The John Howard Association (JHA) visited Dwight Correctional Center (Dwight) on August 16, 2011. Dwight is the state's only Level One maximum-security adult female facility. Dwight also houses medium and minimum-security inmates, as well as the intake, classification and processing center for adult female offenders for the entire state. The facility is located in Dwight, Illinois, about one and one half hours southwest of Chicago.
Vital Statistics
Population: 1008
Rated Capacity: 684
Average Annual Cost Per Inmate: $33,977
Average Age: 36
Source: DOC, Quarterly Report, January 2012
Key Observations
•Approximately 78 percent of Dwight’s inmates have children. On average, Dwight houses 26 pregnant inmates at a given time.
•On the date of JHA’s visit, more than half of Dwight’s population was taking psychotropic medications.
•While most of Illinois prisons have minimal programming, Dwight offers inmates a comparatively large number of educational and vocational opportunities.
•While JHA commends DOC and Dwight’s administration’s recognition of gender differences in their programming and operations, we believe, in accordance with human rights standards, that only female correctional officers should supervise female inmates’ living quarters.
•Since JHA’s visit, Dwight has made several improvements in its policies and programming, which are noted in the body of the report.
•The racial demographics of Dwight’s population were: 48 percent African American; 41 percent white; nine percent Hispanic; one percent Native American; and one percent Asian.
Read JHA's latest report here:
http://thejha.org/sites/default/files/DWIGHT_CORRECTIONAL_FACILITY_REPORT.pdf
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