Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Undies in a bunch: Illinois prisoners forced to wear same underwear for days

The Bloomington Pantagraph is reporting that Illinois' budget problems are forcing the prisoners at least one correctional facility to go for days without changing their underwear

Inmates in at least one state prison are being forced to wear the same used underwear for several days in a row because of a clothing shortage.

The situation, says a prison watchdog group, is not only icky, but could potentially lead to illness. And it isn't limited to just one facility.

In a recent report, the John Howard Association says a visit to the Taylorville Correctional Center found inmates wearing dirty, threadbare clothes that are only being washed twice a week.

Since the minimum-security prison only issues two pairs of boxer shorts to inmates, that means they must wear them for at least half of the week. Or, the group suggests, some inmates could decide to forgo wearing underwear altogether.
Illinois' massive debt was partially built-up by convicted felon and former governor Rod Blagojevich. But Blago won't be headed to Taylorville or any other state prison--he was convicted in a federal court.

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