SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Representative Charlie Meier (R-Okawville) joined State Representatives David Friess (R-Red Bud) and Bill Hauter (R-Morton) to address growing concerns on harmful substances entering Illinois Department of Corrections facilities across Illinois.
“We should be taking every step necessary to protect our prison workers and inmates,” said Rep. Meier. “We’ve requested a hearing to address these concerns, and they’ve been ignored.”
“Until we can figure out what’s going on, we should pause the physical mail process,” Meier suggested. “Our constituents who work in these facilities are telling us that part of the problem is physical mail. Let’s have a hearing and figure out what is going on and how these substances are entering our prisons.”
Meier called out IDOC Acting Director Latoya Hughes, who has not yet been confirmed as Director. “I’m calling on Acting Director Hughes to join me at any one of the facilities that have experienced these drug exposures. Together, her and I will go through the mail. If she is confident that the drugs are coming in elsewhere, she should have no problem doing this with me. At the very least, she owes it to the citizens of Illinois to provide some answers and solutions to this issue, preferably through a committee hearing. It’s imperative that this hearing takes place before Acting Director Hughes’ confirmation hearing.”
The prison workers and inmates in Reps. Meier, Friess, and Hauter’s districts are not the only ones who are being exposed. When exposure to these unknown substances occurs, healthcare workers, family members, and other innocent individuals are at risk.
“At the end of the day, no matter how these drugs and substances are entering our facilities, we need answers and solutions. Why won’t Acting Director Hughes work with us to get to the bottom of this? All we want to do is keep our constituents safe,” Meier noted.