IDOC chief: Training needed for working with women inmates

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - The Illinois Department of Corrections' director says staff at the major women's prison needs training on how to work with female inmates.

John Baldwin responded to a federally funded study of Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln released Friday that found women there are treated more harshly than men and end up spending more time behind bars than necessary.

Most women inmates were put together at Logan in a 2013 consolidation the report found "chaotic." In a statement Friday, Baldwin says poor planning by a former administration "was a setup for failure."

He says IDOC is adding training on effective communication with women inmates and dealing with those who are mentally ill.

The assessment by the National Resource Center on Justice Involved Women was conducted for IDOC.