State prison employees take to the picket lines to stop drug smuggling [Video]

LOGAN COUNTY (25News Now) – Employees at 27 state prisons staged protests Thursday demanding the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) switch to digital mail to help reduce the flow of drugs into the lockups.

Members of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) said drugs are entering the system through physical mail, putting workers and inmates in danger.

The Illinois River Correctional Center in Canton is one of the facilities facing this problem. Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln is another.

“About three weeks ago was the last exposure we had,” said AFSCME Local 2073 Vice President Eric McNamara. “That guy’s been Narcaned six times in 15 months.”

The IDOC is being asked to start providing outside mail to inmates using email or electronic scanning.

According to AFSCME Local 3585 President Nick Jones, some mail arrives with a liquid drug blend spread across the paper, and when it’s dry, you can’t see it with the naked eye.

State …