With the deplorable conditions at the Kane County Jail a topic of discussion in Springfield last week, CLTV rebroadcasts its illuminating “Prisoner of Progress” (5:30 a.m., 11 a.m., and 5:30 p.m. Monday).
It was Emmy-winning writer/reporter Bob Arya’s report on the overpopulation and run-down condition of the facility that prompted Sen. Chris Lauzen (R-Aurora) to hold hearings, leading to suggestions that spending cuts or increases in sales taxes be made to help pay for staffing a planned 200-bed addition.
Not that such an add-on will help much, as “Prisoner” shows. The facility, which was opened in 1975 to hold close to 400, at times contains almost 700 offenders.
“This facility is an example of everything that is wrong with county jails,” Arya notes of inmates who sleep on the floor because there aren’t any beds, three inmates in cells designed for just one, leaky plumbing and ceilings, and more.
Prison guards are stressed because they’re outmanned, and inmates are frustrated because of crowding. Bureaucrats are scratching their heads wondering where the money will come from to fix what seems unfixable.
It’s hard not to feel sympathy for guards and prisoners. For those who think inmates shouldn’t be comfortable in jail, listen to the warning of one guard: “It’s like trying to keep a lid on a stick of dynamite in a can — any minute this place is going to blow up.”
