‘Society doesn't get to see this’

Written by Malik Abdul Muhammad, a member of the CTJC community and recent graduate from Northwestern Prison Education Project currently incarcerated in Stateville.

THE CLOSURE OF STATEVILLE

Stateville is a notorious prison that contains the most infamous untold stories, now it’s one of the most costly prisons to keep open. Prisoners at Stateville are no longer a danger to society. There has been a shift in consciousness in finding a solution to help prisoners to make the right choice. 

Stateville has invested in so many educational programs that it offers the first graduates from various schools to receive degrees: North Park University Master’s Degree; Northwestern University Bachelor’s Degree, DePaul University (credit courses); Northeastern University BA degree; A Barber Shop School(License), and other educational programs for enrichment purposes. However, individuals in custody’s dreams are being postponed from earning a degree while inside, because of the significant challenges that Stateville faces that disrupt and interrupt classes.

Earlier this year Governor JB Prtizker announced the closure of Stateville Correctional Center. IDOC staff as a whole, security and non-security, feel blindsided by the recent decision to close Stateville. Since then there have been a lot of financial constraints that have led to deplorable conditions here at Stateville. Conditions were bad already, but now it has gotten worse. This has led to several delays in closing Stateville, and it has forced individuals in custody to become pawns in this political game of tug and war, resulting in staff shortages, safety concerns and significant challenges to the universities who offer degrees here. Classes are being disrupted because of staff shortages.

“It has forced individuals in custody to become pawns in this political game of tug and war”

THE CONDITIONS

Individuals in custody are living in subpar living conditions, while receiving a substandard level of care and medical treatment. Stateville is a very complex place. It used to house thousands of prisoners, but now, it only houses about four hundred. It’s a facility that’s closer to Chicago, allowing a better connection with family and friends on the outside. It has one of the biggest minority staff in the state of Illinois. However, it also has the oldest built housing units that aren’t equipped to combat the recent climate changes. Housing units are suffering from infrastructure problems, and prisoners are being forced to bathe, prepare food, cook and drink unsafe water! 

Yards are being canceled, and we are forced inside of a cell to live out our remaining days like an animal, even after we have been rehabilitated. Most prisoners at Stateville have a bachelor degree and master degree, if not a barber license. They are some of the many prisoners who don’t have a bad disciplinary record, and yet, they are still in prison well after it’s clear they have been rehabilitated. Their daily lives that will showcase their rehabilitation are, by design, hidden from the public.

Prison is a traumatic experience, but it can be made worse by poor conditions like the ones that exist here at Stateville. The illnesses that people experience at Stateville are very traumatic to witness. There are prisoners being pushed to school buildings in wheelchairs and on crutches with colostomy bags on. 

Society doesn't get to see this, or see the long lines of sick prisoners whose medical conditions are made worse by being here.

A RECENT TRAGEDY

There were 7 straight days of 100° before June 19th, the day Mr. Broadway's death could have been prevented.

Michael Broadway (right) during class while in the Northwestern Prison Education Project.

Mr. Broadway had asthma, but it was made worse by the mold, lead and extreme heat seeping into his airways causing irreversible damage throughout his entire central nervous system, affecting the way he breathes. Mr. Broadway suffered from many different systems’ neglect over the years. 

Those of us in Stateville are still being injured by this constant dehumanizing abuse to save a dollar. Wexford, the medical company contracted by IDOC, is to blame as well. They are so far out of compliance, and their medical devices are broken. It’s a slap in the face, because nothing is being done to prevent another Broadway.

“Nothing is being done to prevent another Broadway”

Now, we are just praying that there will not be another heat wave that sweeps through here, because we are defenseless against it. If a dog were living like this, PETA would file a suit.

CONCLUSION

Back in the day education opportunities were removed from prisons. So, it was so easy for politicians to say, “This person isn’t rehabilitated, don’t let them go!” Now, you have people in prison returning home with degrees. What is the excuse now? Individuals in prison are now well past their rehabilitation potential. They are now victims of state sanctioned violence. So, it begs the question who are the real criminals?

“Prison is a traumatic experience, but it can be made worse by poor conditions like the ones that exist here at Stateville”

Imprisonment doesn’t just deprive you of the comforts of freedom, it siphons away your rights to be treated and seen as a human. Blacks and Latino imprisonment is much different than white imprisonment. Blacks and Latinos live in extreme concentrations of disadvantages, while whites have better resourced schools, live in safer neighborhoods and are treated with more dignity and respect by law enforcement and criminal court systems. Compare to: Blacks and Latinos who are more likely to be poor, uneducated and unemployed, as well as, in poor health when they enter prisons, which places them at a more disadvantage upon release and add to their hardship while they are still in prison; no family to send them money for commissary, no money to afford a lawyer to get out of prison and the criminal debt keeps adding up. Their debt to society will never get paid, because their life is constantly being diminished while they are in prison.

There are 18,000 empty cells throughout IDOC, why not close more facilities, and what’s the delay to close Stateville?

Malik Abdul Muhammad has been wrongfully convicted for over 20 years. He is one of the youngest Chicago torture survivors. Stay updated on Malik’s story here.