View from the top: Fixing Tamms supermax

Michael Randle was appointed in June by Gov. Patrick Quinn to be the new director of the Illinois Department of Corrections. Born in Chicago, he spent 19 years working in the Ohio prison system, where he started as a social worker, worked as a warden at several prisons and left as the deputy director. The News-Democrat interviewed him on June 17:

Q -- You were brought in and asked by Gov. Pat Quinn to pay special attention to the Tamms supermax prison.

A -- That is correct. One of his priorities for me as the new director was to take a comprehensive look at the operations at Tamms, make recommendations to him, based on my review, of anything that I felt that needed to be changed operationally at that facility.

Q -- Do you think that holding a person at Tamms for 10 or more years in solitary confinement is cruel, and does that lead to mental illness in your opinion?

A -- If I could preface that, I did my second day on the job about eight hours at Tamms. I walked every cell block, every housing unit, talked to the majority of the staff and the majority of the inmates. I spent the entire day there. And if I could I'd like to kind of put this in a framework for you. Let me first say that the staff at Tamms does a very professional job with a particular population that is the most difficult to deal with in corrections. They do it in a way that is professional and compassionate and they have a lot of interaction with those offenders. And I think that in some cases they are being portrayed by some as being something other than what they are. They are corrections professionals. They are doing a good job and they are compassionate people. I think that's important to say.

Q -- I think it's a legitimate point to separate the policy from the personnel.

A -- Exactly.

Q -- And I'm asking as far as the policy in place in your view, is it cruel to keep these guys in solitary confinement for more than 10 years?

A -- Now, a couple things. When you say "solitary confinement," Tamms currently has a level system where you are given out-of-cell time at specific levels. The first level is that most-restrictive level where you're in a cell 23 out of 24 hours and those sorts of things. I think the conditions in terms of how long you are there, I think there are some people at Tamms who, I am not comfortable with as the director of corrections responsible for the safety of staff and inmates at other prisons in this state, I am not comfortable at this point having those offenders out of Tamms. Now, having said that, it does not mean because they are at Tamms they have to be under the conditions that you just described. Lockdown restriction. And that's where there are opportunities for us to develop different approaches at Tamms. In terms of level systems and incorporating different types of activities at specific level systems that assure that these inmates have opportunities for more interaction as well as more frequent contacts with mental health staff and some of those others things. But it also insures that we are providing a safe environment for staff in our system as a whole.

Q -- Are the guys who are at Tamms, they've been called the worst of the worst. In your view, are those who wind up down in Tamms, the worst of the worst?

A -- I think people earn their way to Tamms through their behavior in other prisons. Now, whether or not, you know, when you say the worst of the worst, these guys have done something at some prison at some point in time that the staff viewed as a substantial risk to the safety or security of the facility that they were in. So, they represent a risk, is the quick answer to that.

Q -- We found that about two-thirds of the inmates at Tamms don't have any criminal convictions since coming into prison. When you're talking about a substantial risk, isn't there an onus on the corrections facility to press charges if there is some kind of substantial risk?

A -- I think a number of factors play into whether or not charges are actually filed because of behavior inside prisons. In a lot of cases, we don't have any control over it. No. 1, when criminal activity happens within a facility, in a lot of cases, those investigations are done by the State Police. In some cases, we have to refer to the prosecutor's office for charges, depending on the location in the state, the prosecutor, the prison. A whole set of circumstances play into whether or not charges are ultimately filed. We have internal administrative processes in terms of our disciplinary process that give us the ability to assess risk and classify offenders appropriately and transfer them to an appropriately secure facility. Those things happen regardless of whether or not charges ultimately are filed, whether or not a prosecutor accepts the case for prosecution.

Q -- Is it your opinion that mentally ill inmates should be held at Tamms?

A -- I think mentally ill offenders should be treated whether they're at Tamms or any other facility in the state. I have had an opportunity to look at the mental health unit at Tamms. I had a chance to talk to the mental health director at Tamms. I've had a chance to look at their procedures for making rounds in the housing units in the facility at Tamms. If you have the staff and resources to address their mental health issues, I'm not as much concerned as to where they are as I am making sure we have the appropriate level of mental health services available to them if they need it. And appropriate levels of staff who are trained in mental health so they can do the proper assessment to determine if a person is suffering as a result of mental health issues that we can address.

Q -- After your visit and review of the mental health system at Tamms, did you make any recommendations for the way things are handled?

A -- I only did an initial visit, talked with the folks I just described. We are still doing this assessment. I'm not done with the review. ... We're gathering information from counterparts in other states to look at their procedures and those sorts of things. And I'm also looking internally at our agency's policies to put together that review.

Q -- You have said that Tamms inmates earn their way into the prison. Is there any way they can earn their way out?

A -- Part of this review will involve, No. 1, looking at just that question. Is there a way for offenders to earn their way out? And, yes, there is. And No. 2, is that process, can it be improved or enhanced to insure that we give offenders the ability to demonstrate they have changed and that they can make it in a general population environment? I think there are things we can do while they're at Tamms to give offenders the ability to demonstrate that through our levels system. Yes, there are things we are going to continue to look at in terms of giving offenders an avenue to demonstrate the appropriate conduct to earn their way out of Tamms.

Q -- Would that include administrative reviews and hearings and things that don't currently seem to be in place?

A -- I think that's just part of it. Not only administrative reviews but also along-the-way assessments about progress. Offenders understanding what's expected of them. And some of these things actually go on now. I think, in a lot of cases, again, I think there's been some information that is not painting the right picture in terms of things that are going on. There are some things going on where offenders are being orientated and they understand the expectations. There are some things we can enhance.

Q -- Where Tamms is located, it's not geographically located where it's easy for people from Cook County to get down there for visits. So, why not phone calls? Why not education programs? Why not religious services?

A -- Those are all things that we are looking at in terms of potential incorporation into a levels systems, where inmates can demonstrate the appropriate behavior and earn those types of opportunities.

Q -- Again, to get back to you on this solitary confinement issue. Is that the best way to handle people who may have mental illness?

A -- I guess when you talk about solitary confinement, if we have mental health services available. I'll give you an example: Right now in Tamms they do group therapy for inmates that are on the mental health caseload. And that goes back to my earlier point. I think in some cases the descriptions that are being used to describe what's happening there are not necessarily accurate. There's no nice way to say it. A great example is the mental health. You're obviously not in solitary confinement if you're being given group therapy for mental illness.

Q -- Well, that's for the small amount of guys who are on the J-Pod. But there are a lot of guys who are in C-Max who actually are in solitary confinement. And there may be questions about their mental stability.

A -- I think we have to make sure they are assessed and if they need mental health treatment, then we should make arrangements for them to get mental health treatment.