Report: Illinois Inmates Wear Dirty, Old Underwear

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- A clothing shortage is forcing inmates in at least one Illinois prison to wear the same underwear several days in a row, causing a health and hygiene concern, a watchdog group said.

The John Howard Association found during a recent visit to the Taylorville Correctional Center that inmates wore dirty and badly worn clothes that were washed twice a week, The Bloomington Pantagraph newspaper reported for a story published Wednesday. The prison in central Illinois issues each inmate only two pairs of underwear, which means they must be worn multiple days without washing.

"The practice of administering used underwear that inmates must wear multiple days without washing raises serious hygiene concerns," a report issued by the group states. "(The Department of Corrections) must find a way to provide sufficient clothing for inmates."

"I think this is a problem system wide," said John Maki, who is director of the association. He said the underwear shortage is a symptom of larger problems such as overcrowding in the state's prisons.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections says officials are doing their best in difficult financial times. The state has a multibillion-dollar budget deficit.

"This issue is like many facing the state where budget constraints prevent us from being able to do mass uniform replacement," Stacey Solano said.

Inmates once were given a new set of clothes every six months. That no longer happens.

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Comments

[Mimi Robel]

02:12 AM on 07/18/2011

Idea I have had to alleviate prison crowding and also repeat offenses.Put people who have been arrested for non-violent crimes, to work in the farm fields that are currently hiring illegals. They would stay in the same accomodations that the other workers stay in but they would be required to wear an ankle monitor. Pay inmates what the illegals make, only put it into a bank account. Allow inmates an allowance but the rest goes into the account. If the inmate is the breadwinner in his or her household, the money could be used to supplement any government assistance that family may receive. If inmate is single the money would stay in the account until their release. When inmate is released they would have money to get a place to stay and perhaps start over fresh. Most inmates come out of prison with nothing, that is the major reason for repeat offenses which lands them back into a prison that is already over crowded. By having these people work on the farms the demand for cheap labor from illegals would be alleviated, lessening the influx of illegal immigrants. I would also have the ankle monitors made only in the USA, this would create jobs that we desperately need. I'm sure that people will disagree with my approach but I think it is a viable option that gives people a chance to build a new life. Common sense is something that is very lacking in our country today.

[Nelle]

12:25 PM on 07/05/2011

If I was in prison, I'd be more concerned with someone trying to take off my underwear, than the quality of the underwear itself!

[Wonder Woman2]

07:17 PM on 07/04/2011

This isn't any different then giving menstruating women 5 pads or tampons each month. Or giving each inmate 1 roll of TP per week. We treat them as animals and wonder why we don't get rehabilitated people. I have an idea - lets release all of those in jail for possession of 'drugs'. Would give us more money for the real criminals.

[Spleenz]

02:32 PM on 07/04/2011

I say just don't wear the underwear, go commando!

[SeanMartin]

09:26 PM on 06/30/2011

>> "Inmates once were given a new set of clothes every six months. That no longer happens."

Six months in the same clothes is quite a run. How long do they go now? A year? Till the rags fall off?

[Freedomaphile]

03:49 PM on 06/30/2011

when I was in the the basic training there were penalties for penalties for wearing the same underwear and sox. Guys wanted to because rolling them up just right and putting them in the drawer just right to pass inspection was hard to. We were told wearing underwear and socks and even wearing the same shoes is a health issue.

[KitCindy Johnston Davey]

12:52 AM on 06/30/2011

Please. Wash them in the sink or leave them on in the shower. It's jail not camp snoopy.

[Ty Treadwell]

11:02 PM on 06/29/2011

When I was researching my book, I discovered that inmates in Texas are only allowed to have one pair of socks at a time, and that they get in big trouble if they're caught with an extra pair! In other words, the warden has zero tolerance for "socks offenders."---Ty Treadwell, author of Last Suppers: famous Final Meals from Death Row http://lastsuppersbook.blogspot.com/

[Tami Patera Most]

08:11 PM on 06/29/2011

At least they don't have ball & chains on their feet like previous inmates. Worse things could be happening. Let them do the laundry more often. Don't spend our money on more underwear... Or, cut off the internet access and use that money. Or the cable. You get the idea.

[Wonder Woman2]

07:13 PM on 07/04/2011

You realize internet and cable aren't common in most prisons- and some prisons have it for better control of their inmates.

[SeonaidDivine]

08:06 PM on 06/29/2011

Oh. It's the underwear causing hygiene concerns. Gotcha. http://tinyurl.com/44uoura