News & Commentary

We applaud the announcement by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, regarding the closure of the “super max” prison facility at Tamms.  Since its opening in 1995, Tamms has been an enormous burden to Illinois taxpayers and done irreparable harm to detainees by its use of long-term solitary confinement without any human contact. The best estimates are that housing an Illinois prisoner at Tamms costs three times more than the average of other correctional facilities in Illinois.  It is little wonder that the Governor has decided to shutter the facility.Tamms also has become a symbol for harsh treatment because of the use of long-term solitary confinement.  Some detainees at the facility were held in these conditions for up to a decade – causing profound and irreparable harm that has been criticized by human rights groups, legal experts and a federal judge.  We hope that the closure of Tamms will cause the Illinois Department of Corrections to re-think their use of solitary confinement in all state facilities.  Other states have reduced their reliance on solitary confinement without any increase in the rates of recidivism of prisoners or violent crime.

The Chicago Tribune did a story about former ACLU of Illinois client Doug Ferguson and his experience being a gay Eagle Scout in light of a recent statement from a Boy Scouts of America board member urging them to revise their ban on gay scouts. In the 90's the ACLU of Illinois challenged, in a series of court actions, Boy Scout youth programs that excluded both participants and potential employees on the basis of their sexual orientation and religious beliefs.