SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Six local state legislators in southern Illinois are calling on the department of corrections to address the ongoing issue of drug overdoses in Illinois prisons.
Sen. Terri Bryant, Sen. Dale Fowler, Rep. David Friess, Rep. Dave Severin, Rep. Patrick Windhorst and Rep. Paul Jacobs signed a joint letter to the Illinois Department of Corrections on Monday that called for temporary changes to mail protocol, including the suspension of non-legal mail entering facilities until safety protocols are put into place.
Representatives say that “contaminated” mail has entered the prisons, and led to drugs like fentanyl and synthetic cannabinoids coming into contact with inmates, staff, officers and mailroom employees and making them sick.
“They’ve learned how to permeate the envelopes with drugs, and then the prisoners cut off a certain amount and do whatever they want to do with it,” Jacobs said. “They can smoke it. They can spread it on their spaghetti.”…