Week of October 23 - SHOULD WARDENS BE POLITICAL APPOINTEES?

[Jims]

TO POLITICIZE OR NOT TO POLITICIZE, THAT IS THE QUESTION

Political appointments are a fixture in American politics. On a national level, the Bush administration has raised cronyism and an in-your-face attitude to an unprecedented high. States, including Illinois, are nearly as bad. Generally speaking, I don’t lose sleep over the practice. If I were Governor or President, I’d probably want to appoint people who were closest to my inner circle and administration, and yes, I would no doubt throw a few of the lesser jobs to some of my contributors (ambassador to the Maldives, Superintendent of Some Meaningless State Agency). However, one job that deserves more thought is the appointment of Prison Warden.

My understanding is that most of these appointments are political in nature and are more often than not given to loyal party affiliates (it’s long been rumored that a $5,000 contribution to the political party in office will get a person a warden-ship). I don’t know how true that is. What I do know is that the wardens I have known haven’t had the kind of background one would hope a prison warden would have. Except for one: Dee Batagglia, the ex-warden of Stateville who graduated from Northern Illinois University with a sociology degree, worked in prisons as a counselor, superintendent, and assistant warden of programs.

Some of the wardens have come up through the ranks, starting out as correctional officers and moving up the chain. Others have (or have had) law enforcement backgrounds, but not corrections. Still others have dubious backgrounds that have nothing to do with corrections, law enforcement, academia, sociology, or psychology. A former music teacher as a warden? Supposedly there is one. A retail store owner? I heard there was one of those as well.

Illinois prisons are a mess. As prisons should be, their main focus is on security. However, they have taken it to an extreme in eliminating all of the programs that could help turn an inmate’s life around, whether that inmate returns to society or never again steps foot outside the prison gates. It is important that we maintain not just order within our society, but dignity and humanity. America is a nation of high ideals, one of which is that all men are created equal. Another is that we extend to all of our citizens compassion and mercy and give them opportunities through rehabilitative programs to change and transform their lives if their lives have been derailed via drugs and/or criminality.

We should not, we cannot, have leaders at the helm, wardens and assistant wardens, who are unqualified political appointees. An assistant warden who was raped by an inmate might garner our sympathy, but I question the logic in appointing him to a position that puts him in daily contact with inmates as well as gives him the authority to make good, rational decisions that will benefit inmates and the institution. Nor should the position of warden be handed out like candy to someone who just wants to fluff out his retirement check. How many wardens take one-year positions in order to max out their benefits?

More than ever, IDOC needs creative, critical thinkers, and problem solvers. My observation is that the tail is definitely wagging the dog in Illinois, with the tail being the union and the dog being IDOC administration. Anytime a union can influence the administration to fire a warden just because that warden refused to fly the union flag, so to speak, or lock down the prison when an incident was clearly caused by staff provocation, or because the warden dared to walk onto the yard and talk to the inmates, it’s time to stand up to the union and take back control. Why did the administration replace Dee Battaglia who was well respected by the inmates, tried to bring back programs, fought to give deserving inmates opportunities for growth and change, and yet was able to maintain control of her prison?

I’m not so sure it wouldn’t be a good idea for wardens to come from outside the prison system. A fresh pair of eyes, unbiased by union views, with a solid background in a combination of sociology, criminology and psychology would bring a needed shot in the arm to the current regime of heavy-handed, thug-like wardens (women’s prisons excepted). It’s time to get back to the original intention of corrections: to correct an offender’s behavior and send him back to society ready to face the challenges that will face him. To listen to the union, one would think the intention of corrections is to provide jobs for correctional officers. The inmates are but an afterthought in the process.

[jewels]

Well said Jims!

[Amy]

Can Inmates vote.   -)-

[dancer]

I read in Stateville Speaks that Dee B also has a master's degree in something like corrections administration. 
I think they should have a master's degree in a related field and a minimum of  5 years experience working in a prison.   They should have good people and administrative skills, and should have a knowledge of research in areas of Chemical dependency,  mental illness, and corrections so they are not trying to reinvent the wheel.  They should know what works, and what does not.  A fairly high number of inmates are sociopaths and that does not change.  I took a continuing education class from a prison psychologist who estimated at least  70% of inmates are sociopaths.  I am not saying there shouldn't be programs to help all inmates,  but some truly are evil and have no conscience.   

[Jims]

I think 70% is a high number to attribute to prison offenders, though I've read that same figure or thereabouts (65). 4% of the overall population and 3% of all males are estimated to be diagnosable with APD or sociopathy. And prisons have a larger concentration of them than non-prison populations. But not all sociopaths are evil and certainly not murderers. Not all murderers are sociopaths. Interestingly, many successful people in businesses are successful (at least financially so) BECAUSE they are sociopaths! Law enforcement and legal professions, athletes, sales professionals, advertising execs all sport high numbers of sociopaths in their ranks. See the pattern here? People who are adept at lying and manipulating, big egos, all about me type of behaviors, are often sociopathic. Most people are much more likely to run into a sociopath outside of prison than inside one, since one in every 25 people is estimated to be one.

Some of the offenders society has characterized as being the most evil because of their horrific crimes have actually thrived in prison. I just read a book about Tommy Lynn Sells, a prolific serial killer who killed his first victim when he was 13 in 1977, and killed his last victim in 2000. He wrote that he finally feels safe and is where he needs to be, behind bars. These people should be taken out of society, indeed. But they should also have the opportunity to find out more about why they are the way they are, and to take advantage of any programs available. Education and knowledge mean growth; art promotes mental acuity, serenity, and humanity. Music brings insight. Too often I think the public views any kind of program offerings by a prison as perks. I see them as perks, yes, but perks to society. Anything that fosters understanding and promotes greater knowledge of our own benefits humanity.

[Forevermah]

Jim's great editorial! It amazes me, that someone who has no background can become a warden!   A music teacher?  :~)



Amy, no they cannot vote, but upon release Illinois is one state that reinstates their voting privileges.  Here is an article I just found on that very issue:


Ex-convicts have done their time?; let them vote
Published on: Tuesday, October 17, 2006
http://www.star.niu.edu/articles/?id=33623

[dancer]

"Interestingly, many successful people in businesses are successful (at least financially so) BECAUSE they are sociopaths!"
It IS interesting and I know it's true.  "people of the lie"  by M Scott Peck is an interesting read on this. 

 But they should also have the opportunity to find out more about why they are the way they are, and to take advantage of any programs available. Education and knowledge mean growth; art promotes mental acuity, serenity, and humanity. Music brings insight.
I totally agree.  Also  diagnosis is an iffy and arbitrary thing often.  Most people CAN change.
I don't have any stats on this handy,  but generally sociopaths were abused and neglected as kids.   I truly believe people are born to care about other people and it is only when their own needs are consistantly not met, and they are consistenly treated harshly,  or worse, ignored,  that they become very angry children and then teens and adults.  When a baby is not taken care of for its most basic needs,  it does not experience the world as a caring or safe place.  Also,  if the child is removed from the mother,  then put in foster care or a relative,  then moved around,  it totally screws them up.  A kid can recover fairly well even losing their mother if they have other consistant loving people in their life.  But no,  if you break those bonds two and three times,  they are not ok.  They quit trusting people and don't want to get too attached again.  Most of my foster kids were like this. People with Borderline Personality Disorder,  usually come from abusive backgrounds. 

[Dazzler]

Excellent editorial Jims...if only someone were listening in the State....hopefully someone of authority will step-in after the election and really re-vamp the IDOC...not just hire wardens for bucks...I believe you're referring to an appointed warden, the ex-Napa auto parts store manager?  I believe his father was a party committeeman downstate.  It's ludicrous....nearly as ludicrous as replacing Dee Battaglia at Stateville....when something is working the IDOC finds a way to break it....things were finally starting to run more smoothly at the Ville but the DOC thrives on chaos.....pity.

[dancer]

Do you think they really wanted to replace her?  Or maybe felt she could do more good in her new job?   She is still on the Stateville grounds,  right? 
And yes Jims,  it was very well written. 

[Scout]

Great editorial Jims.

I am one also that thought Dee was doing a fabulous job turning the perception from punishment to rehabilitation.  Although I'd lke to believe her move to "Chief" could be a good thing for the long term inmates in DOC, I sadly believe it's the DOC's way of pushing her towards retirement.  They don't want to focus on anything but warehousing inmates.  One would think that if you give the inmates something constructive to do with their time instead of a 24/7 lockdown, it would pay for itself in the long run.  Just as in the corporate world, if you keep the employee's morale up, production will remain high, give an inmate something to do with his time and the need for security should decrease.

[Sister]

Very interesting ready, Jims..........Too bad this can't be in the local papers nation wide!!

If only more people cared about this highly important position........Actully, I feel that the way this world is heading, there SHOULD be more and more people caring.........What are the statistics now.........1 in 4 people have a loved one that is or has been incarcerated??  That's a lot of people that should care.........I bet the number is only going to grow, too.......Maybe in a few more years, this article COULD make it in all of the local papers.