State Senator Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro), a long-time advocate for correctional staff safety, issued the following statement after the Illinois Senate voted to confirm Latoya Hughes as Director of the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC):
“Today’s confirmation is a slap in the face to every correctional officer who has been sent to the hospital after being exposed to drugs inside our prisons, to every staff member who has pleaded for safer working conditions, and to every family that has lost faith in the leadership of this department.
“Under Director Hughes’ watch, IDOC has been defined by chaos and cover-ups, from multiple drug exposure incidents and hospitalizations to a blatant refusal to work with lawmakers and union leaders to fix the problems. Her department has stonewalled legislative oversight, blocked visits, and failed to implement common-sense safety measures.
“These failures haven’t just endangered staff, they’ve put inmates at risk as well. People have died under her leadership because the department has failed to maintain basic standards of care and safety. Every life lost is a direct result of an agency that refuses to take responsibility for its own dysfunction.
“Our correctional officers put their lives on the line every single day. They deserve a director who will fight for their safety, not one who hides from accountability. Director Hughes has lost the confidence of the men and women she is supposed to lead, and today’s vote will only deepen that divide.”
Senator Bryant has repeatedly raised alarms over the ongoing drug crisis and mismanagement within Illinois correctional facilities. In recent months, she toured multiple prisons where staff and inmates described dangerous conditions and a lack of basic safety protocols.
