Illinois state lawmakers are joining legal experts, clergy and mental health officials in pressing Gov. Pat Quinn to address what they call a human rights crisis at the state’s only supermax prison, reports the Associated Press. The group has sent a letter to the governor, urging him to intervene in the operation of the Tamms Correctional Center. Critics say some inmates have been held in solitary confinement there for more than 10 years.
The letter asks Quinn to sign an executive order that stops the placement of mentally ill prisoners at Tamms, bans long-term solitary confinement unless an inmate is deemed a threat and sets up oversight. The state’s new corrections chief, Michael Randle, is reviewing Tamms’ policies at Quinn’s request.