She had previously served as an assistant warden and said this was the next logical step in her career. What began as a cost saving measure to pull used cardboard from the correctional center's waste stream, compacting the cardboard with a used baler, has grown and is now collecting and processing recyclables from a number of state operated facilities as well as most of the municipalities in Randolph County where the facility is located. In this case, major changes in the environment must be made. A media tour of Menard Correctional Center gives a glimpse of life behind bars at the maximum-security prison in southern Illinois. The lifting of the restrictions should lead to a decrease in crime, according to Scott McCabe, Williamson County Sheriffs Chief Deputy. He was then threatened with an additional 15 years for having bitten this guard, which was unsubstantiated, according to Chapman. The racial makeup in our prisons is also disproportionate. Theres an assembly line of very skilled people.. Reflecting on the era of U.S. slavery, Bishop Grant said, Americas legacy of slavery, economic reliance on a captive labor force, and racial biases have resulted in a carceral system that has spiraled out of control. Several times in the past two weeks, a prosecutor in McLean County bond court has cited COVID concerns as a reason to release a defendant from jail. An armed guard watches over an east cell block of Menard Correctional Center onMay 20in Chester. During the symposium, a relative had several Menard inmates to call in with similar horror stories. Photo By David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com. And even now, a lot of the guys are supporting families at home with the money they make.. Menard Prison has ignored his grievances, and threatened his life, unjustly denied him contact with his family and access to his funds, Chapman stated. The crew has a system down, Young said. Anyone with information is asked to call police at(618) 549-2121 or Crime Stoppers at 618-549-2677. Additionally, 250 million hungry people in the world live in cities. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Inmates at Menard Correctional Center participate in art classes as a form of recreation. The main path through the grounds of Menard Correctional Center in Chester is shown in 2014. Inmates are released to the outdoor yard for periods of two and a half . The judge gave Steven 55 years though 45 was the maximum. Staff always have to wear masks, and so do offenders who are working closely with others or handling food. CHESTER -- A prison guard with a rifle in hand stood watch over inmates Tuesday in the East Cell House at the Menard Correctional Center. Gay was transferred to the tougher Menard Correctional Center, as was the prisoner he fought with. Original Livestream https://youtu.be/6OAdSFSGTfAUneditedChester IL PD THREATENS to arrest me for standing on side of road. Menard Correctional Center is the biggest maximum-security prison in the state and home to workshops run by Illinois Correctional Industries (ICI), where offenders are trained to produce various products. Medical care in Illinois Department of Corrections isnt good either. A man has been arrested for allegedly making multiple bomb threats to Continental Tire. Carbondale officers responded quickly and determined that suspects had already fled the area, police said. The goal is to have these offenders take these skills with them when they return to their communities where vacant urban areas can be utilized for food production helping reverse the trend of growing food deserts in many inner cities. It was Chapman who received 273 complaints from Menard prisoners and parents requesting help from a prison they called The House of Horrors.. Kimblerly Butler of Carbondale took the reins of Menard Correctional Center in Chester in 2014. From shootings to increased arrests, catch up with last week's most-read stories in local crime. This important program helps to demonstrate the "Circle of Sustainability" to offenders participating in this effort. These guys are making an effort to do the right thing and they are very reliable, Young said. The ICI crews at Menard make soap, cleaning supplies, brooms and mops. Image source: /content/dam/soi/en/web/idoc/aboutus/publishingimages/menard-world.jpg. ID Refusal and egos put in check. In an effort to help improve operational sustainability and reduce operating costs, ICI implemented a program to process biodiesel fuel from Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO). RANDOLPH COUNTY, Il - The Illinois Department of Corrections is investigating after three inmates at Menard Correctional Center died on three consecutive days. Also included is theMenard medium-security unit. Oct 2, 2018. Inmates at Menard Correctional Center in Chester are led across prison grounds Tuesday, May 20, 2014. Photo By David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com, Menard Correctional Center warden Kim Butler talks with an inmate as she gives members of the media a tour of the prison in Chester, Ill., on Tuesday, May 20, 2014. On Tuesday, May 20, 2014, all of them were occupied. Protected by Google ReCAPTCHA. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Sign-up and get latest news about the courts, judges and latest complaints - right to your inbox. By signing up for Madison - St. Clair Record you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service. Additionally, many of these assigned offenders qualify for Industry good conduct credits. The respective chemical components for ICI's "green" cleaning products are shipped in 55 gallon plastic drums. If this effort proves to be successful it will be more widely implemented throughout the agency. Menard Correctional Center is a Maximum security level State Prison located in the city of Menard, Illinois. User Agreement, Get an unlimited news experience It also stands as Illinois's largest maximum-security prison. Abstract On-site monitoring visits at death row were conducted on July 3, 1980, and August 5, 1980, to observe conditions and talk with the inmates and staff. Messages of support are written on a dry erase board in the warden's office at Menard Correctional Center in Chester. Please register for a regular account. After going back to solitary confinement, Chaz was put inside a cell without no electricity or light for over a month. You have permission to edit this collection. U.S. District Court Judge Staci M. Yandle, in the Southern District of Illinois, ruled on May 22, 2018 that a civil rights suit filed by Mickey Mason, incarcerated at the Menard Correctional Center in southern Illinois, could go forward. Responsibly disposing of the hundreds of empty drums accumulated annually had presented problem for staff. Ald. Menard Correctional Center Facility Type State Prison Authority Illinois Department of Corrections Address 711 Kaskaskia Street PO Box 711, Menard, IL, 62259 Phone 618-826-5071 Capacity 3749 Date Established 1878 Offender Gender Male Offenders Security Level Maximum City Menard Postal Code 62259 State Illinois County Randolph County Photo By David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com, Framed pictures of all the former wardens line walls in the warden's office at Menard Correctional Center as seen during a media tour of the prison in Chester, Ill., on Tuesday, May 20, 2014. The mental health of the individuals in custody is a top priority, Bishop Grant said. Menard has pioneered the effort to provide offender training in this rapid growing segment of Illinois' economy and it's an effort that is being replicated at many other facilities across the state. The biodiesel produced by ICI burns approximately 75% cleaner than conventional diesel. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Big Tech minions could compromise Americas Intelligence community, Terms of Use / Privacy Policy / Manage Newsletters, LISTEN: Asking good questions isnt anti-revival. They also have a sewing shop where inmates make socks, pants and shirtsall for state use. Menard Correctional Center is the biggest maximum-security prison in the state and home to workshops run by Illinois Correctional Industries (ICI), where offenders are trained to produce various products. An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice. Butler has 20 years of experience with the Illinois Department of Corrections. Bishop Grant and Chapman called on Governor Pritzker and Black Illinois elected officials to investigate allegations of prisoner abuse by Menard guards including complaints of mold, running water on the walls, unfit food, unfair ticketing of inmates who go on hunger strikes and an end to being placed in solitary confinement, sometimes for months for writing up the guards. It is a maximum security prison that houses medium custody inmates in a separate unit. A Menard Correctional Center inmate sits alone with a deck of playing cards during an activity period Tuesday, May 20, 2014. He was pulled out of the health care unit by guards who claimed they found a knife in his cell after he had suffered a grand mal seizure. Having won one case against him pro se, he is facing yet another trial after Rock Island police attacked him and had federal charges placed against him. A year later, she said, detectives from 51st Street came and got Steven for questioning, and he never came back home. It is a state prison housing maximum-security and high medium-security adult males. So, when the coronavirus crisis hit Illinois, Menard was poised to help. The prison houses . In 1971, Chapman won his case, and told the parents he wont stop until he wins the Menard cases as well. It is a part of the Illinois Department of Corrections. Most recently a modest expansion of the Recycling Processing Center has allowed a conversion to a single stream processing system to be implemented. ICI Acts Responsibly with It's Own Industrial Waste Instead of land filling textile scraps from our Menard Knit Shop we recycle and process the scraps which go to mills in the U.S. to be made into things like mop yarns! Composting food scraps helps mitigate the facility's production of solid waste and provides vital nutrients to the facility's many garden plots. To apply to work in ICI, an offender must have minimal problems on their record and apply for a position. The old administrative building at Menard Correction Center in Chester sits empty, before Illinois Department of Corrections officials work to demolish the old facility and build a new one. This block, one of seven on the prison campus, has 125 cells. The team of sewers are working long days to produce not only masks, but full gowns. The goal of Menard's staff has been to grow these efforts beyond the prison's walls by working with fellow stakeholders to help build a sense of sustainability that reaches to the main streets of our local communities. The Newsletter Bringing the Legal System to Light.