Office of Affirmative Action
The Office of Affirmative Action coordinates the department’s Equal Employment Opportunity/ Affirmative Action Program, Minority Recruitment Program and the Employee Assistance Program.
The Office of Affirmative Action maintains workforce statistics and prepares monthly, quarterly and annual reports required by the Illinois Department of Human Rights. A computer program is used by facilities to report their personnel transactions to the Office of Affirmative Action on a monthly basis. The computer automatically updates the facility workforce report as well as the agency workforce report. The office also prepares an annual Affirmative Action Plan. The FY 2003 Affirmative Action Plan was approved by the Department of Human Rights and was distributed throughout the agency.
The Office of Affirmative Action coordinates agency responses to employment discrimination and sexual harassment charges filed with the Department of Human Rights and the EEOC. In responding to external complaints, staff reviews responses from the facilities, submits responses to the Department of Human Rights and the EEOC, coordinates the attendance of witnesses at factfinding conferences and represents the agency at factfinding conferences. The administrator provided training to agency litigation coordinators on this process. In FY 2003, 57 external complaints of discrimination or harassment were filed.
The Office of Affirmative Action is also responsible for investigating internal complaints of discrimination and sexual harassment. It is a goal of the office to provide prompt, thorough investigations of complaints. In FY 2003, there were 53 internal complaints investigated by the Office of Affirmative Action.
The Office of Affirmative Action is responsible for coordinating the agency’s Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) program for employees, which includes responding to employee and applicant requests for accommodation. In handling accommodation requests, the office consults with the individual requesting an accommodation and investigates what, if any, accommodation is appropriate. During FY 2003, the Office of Affirmative Action responded to 58 accommodation requests from employees and applicants.
During FY 2003, the administrator served as the chairperson of the ADA Celebration Planning Committee. The 54-member committee was responsible for hosting the event at the James R. Thompson Center commemorating the passage of the ADA. The event featured entertainment, workshops, exhibitors, a job fair and an art show.
During FY 2003, the Office of Affirmative Action developed a recruitment plan that described the mission of the recruitment program, identified areas where recruitment was needed and described actions that would be taken to make the agency recruitment program successful. During FY 2003, Will County was identified as a priority area for recruitment.
Trained designated recruiters attended 104 job fairs during FY 2003. The Office of Affirmative Action coordinates all agency recruitment activities so that travel costs are minimized and duplicate registration fees are avoided.
The Office of Affirmative Action provides a recruitment manual and display boards for recruiters to use at job fairs and recruitment events. At least one display board has been made available to each district. The Office of Affirmative Action works with Correctional Industries and the Media Center to ensure that updated and professional quality displays are used. A television, VCR and videotape have also been made available to each district.
Special efforts were made to recruit Hispanic applicants. Hispanic employees were assigned to the Office of Affirmative Action to assist in this effort. The department participates with Hispanic associations and organizations serving Hispanics. Recruitment staff participated in the CMS Minority Outreach recruitment program by attending planning meetings and minority job forums sponsored by CMS.
Finally, the Office of Affirmative Action oversees the agency Employee Assistance Program (EAP). A list of agency EAP coordinators was distributed to all work locations for posting. An EAP manual was distributed to agency EAP coordinators at a training session. The training included a review of the manual and presentations by the agency insurance coordinator, the AFSCME Personal Support Program and the Victim Services Unit. Posters and brochures about the AFSCME Personal Support Program and the Magellan Behavioral Health Program were distributed.
EAP coordinators are responsible for coordinating and providing training to supervisors on the supervisory referral process and ensuring that training on the EAP is provided to new employees. EAP coordinators are also encouraged to provide special programs in response to traumatic events. During FY 2003, EAP coordinators made presentations about the EAP to employees being laid off.
The Office of Affirmative Action successfully responds to the needs of department employees on sensitive matters such as harassment and discrimination, disability accommodation and employee assistance.
Background Investigations
T he Background Investigations Unit is responsible for conducting investigations into the backgrounds of all department employees, applicants, contractual employees, volunteers, student workers, outside workers and tour groups. It also runs quarterly updates on all correctional officer trainee/youth supervisor trainee applicants on the eligibility list, ensuring their eligibility is still valid. For employees who are required to carry a weapon, the unit runs annual background investigations to ensure departmentally issued weapons authorization cards are kept current.
A complete background consists of checking drivers’ licenses, FOID cards, full criminal history checks, Offender and Visitor Tracking System/Juvenile Tracking System information, written and telephone inquiries for dispositions, police reports, military backgrounds and employment reference checks.
After the background check has been completed, files are then reviewed to determine if the applicant requires an administrative review. Issues that require an administrative review are employed relative/close associate, former/current employee, former/current volunteer, incarcerated relative/close associate, suitability issues and convictions. Suitability issues can include, but are not limited to, falsification issues, contact with law enforcement, job discharges, negative employment history, inmate visits/correspondence, security threat group affiliation and military issues. The administrative review is then submitted for review to the chief of operations and the director. Former employees are also submitted to the Central Personnel office manager for review. The Background Investigations Unit is then responsible for notifying the institutions of applicants’ eligibility based on the results of the administrative review and also corresponds to applicants’ inquiries regarding their background investigation results should they be determined not eligible through an administrative review.
The Background Investigations Unit coordinator acts as the Law Enforcement Agency Data System (LEADS) administration coordinator for the Illinois State Police regarding policy and procedures for the LEADS 2000 program at Concordia Court. The Backgrounds Investigations Unit, Transfer Coordinator’s Office and the Operations Center are the locations where the LEADS 2000 program is operated. The LEADS administration coordinator ensures all LEADS 2000 terminals in these areas are operational and that staff is certified to operate the LEADS 2000 program.
The unit currently conducts approximately 3,000 backgrounds per month and 280 administrative reviews per month. Although the workload varies from week to week, the Background Investigations Unit has so far been able to anticipate potential backlogs and time the completion of less time-consuming duties to the intervals between.
The unit developed a system to track the background paperwork when it is received from an institution or department. Copies of computer name checks are filed alphabetically by month. Files on state employees, contractual workers and volunteers are constructed and kept in the department. The unit recently instituted a records retention system in which institutions notify the unit when contractual workers or volunteers are no longer providing services to the facility. The corresponding file is removed and placed in the records retention filing system.
The unit has implemented a procedures manual, which describes in detail different investigation duties and how to perform them. As different procedures are updated and improved, these are incorporated into the manual.
The unit also has created a system for communicating with the Transfer Coordinator’s Office to ensure that incarcerated relatives or close associates of new employees or volunteers are never placed in the same facility that the new employee or volunteer is working.
The Background Investigations Unit is responsible for updating current employee information on the Arrest Tracking System. New criminal history is obtained by this unit either by fingerprint card responses received from Illinois State Police and the FBI or by the employee’s own admission. This information is added to the employee’s record as new arrest data on the Arrest Tracking System.
Central Screening
The Central Screening Office is responsible for the testing and hiring of correctional officer and youth supervisor trainee applicants.
For FY 2003, the office scheduled 26,400 applicants statewide. Of those that applied, 3,907 (14 percent) showed for testing. There were 31 screenings held statewide. Of those tested, 69 percent passed the TABE test, 70 percent passed the written examination (IDR), and 70 percent passed the physical agility test.
The office ensures that there are enough eligible applicants from which an institution may draw when hiring.
A crucial function of the office’s statewide-certified screeners is teamwork. Most important is the screening team’s ability to function as a cohesive unit regardless of rank, individual differences or personalities. This group of employees emphasizes professionalism, dedication, determination and pride.
Drug Screening
The Drug Screening Unit is responsible for conducting random and follow-up drug tests of employees and trainees. The unit coordinates the drug screening of applicants and volunteers and maintains all statistical data relating to the drug testing of employees, applicants, volunteers and trainees.
In FY 2003, 3,477 drug tests were performed on employees. This figure includes employees and trainees selected randomly, commercial drivers and employees tested due to reasonable suspicion and employees subject to follow-up testing. Of those employees tested, .55 percent tested positive, which is a decrease of .31 percent from the previous fiscal year.
There were 3,069 applicants drug tested during FY 2003 with 58 positive results and 48 who did not report for testing. There were 288 volunteers tested with one positive result and 11 who did not report for testing.
Drug Screening personnel strive to make the drug testing procedure comfortable for all involved, yet professional and confidential. The dedication to this and the respect given to the employees being tested promotes harmony throughout the process.
Environmental and Sanitation Services
Environmental and Sanitation Services establishes guidelines for and promotes environmental and institutional health and sanitation practices. The environmental health coordinator conducts annual public health inspections at IDOC facilities, serves as a resource for compliance and audit personnel and performs liaison activities to certain regulatory authorities. The environmental health coordinator incorporates certain guidelines from regulatory authorities including the Illinois Departments of Labor and Public Health and standards-setting organizations such the American Correctional Association into IDOC directives and provides practical guidance for facilities.
Institutional health and safety issues encompass a broad range of areas, including safety and sanitation, food supply protection and toxic substance use and control.
Promotion of hygienic and sanitary practices results in clean and orderly facilities and reduced potential for illness. The environmental health coordinator conducts safety and sanitation inspections at all IDOC facilities annually as required by the ACA and departmental directives. After external public health department inspections ceased in 1991, the environmental health coordinator assumed the task of acting in a quasi-regulatory capacity and began conducting facility inspections and tracking compliance with, for example, Illinois Department of Public Health food service requirements.
In-service safety and sanitation training is conducted by the environmental health coordinator to assist facility personnel in complying with ACA training and credentialing requirements. In-service toxic substance training is also provided. In a recent joint effort with the IDOC chief legal counsel, the environmental health coordinator provided guidance for facilities to implement new Illinois Department of Labor requirements pertaining to respirator policy. The environmental health coordinator created guidelines, training documents and equipment specifications for facilities to demonstrate compliance.
The environmental health coordinator is responsible for reporting departmental “Green Illinois” efforts to the Illinois Green Government Coordinating Council. State agencies are required by executive order to promote and report progress toward improving waste management, energy conservation and recycling. IDOC has received past awards from the Green Illinois Council for pollution prevention, habitat preservation and energy-efficient construction.
Food Services
With emphasis on providing the offender with nutritious and well-balanced meals that promote health and prevent diseases, the Corrections Food Service units prepare and serve approximately 100,000 meals per day.
In the adult facilities, the offender provides most of the labor in preparing the meal and cleanup. In the youth facilities, the corrections food service supervisors prepare the food while youth assist and cleanup. Prior to working in the food service, all offenders must be cleared as food handlers through the Health Care Unit. All corrections food service supervisors and food service managers are certified in sanitation by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
In the spring of 2003, a Menu Review Committee was formed. The committee is made up of five IDOC food service managers and the food service administrator. The committee planned a five-week cycle master menu that will incorporate menu flexibility. This master menu should reflect a reduction of food costs while continuing to provide nutritious meals for both offenders and staff. The new menu is scheduled to begin in mid 2004.
IDOC Food Service units continue to work hard in providing an important component of the whole corrections program.
Inmate Issues
The Office of Inmate Issues has the primary function of overseeing the administration of offender discipline. This includes review and processing of revocation and restoration of good conduct credits or statutory good time, inmate grievances through the Administrative Review Board, the Central Publication Review Committee, offender tort claims, Impact Incarceration Program (boot camp) terminations, training relating to the inmate disciplinary process and special projects as assigned.
The Office of Inmate Issues received approximately 22,000 pieces of mail in FY 2003. This mail includes grievances submitted by inmates, correspondence from family members and inmates as well as inquiries from the public and government agencies.
Of mail received, the Administrative Review Board addressed approximately 8,634 grievance issues: 871 face-to-face hearings, 7,763 addressed by letter, and approximately 2,600 pieces of mail and grievances were returned to offenders for the time period January to June 2003. Numbers of responses to family members and other public inquiries are not maintained by Inmate Issues.
Approximately 15,180 recommendations from institutions to either revoke good conduct credits and statutory good time for disciplinary infractions or to restore time for improved institutional adjustment were handled. Handling of this paperwork includes initial review of the request, submission to the Prisoner Review Board if appropriate, final review as director’s representative upon receipt of the board’s decision and return of that decision to the parent facility. Of the revocation requests received, facilities requested 1,777 years to be revoked, the department approved 1,602 years, and the Prisoner Review Board approved 1,073 years revocation of good conduct credit. The department revoked nine years of statutory good time. The restoration of good conduct credits requests resulted in 350 years submitted by facilities, 311 years approved by the department and 153 years being restored by the Prisoner Review Board. The department also approved two years, 11 months, 15 days restoration of statutory good time. Within the number of received revocations and restorations, Inmate Issues remanded a total of 334 submissions to the sending facility for corrections.
The Central Publication Review Committee reviewed 633 publications in FY 2003. Additionally, the Department Rule and Administrative Directive pertaining to publication review procedures were revised during FY 2003. Inmate Issues is working to develop a revised training curriculum for publication review procedures.
Inmate Issues reviewed 125 Impact Incarceration Program terminations within FY 2003 ensuring compliance with Department Rules and Procedures.
The Office of Inmate Issues reviews tort claims exceeding $50 submitted by institutions to compensate offenders for damaged or lost property because of staff mishandling. During FY 2003, approximately 84 claims were received, three were denied and 81 were approved for payments, totaling $11,466.42. The department policy regarding compensation to offenders for damaged or misplaced property has recently been amended. Offenders will now be reimbursed through facility Inmate Benefit Funds regardless of the amount of reimbursement.
Inmate Issues staff also conducted 11 training sessions pertaining to Department Rule 504 Disciplinary Procedures and Grievance Officer Training with a total of more than 280 staff attending. Department Rule 504 was revised May 1, 2003, and due to staff shortages within Inmate Issues, the training responsibility has recently been returned to the Training Academy.
During FY 2003, the Office of Inmate Issues staff size decreased from 13 to five. However, it has been almost one year since this office has had clerical support staff and turn-around numbers for grievance reviews have increased since the past fiscal year. In FY 2002, the turn-around time from date-of-review was 23.5 days. For FY 2003, this number has increased to 36 days. The turn-around time from date-of-review to mailing was 7.43 days in FY 2002. For FY 2003, that time has increased to 13.02 days. To process a grievance within the Office of Inmate Issues, the turn-around time at the end of FY 2003 is 85.02 days versus 30.93 days in FY 2002.
Jail and Detention
The mission of the office is to monitor compliance with Illinois County Jail Standards, Municipal Jail and Lockup Standards and County Juvenile Detention Standards. The purpose of monitoring is to develop standardized practices in detention facilities that enhance the health and safety of the general public, detention staffs and detainees. In addition, the office provides assistance and services to facilitate the development of those practices.
State statute established Jail and Detention Standards and Services in 1970. Statutes directed that the office shall inspect all jails, juvenile detention centers and municipal lockups annually for compliance with Illinois County Jail, Municipal Jail and Lockup and County Juvenile Detention Standards. The office was given the authority to refer facilities in serious noncompliance with detention standards to the Illinois Attorney General for remediation. The authority resulted in the closing of substandard facilities and stimulated new facility construction throughout Illinois. State statutes were changed in 1992 and the words shall inspect were changed to may inspect and inspections were put on a voluntary basis. Shortly after the change in statute wording, the Jail and Detention Standards Section was dissolved.
The unit was reconstituted in July 1994 as the Jail and Detention Standards Unit. All county jails and juvenile detention centers were again inspected on an annual basis. Municipal lockups were inspected upon request. In February 1995, a grant was obtained from the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission (IJJC) to monitor federal requirements contained in the Jail Removal Act.
Office members conduct on-site inspections of jails, youth detention centers and municipal lockups for compliance with standards. Staff members conduct follow-ups on unusual occurrences and provide consultations regarding detention operations, renovations, new construction and staffing recommendations. The office collects detainee population statistics and publishes an annual report. In the capacity of ombudsmen, office staff responds to citizen and detainee complaints relating to detention operations, civil rights and legal responsibilities. In fulfillment of grant requirements, staff members monitor police departments, county jails and youth detention centers for compliance with federal secure juvenile detention requirements.
During the fiscal year, the task force on County Juvenile Detention Standards submitted its recommendations on Oct. 9, 2002. No action was taken in FY 2003 with reference to the submission. A task force for the development of the Mental Health Component of Illinois detention standards discontinued meeting. The task force was required to submit its recommendations no later than Jan. 15, 2002. None were submitted in FY 2003.
Labor Relations
The Office of Labor Relations, which reports to the chief of staff, strives to ensure that cooperative relations are established and maintained between management and the union. The Labor Relations Office carefully and conscientiously insists that the Illinois Department of Corrections Administrative Directives, Department Rules and policies are administered in a fair and equitable manner. The Labor Relations Office administers approximately 10 bargaining agreements as well as ensuring adherence to the Illinois Personnel Rules, Personnel Code, applicable laws and Department Rules and Directives.
Daily technical assistance is provided to managers on contract interpretation issues, grievance hearings, arbitration preparation, discipline and the negotiation of facility-based supplemental agreements.
Labor Relations administrators also serve as a liaison with department managers and union representatives in local and statewide labor management meetings. Disciplinary actions, including discharge actions, are reviewed by the Labor Relations staff for “just cause,” which is the standard applied to administrative discipline. The Labor Relations administrators at the relevant facility conduct third-level grievance hearings on these discharges, other than those for attendance-related reasons.
During FY 2003, the office also conducted training for management staff and worked closely with the IDOC Training Academy in developing training for the Employee Review Board hearing process.
The Labor Relations Office is comprised of four labor relations administrators and two executive secretaries. The office has two locations, Springfield and Joliet.
Labor Relations staff is involved in all steps of the discipline and grievance process from advising department managers on potential disciplinary issues at the facility level through the final disposition of the case through binding arbitration or at the Illinois Civil Service Commission.
IDOC labor relations administrators are required by the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement between the State and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31 to meet with union representatives on a monthly basis to consider grievances. These grievances are from the 26 adult facilities, eight juvenile facilities, six work camps, two impact incarceration program facilities, 25 parole offices and eight adult transition centers, which encompass approximately 14,000 employees in IDOC.
IDOC labor relations administrators also handle grievances from the Illinois Nurses Association, CU-500, which is a unit of AFSCME Council 31, and grievances from two bargaining units under the Illinois Federation of Public Employees. Staff also addresses grievances filed by trade unions and the Illinois State Employees Association. During the past fiscal year, there were 1,447 grievances that reached the third level of the grievance process. The third level of the grievance process is the agency head level, which is where grievances that cannot be resolved at the local facility are considered. Of these 1,447 grievances heard at this level, 60 percent were resolved, the union withdrew 30 percent and the 10 percent that could not be resolved advanced to the pre-arbitration step.
In FY 2003, there was a 54 percent decrease in the total number of grievances filed as compared to FY 2002, indicating that the IDOC Office of Labor Relations, and the agency as a whole, is making significant progress in its attempts to reach out to the various unions and attempting to resolve issues before they culminate into grievances.
Because of the state’s economic condition and significant budget shortfalls in FY 2003, the Labor Relations Office engaged in negotiations with union representatives regarding the impact of layoffs, facility closures and programmatic downsizing. Although these are difficult issues to deal with, the IDOC Office of Labor Relations continued to aggressively represent the department’s interests in a professional manner.
Payroll, Timekeeping & Claims
The Claims Unit reviews and authorizes all personal property claims arising from inmate assaults and damage to employees’ personal property. The unit also reviews and authorizes all back wage claims by employees for payments due from previous fiscal years.
The unit also maintains all membership records for the sick leave bank and coordinates and reviews all requests for the use of time from the sick leave bank. For FY 2003, there was a balance of 5,117 days. Seven applicants were approved for use of 25 days.
The Voluntary Deduction Unit processes involuntary and voluntary deductions, such as garnishments, child support, student loans, tax levies and payments owed to other agencies.
The Timekeeping Unit is responsible for keeping time and attendance records for General Office employees and part of the Community Service employees. This encompasses 14 different collective bargaining agreements and how those agreements affect each employee’s pay and benefits. The unit is also responsible for sorting all the IDOC employees’ paychecks and savings bonds and seeing that they are distributed accurately and on time twice each month. The unit sent employees to Logan Correctional Center and IYC-Kewanee for audits of their timesheets during this fiscal year.
The Timekeeping Unit completed the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles report for the first time prior to the deadline. This was due to the efforts of individual timekeepers in the Illinois youth centers, adult transition centers, adult facilities and parole timekeepers.
A new Administrative Directive 02.65.125 was created to adhere to the Organ Donor Leave Act (P.A. 92-754) effective Jan. 1, 2003. It allows employees paid time away from work to donate blood, blood platelets and organs.
The Payroll Office oversees the payroll process for the department’s employees. It provides guidance, assistance and training on policies and procedures to ensure all IDOC employees are paid correctly and on time. The Payroll Office is also responsible for processing payroll for the General Office, adult transition centers and parole staff as well as IYC-Pere Marquette and all contractual payrolls.
The office generates more than 14,000 payroll warrants twice each month. Due to various collective bargaining requirements and complex work schedules, more than 90 percent of all IDOC employees’ pay must be adjusted each pay period.
The office also prepares payroll for all new institutions until their payroll staff is hired and trained. During this fiscal year, the office has trained new payroll staff for several institutions that had lost their payroll specialists due to retirement.
The Payroll Office processed lump sum checks for all employees who retired or resigned under the Early Retirement Incentive, which included more than 2,000 checks.
The Workers’ Compensation Unit is responsible for providing benefits to injured employees so that the employee does not suffer any loss as a result of the work-related injury. It is also responsible for safeguarding against improper payments, which include payments that should not have been paid because of fraud or treatment not related to the work-related injury.
Currently, there are approximately 739 cases pending litigation at the Industrial Commission level. The workers’ compensation staff works closely with the Attorney General’s Office in resolving disputed issues and finalizing litigation.
The unit reviews and authorizes all employees’ return to work from leave of absence and return to work through the light duty policy. For FY 2003, there were 568 employees returned to work under this policy.
The unit is also responsible for approving all requests for extended benefits. For FY 2003, there were 83 employees receiving extended benefits because of inmate assaults. The average length of time was 54 days.
Central Personnel
The Central Personnel Office serves as a critical support function for the department, providing management advice and counsel on a daily basis on various human resource issues and serving as technical experts at various arbitration and Civil Service Commission hearings. Staff maintains official personnel records for all IDOC employees processing all transactions that affect an employee’s personnel or payroll history throughout employment. The office maintains all job descriptions and coordinates agency reorganizations. It assists all employees with benefit issues, such as insurance coverage and retirement issues. The office provides training to all field staff in the areas of transactions, writing job descriptions and providing insurance coverage for employees.
The Central Personnel Office met many challenges in FY 2003. The Transactions Unit processed 46,082 transactions. Of this total number, office staff entered 9,666 transactions into the Central Management Services (CMS) computer system, in addition to its review for accuracy, approval, disapproval, logging and filing.
In addition to the daily transactions submitted to this office by all facilities, Personnel faced the challenge of layoffs, the closing of Sheridan Correctional Center, Paris Work Camp, Hanna City Work Camp, Greene County IIP, Joliet ATC, Winnebago ATC, Urbana ATC and Metro ATC. The agency initiated the process by sending a layoff proposal to CMS for approval to begin the notification of all involved. To activate and process a closing and layoff involves countless man-hours, intense meetings with management and AFSCME as well as personal one-on-one meetings with targeted layoff employees. During FY 2003, 685 layoffs were processed.
One of the governor’s new initiatives calls for the re-opening of Sheridan Correctional Center slated for FY 2004. Many employees who were laid off are being recalled. Other employment initiatives call for an emphasis on front line staff.
Policy and Directives
The Policy and Directive Unit is responsible for coordinating the review and development of rules, policies and forms as well as the historical maintenance of all department rules and policies developed or revised since 1982, forms developed and revised since 2001 and the distribution of rules, policies and forms.
Currently, the unit is responsible for more than 530 rules and policies and more than 220 new forms. All rules, policies and forms undergo an extensive review and approval process prior to being published. During this process, the unit relies upon recommendations and information from internal and external experts and input is solicited from legal, operational, administrative and executive branches of the department and many other resources.
In addition to internal rules and policies, the Policy and Directive Unit promulgates external rules that provide standards for municipal and county jails, juvenile detention centers, shelter care facilities and secure residential youth facilities. Much like the internal rules and policies, these standards undergo extensive internal and external reviews by affected entities as well as the statutory review process.
The Policy and Directive Unit drafted, revised or amended approximately 110 policies, two rules and 92 forms. As FY 2003 ended, multiple policies were in various stages of the review process.
School District 428
FY 2003 proved to be an outstanding and successful year for School District 428. This was indeed a remarkable accomplishment in spite of budget cuts and personnel shortages. From the school district’s administration and staff to every institution statewide, a concentrated effort was made to maximize all resources without reducing services in both the academic and vocational programs. This effort was realized in several areas as will be shown by the following FY 2003 statistics and success stories.
School District 428 was not spared when it came to the number of personnel vacancies in FY 2003. Due in large part by the state’s Early Retirement Incentive, the school district saw the number of vacancies double from 87 in FY 2002, to 176 in FY 2003. It has been difficult replacing these individuals, especially in the area of special education. Budget constraints also affected the school district’s staff development and annual training for FY 2003 as it had in FY 2002.
Three conferences were held, one for each geographical area. School district staff was instrumental in providing training sessions to meet the specific and unique training requirements required by school district personnel. In May 2003, the Illinois Correctional Education Contract Organization held its annual in-service meeting. During this in-service, items that had been created by offenders within Corrections were auctioned off to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. Community colleges donated all materials used in construction of the items that were auctioned at the in-service.
The school district revised the science curriculum during FY 2003. This updated curriculum is currently being printed and will be distributed to all facilities during training sessions. This completes the revisions for all School District 428 curriculums: GED, math, social studies, language arts, life skills and science. The curriculum revisions were implemented to coincide with the Illinois School Board of Education state learning standards.
The school district continues to use a pilot program designed to deal with inappropriate student behavior. The program, Positive Behavior Interventions and Support, began at Illinois Youth Center - Harrisburg in FY 2002. Officers, teachers and other support staff provide innovative ways of dealing with discipline problems using the Positive Behavior Interventions and Support program.
Another referral program, which was piloted by Illinois Youth Center - Chicago, was designed to transition students back into the Chicago public schools. This program was generated to all School District 428 youth centers statewide in January of FY 2003. The focus of this program was to aide the re-entry of Chicago public school students back into their community schools immediately upon release from the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Significant achievements for the school district in the Adult Division included the issuance of 1,367 GED certificates and 192 associate degrees. Special education services were delivered to 435 adult students. In addition, 28,879 inmates were awarded a total of 223,035 days of Earned Good Conduct Credit in FY 2003.
Achievements for the Juvenile Division included the issuance of 181 GED certificates, 41 high school diplomas, 241 eighth grade diplomas and seven vocational certificates. A total of 4,486 students were served with approximately 38 percent receiving special education services.
Staff Development and Training
The Office of Staff Development and Training (SD&T) is responsible for all pre-service and in-service training needs for the entire department. Headquartered at the Training Academy in Springfield, SD&T offered more than 7,000 hours of in-service training in FY 2003. Regional training facilities are in operation at John A. Logan College near Marion and in the education building of the former Joliet Correctional Center. The regionalization of pre-service training for non-security staff and most of the in-service programs have contributed greatly to the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of department operations. The elimination of travel time reduces overtime outlays and translates into fewer man-hours spent outside of short-staffed facilities.
Unlike military academies, IDOC’s Academy does not have cadet training as its sole mission. The absence of pre-service staff at the Academy did not result in a shutdown of operations. Instead, the state’s Early Retirement Incentive combined with normal attrition and demand for in-service training increased dramatically. SD&T responded by scheduling additional classes for prison fire safety officers and institutional investigators, adding roster management and overtime equalization training for new security supervisors and increasing offerings of technical programs such as bureau of identification and chemical agent instructor.
FY 2003 was the first year SD&T conducted cycle training for all parole agents statewide. The program, with a firearms element provided by the SORT Unit, was well received. Other initiatives included college credit toward an applied science associate’s degree for satisfactory completion of pre-service security and other Training Academy programs. This, along with a continuing initiative to offer facility cycle training’s CPR and first aid elements in cooperation with junior colleges, resulted in two partnership awards for the department.
SD&T’s flagship pre-service curricula was updated and enhanced in FY 2003, such as pre-service security training for cadets, pre-service orientation training for non-security staff and the six-week parole agent training program. Revisions to significant in-service programs included duty administrative officer training, hostage negotiations I, II, and III and personnel evaluations.
New programs developed and offered included the report writing clinic for employees experiencing difficulty with report writing and documentation skills and Department Rule 504 training for staff assigned to the administration of offender discipline and handling of offender grievances. Modules were added to employee cycle and orientation training to bring the department into compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). New programs for employee review hearing officers and publication review officers are in development.
Other behind-the-scene initiatives were undertaken in FY 2003 to improve communication with the field and to become more responsive to input from trainees. Participant evaluations for all programs are now subjected to review by SD&T managers. Valuable insight into how to adjust curricula to meet the needs of training participants is gained and put to good use. Training Credit Memoranda has been updated to accurately and concisely reflect the content of the programs and is being conveyed on a timely manner to the facility training coordinators for their records. The annual department training mandates list has been re-instituted. It provides training coordinators and internal audit teams with a comprehensive guide to IDOC’s pre-service, orientation, routine in-service and specialized in-service training requirements.
SD&T commissioned a training needs-assessment survey that was completed in the spring of 2003. It revealed a high level of satisfaction with IDOC training programs at the facility level, in the regions and at the Academy. Staff provided good ratings to the relevance, effectiveness and usefulness of the department’s training. SD&T will continue to support the mission of the IDOC by striving to improve the quality and diversity of its curricula.
