Two PCC guards injured in attack

It was estimated that there were approximately 140 attacks on staff at Pontiac Correctional Center in 2022. That trend has continued into 2023 as two more members of the security team were assaulted Wednesday morning.

The names of the victims were not released but it was reported that both were taken to Saint James-John W. Albrecht Medical Center, according to the union president for the correctional officers. This news also was made public over social media posts, including Facebook.

AFSCME Local 494 President William Lee said that a sergeant and a correctional officer were attacked by two inmates in the law library of the prison. Lee said he knew that one of the victims had been released from the hospital but was unsure of the condition of the other.

“It's a pretty serious assault,” Lee said. Lee also pointed out that there have been others since the new year.

“I know of a few because I've been told personally or saw it or read about, but we're not kept up to speed like we were before,” Lee said. “We got cut out of any kind of communication, I don't know why.”

Lee pointed out that there is a strong lack of communication between Illinois Department of Corrections administration and, at least, the union at PCC. If this will continue after April 1 is not known. Nor is it known if that communication will get better.

It is April 1 when current DOC director Rob Jeffreys is leaving his position. Jeffreys has been the driving force behind changes taking place within DOC, particularly the closing of the medium-security unit, also known as “the farm,” at Pontiac.

It's been nearly 14 months since Jeffreys ordered the transfer of approximately 170 inmates from the farm to Centralia Correctional Center. The transfer also involved removing inmates from Vandalia Correctional Center. This move came as a surprise to staff and took place under the cover of darkness.

Jeffreys said that he was not intending to close the MSU at Pontiac, but rather removed inmates because of safety concerns with the aging facility. This was also the excuse used in removing maximum-security inmates, as well. There were quite a few maximum-security inmates who have been transferred to Lawrence Correctional Center in the past year.

“He preaches accountability and integrity and then he quits and moves on,” Lee said of Jeffreys.

Jeffreys is leaving behind a department that is not only seeing inmates reclassified — Lee said that DOC administration has changed the status of max inmates to medium and then transferred them out of PCC — but also a dwindling number of corrections officers.

“Staff-wise, I know we're dropping,” Lee said. “Here's two more people who will be off work, at least for the moment. That's more that somebody else has to work that spot and that's more staff that can get hurt.”

This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Two Pontiac Correctional Center guards injured in attack