Illinois Implements Two Laws To Require Gender-Specific Programming For Female Prisoners

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner passed two laws that require gender-specific programming for female prisoners and that mandate trainings for officers on how to better handle female prisoners. "Gender responsive" corrections is built on the idea that there are important differences between men and women in prison and that the rules governing prisons should reflect those differences. The laws come in response of a 2016 audit at Logan Correctional Center. The audit stated that corrections officers were given no training in the differences between handling male and female officers, reported a chaotic environment with overwhelmed staff, and that female prisoners . . .