DOC calls back 144 correctional officers
The Governor's Office recently approved the recall of
144 correctional officer positions currently on layoff status. Letters
have been mailed to employees notifying them of the recall. Some have
already returned to work, while the department awaits a response from
others. The recall is based on seniority and counties of choice by the
employees.
First death row inmate arrives at DOC since clearance
of death row
Death row inmate Anthony B. Mertz-R19480 entered Pontiac
Correctional Center's condemned unit Feb. 27. Mertz is the first convicted
person sentenced to death row following former Gov. George Ryan's commutation
of 167 death row inmates on Jan. 11. Ryan also pardoned four inmates
who were sentenced to death.
Mertz was moved to DOC one day after a Coles County jury
sentenced him for the murder of an Eastern Illinois University student.
He was processed at Stateville before being transported to Pontiac.
Pontiac currently will serve as DOC's only condemned unit
for male inmates. Prior to the commutation of death row inmates in January,
condemned male inmates were housed at Pontiac, Menard and Tamms Correctional
Centers, while condemned female inmates were housed at Dwight Correctional
Center.
Marsalek, Mahoney join the department as new chief
administrators
Diann Marsalek and Mark Mahoney recently joined DOC as
new chief administrators. Marsalek serves as chief legal counsel for
the agency's Legal Services Division. Mahoney serves as chief of the
Office of Intergovernmental Relations.
The Legal Services Division provides DOC administrators
with legal advice and counsel, coordinates legal services for the department
and its employees as well as meets other legal requirements in support
of the agency.
The Office of Intergovernmental Relations is a liaison
between the Governor's Office, the General Assembly and DOC. The office
oversees all legislative matters of interests to DOC by notifying
executive staff about newly introduced bills, arranging sponsorship
and passage of agency-proposed legislation and
working to amend or draft new legislation when needed.
Before joining the agency, Marsalek served with the Attorney
General's Office and represented DOC regarding numerous significant
legal cases.
Mahoney formerly served on the program staff for the Illinois
House of Representatives.
Warden Scott retires, joins the more than 2,000 employees
taking ERI
Augustus Scott, warden of Lincoln Correctional Center,
retired Feb. 28, after 27 years of service.
Scott was named warden at Lincoln Correctional Center
in 1991 and was in charge of its conversion from a minimum-security
male prison to a medium-security women's prison in October 2000.
Scott joined DOC in 1976 as a corrections resident counselor
at Winnebago Community Correctional Center. He later served as a criminal
justice specialist and an executive I in the General Office, an administrative
assistant at Illinois Youth Center-St. Charles, unit superintendent
at Pontiac Correctional Center and assistant warden for programs at
Danville Correctional Center.
Scott earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Knox
College in 1974 and a master of public administration degree from Northern
Illinois University granted in 1976.
Scott is one of the more than 2,000 DOC employees who
have taken advantage of the Early Retirement Incentive. Through ERI
and the hiring freeze, the agency is down some 3,000 employees compared
to a year ago last January.
DOC exceeds SECA Campaign goal, raises more than $350,000
DOC surpassed its SECA (State and University Employees
Combined Appeal) Campaign goal of $326,000. Danielle Jones, administrative
assistant I in Administrative Services, served as the overall agency
coordinator for the campaign.
Despite the large number of early retirements and the
state of the national economy, DOC's outstanding participation can be
attributed to the diligent efforts of department coordinators and employees
who generously contributed.
The annual SECA drive allows employees to voluntarily
contribute to one or more participating charities that provide health
and human services to thousands of people in Illinois. Employees can
contribute through either payroll deduction or by giving a one-time
donation.
Geoff Bloom, workplace giving campaign representative,
and Kate Sagehorn, public sector coordinator, both from the American
Cancer Society, presented DOC with a special commendation in appreciation
for its support and participation with the employee workplace giving
campaign.
In Memoriam
Gregory Miller, 34, correctional officer at Pittsfield
Work Camp, died Feb. 8, 2003. He joined DOC in 1996 as a correctional
officer trainee at Jacksonville Correctional Center.
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DOC Statistics as of March 2, 2003
Population of Adult Institutions
41,626
Population of Adult Transition Centers
1,332
Women's and Children's Program
12
Total Adult Population
43,003
Total Juvenile In-Residence Population
1,575
Total Inmates and Youth
44,578
Adult Parole
33,980
Juvenile Parole
1,833
Total Parole
35,813
Total DOC Employees (General Revenue Fund Payroll)
(1/31/03)
13,610
Total Facilities
50
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