Reports of prisoner mistreatment, intentionally set fires and prisoners setting themselves on fire at a Joliet correctional facility have sparked state lawmakers to demand oversight of state corrections. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker declined to address the facility’s conditions this week.
According to a recent investigation by The Marshall Project, more than 70 fires have been started at the Joliet Treatment Center, a facility that the Illinois Department of Corrections describes as a prison for “convicted adult male felons with severe mental illness.”
The fires started by inmates have resulted in the death of two in the last three years.
Among the fires started in the period were eight cases of prisoners setting themselves on fire, according to the investigation and state records.
Pritzker wouldn’t address the incidents directly Tuesday – instead deferring to IDOC and ongoing investigations. He defended his administration and associated state agencies’ oversight
IDOC received an allocation of nearly $2.6 billion in the 2027 state budget, and oversight of the taxpayer-funded department has also been called for after The Center Square recently reported a department payroll employee pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $125,000 by falsifying the records of her husband, another employee.
IDOC didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Story from Illinois Radio Network
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