serving sentences of 30 years or more be housed in max prisons.
Opened in 1925, Stateville was targeted for closure in the spring when Gov. JB Pritzker set aside $900 million to replace it and Logan Correctional Center, the deteriorating women’s facility in central Illinois. A federal judge, accelerating the plan by declaring Stateville uninhabitable and inaccessible, ordered it shuttered by Sept. 30.
Security staff shortages a national problem
Prison staff shortages are a problem nationally. Wisconsin has seen a spate of inmate deaths while it struggles with vacant posts. “Grossly inadequate” staffing was among problems listed last fall in a searing Justice Department critique of violence, drugs and sexual abuse in Georgia prisons.
Data compiled by the nonprofit Safer Prisons, Safer Communities shows that the number of state-employed corrections officers dropped from 237,000 in 2012 to 182,000 in 2023.
Simply put, it’s a tough job, said Wanda Bertram of the Prison Policy Initiative, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research and advocacy group that espouses decarceration.
“You’re going to witness violence, you might witness serious mental illness,” Bertram said. “You’re going to be around a lot of drug use and these things have a measurable impact on corrections workers.”
400 job openings, 1,750 open max beds
The Illinois Department of Corrections is 396 frontline security officers short of what was budgeted, according to October department staffing numbers. Total current officers are more than 2,800 shy of the authorized headcount, or the number needed to operate without substantial overtime.
Under the Illinois public records law, AP obtained a list of 406 inmates housed at Stateville as of August 2024 and matched each with the prison to which they’d been transferred, noting its security level. Corrections denied a request for the accompanying pre-transfer security levels of each inmate.
Statewide, there are 1,750 currently unoccupied beds in max prisons, Puzzello said. However, the majority are in cells designed for two inmates and most prisoners are in single-occupancy cells, so short staffing isn’t to blame, she maintained. The agency continues to vigorously recruit security cadets.
Improperly placed inmates pose a risk
Employees are unconvinced and believe some inmates who qualify for max security have been diverted to less secure places, posing a risk to inmates as well as staff.
Although not part of the latest transfers, an offender moved to Sheridan Correctional Center in north-central Illinois from Stateville in November 2023 viciously attacked a prison educator, who required facial reconstruction surgery, according to the employees’ union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31.
There have been at least two suspected homicides of inmates since mid-2024, but corrections denied the AP’s public records request for information on them. The news agency is appealing that decision.
‘Maximum security beds are in short supply’
High-security bed space appears to have been an issue months before Stateville’s shutdown. In minutes obtained by the AP from a December 2023 management meeting at Dixon Correctional Center in northern Illinois, administrators advised staff to “use good judgment” before upgrading a troublemaker’s risk level to maximum, necessitating a transfer.
“Maximum security beds throughout the state are in short supply,” the minutes say. “If we try to transfer all the max security individuals, they will more than likely just end up at another medium security facility.”
Puzzello reiterated that none of the Stateville transfers had security downgrades. She said transfers are based not only on criminal background but on programming needs, medical and mental health treatment and staffing ratios at the receiving facility.
“This ensures each individual’s classification is appropriate and tailored to their specific risk factors, behaviors and needs, supporting a safe and secure correctional environment,” Puzzello said.
However, a general corrections guideline is that any offender serving a sentence of 30 or more years be housed in a maximum-security cell. Those with 10 to 30 years go to medium, according to the guideline.
Of ex-Stateville inmates, 261 — or 64% — locked up for 30 or more years are now sitting in medium-security prisons, according to the AP review.
AFSCME spokesperson Anders Lindall said prison counselors who evaluated each inmate for an appropriate transfer location believed management had already decided where each would go. Puzzello denied that happened.
Lindall said the union received reports of “ongoing instances of recommendations made at the facility level — by employees whose job it is to evaluate, classify and place the offenders who they know best — being overruled by departmental management.”
SYCAMORE, Ill. – A Sycamore mother said she is still waiting for justice more than two years after her teenage son was stabbed to death.
The case is back in court this week, where a judge will consider a key request that could change how the case moves forward.
What we know:
A mother said her son’s life was cut short during a confrontation that turned deadly.
Heather Gerken said her 17-year-old son, Kaleb McCall, was stabbed during an incident in September 2023. She said Kaleb agreed to meet another teen for what he believed would be a fist fight while sticking up for a friend.
According to Gerken, the other teen, who was 15 at the time, pulled a knife and stabbed Kaleb in the chest. Kaleb later died from his injuries.
Gerken said a jury later found that teen guilty of second-degree murder after the defense argued he acted in self-defense.
Dig deeper:
The case is not over.
Gerken says the defendant’s attorneys are now trying to move the case out of adult court and into juvenile court. That decision could impact how the teen is ultimately sentenced.
What they’re saying:
Gerken said the legal process has been long and frustrating.
She said the case has stretched on for more than two and a half years and that ongoing court proceedings have made it difficult for her to grieve her son.
“He was everybody’s big brother,” Gerken said. “He had the biggest smile and the sweetest personality. He enjoyed fishing and being outside, and he was the best gift giver. He always got me flowers for every little holiday. Just a very thoughtful boy.”
Gerken also said the possibility of the case moving to juvenile court is especially upsetting, as she continues to push for what she believes is justice for her son.
“I don’t want anybody else’s child to die the way that my son died,” Gerken said. “Caleb is my whole world. I gave birth to him at 17 and he changed my life completely. He made me a better person. He taught me what real love truly is…And I just miss him so much more every day. And just knowing that he died the way he did. It makes me sick.”
What’s next:
The case returns to court Thursday morning.
A judge is expected to determine whether the case remains in adult court or is moved to juvenile court, a decision that could shape what happens next in the case.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX Chicago’s Lauren Scafidi.
Millions of asylum seekers have been impacted as caseloads have grown
A general crackdown on immigration courts the administration sees as liberal has led to the firing of dozens of immigration judges.
Recent polls show President Donald Trump’s approval ratings continue to dip as the war in Iran endures and national gas prices float above $4.
One such poll conducted by CNN/SSRS illustrates widespread upset among Americans with regards to Trump’s handling of the economy and inflation. Here’s how Trump’s approval ratings look nationally and within Illinois, as of April 20.
Donald Trump approval rating: CNN
Only 31% of Americans approve of how Trump is handling the economy, compared to 39% in January 2026, according to the poll.
The decline in approval on the issue is even higher among Republicans, especially Republicans under 45 years old, according to CNN.
In the poll, President Donald Trump received his worst approval rating yet in either of his two terms on the economy.
CNN findings show about two-thirds of Americans say Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions, and 27% say they approve of Trump’s handling of inflation.
CNN also reported 63% of Americans say the prices at the pump have caused financial hardship in their household, including 15% calling it “severe.”
The poll, conducted March 26-30 among 1,201 U.S. adults, found 35% approve of Trump’s job performance overall. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
One poll respondent told CNN and the pollster about the most important issue facing the country: “Prices! Everything is so expensive. Makes it very difficult to do anything other than work and go home. Trips to the grocery store are ridiculous! Between gas and grocery prices, we are poor!”
Trump addressed the concerns about gas prices in his address to the nation on April 1, saying the Strait of Hormuz would reopen when the conflict was over and the prices would fall again.
Trump reaffirmed his promise about the strait on April 18, saying his administration had “very good conversations going on” with Iran after the country said the strait would not be reopened.
Donald Trump approval rating in Illinois: Civiqs
Trump’s job approval rating in Illinois, as of April 18, according to data from online survey platform Civiqs, is as follows:
- Approve — 32%.
- Disapprove — 65%.
- Neither — 4%.
Donald Trump national approval rating: Civiqs
Trump’s national approval rating as of April 13, according to data from Civiqs, is as follows:
- Approve — 39%.
- Disapprove — 57%.
- Neither — 4%.
Donald Trump approval rating in Illinois: The Economist
Trump has a -36% net approval rating in Illinois as of April 20, according to data from The Economist.
Donald Trump national approval rating: The Economist
Trump’s national approval rating as of April 20, according to data from The Economist, is as follows:
- Approve — 38%.
- Disapprove — 56%.
- Don’t know — 7%.
Trump, Iran War approval rating: Pew Research Center
A Pew Research study conducted in mid-March found that about six-in-ten Americans (61%) approve of Trump’s handling of the conflict in Iran, with 39% approving.
A report released in early April found that the largest concern for most Americans as a result of the conflict is higher gas prices, with 69% saying they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the issue.
Other Trump approval rating polls as of April 20
Here is a look at some other polling aggregators to understand how CNN/SSRS’s poll compares to the average Trump approval numbers as of April 20:
RealClearPolitics Poll Average: 41.2% approve, 56.6% disapprove.
The New York Times: 40% approve, 56% disapprove.
Silver Bulletin: 39.7% approve, 56.4% disapprove.
Which president has the lowest approval rating ever?
Although Trump has dropped to a historic low in approval rating polls this term so far, he hit a 34% low in the first term and other recent presidents such as Joe Biden hit a 36% low, Barack Obama hit a 40% low, George W. Bush hit a 25% low and Bill Clinton hit a 37% low, according to the Gallup polls, whose recorded lowest rating was Harry Truman with 22%.
As for the highest presidential approval ratings, George W. Bush holds the highest approval rating ever recorded at 90%, while his father, George H. Bush holds the second highest at 89%.
Trump is the only president that has not reached a 50% or higher approval to date in the Gallup polls’ history.
CENTRALIA, Ill. – An investigation is underway after multiple people were shot Sunday in Centralia, Illinois, according to a report from WFCN News in southern Illinois.
FOX 2 has confirmed the Illinois State Police is investigating a shooting and taking over the investigation, but ISP could not confirm many further details as of 9 p.m. Sunday.
“The investigation is in its infancy and to protect the integrity of the investigation, no additional details will be released at this time,” ISP said in a statement to FOX 2.
According to WFCN News, the shooting happened around 5 p.m. near the 900 block of East Kell Street in Centralia. Multiple law enforcement agencies have since responded to scene and multiple victims are hospitalized, according to the report.
It’s unclear how many people may have been injured and what led up to the shooting.
Centralia, Illinois is about 70 miles, or just over an hour, east of St. Louis.
This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.
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