MENARD WARDEN OUSTED

BY BECKY MALKOVICH
THE SOUTHERN
[Tue May 18 2004]

CHESTER -- A shake-up at Menard Correctional Center has resulted in the ouster of one warden and the transfer of another.

Warden Eugene McAdory Jr. was terminated effective Saturday, said Sergio Molina, Illinois Department of Corrections spokesman. McAdory will be replaced by Charles L. Hinsley, who has been warden at Tamms Correctional Center since Dec. 1, 2002.

Molina gave no reason for the termination, and said only that, as an at-will employee, McAdory "serves at the pleasure of the governor and the (IDOC) director."

McAdory was named Menard warden on Jan. 1, 2003. He started with the Corrections Department in August 1980 as a youth supervisor at the Illinois Youth Center in St. Charles.

Since then, he has worked at a number of prisons, including Danville, Pontiac and Joliet. He holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Aurora University.

His tenure at Menard has been tumultuous, however, with two lawsuits alleging misconduct by staff.

A lawsuit filed in March by a dozen female correctional officers alleges sexual harassment on the job by other staff members as well as retaliation for reporting the harassment at both Menard and Tamms. The incidents allegedly occurred over a long period of time and started before McAdory's tenure.

Another lawsuit was filed earlier this month alleging neglect and abuse at Menard under McAdory's watch. The suit, filed on behalf of the family of inmate Charles Platcher, alleges staff at Menard, wearing winter coats, hats and gloves -- and drinking hot beverages to keep warm -- ignored Platcher's deteriorating medical condition on Christmas Day 2003 and allowed him to freeze to death.

Platcher, a coroner's jury ruled, died an accidental death caused by hypothermia. The family recently filed a motion to voluntarily dismiss the suit in Cook County, but filed a similar lawsuit in Peoria County on May 3. That lawsuit is still active, according to a spokeswoman from the Peoria County circuit clerk's office.

Platcher's aunt, Barbara V. Dooley, is not a party in the lawsuit, but has led the call for answers in her nephew's death. Although Molina would not confirm that Platcher's death had anything to do with McAdory's termination, Dooley believes it did.

"(His firing) is a step in the right direction, but there are other people guilty in the death of Charles Platcher. There are people that just let him die," Dooley said. "Of course, responsibility for his death ultimately goes to the warden and beyond."

McAdory could not be reached for comment.

Hinsley will assume his new duties June 1. Before he became warden at Tamms, he had been the correctional center's assistant warden for programs since July 1, 2000.

He joined the department in August 1985 as a correctional counselor at Shawnee Correctional Center at Vienna. He was promoted to casework supervisor at Vienna Correctional Center in October 1990.

He was named unit superintendent at Menard in January 1993 and was promoted to assistant warden of programs in January 1994. He became assistant warden for operations at Tamms in October 1997.

Hinsley received a bachelor's degree cum laude from Winston-Salem State University in 1982 and a master's in special education from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 1991.

Alan Uchtman will serve as acting warden until Hinsley takes over at Menard.

becky.malkovich@thesouthern.com 618-997-3356 x15812




This story viewable online at: http://www.thesouthern.com/rednews/2004/05/19/build/top/TOP003.html

Thanks to Lizzie for telling me how to copy and paste, etc.

Rose

Well, from what I hear abot Tamms, I am not too hopeful about things improving. However, with one man being removed due to charges of neglect, the pressure will certainly be on for the time being.

Rose your welcome!!!! :)

So what do we know about this new guy??? Anyone got the goods on him?

No, unless someone knows him from Tamms. As it says he's been at Menard before I expect some of the guys will know him. I guess we won't know until we hear from them. Surely he's got to be an improvement and it looks as it they mean to clean up Menard. Let's hope the new broom sweeps clean where all the bad staff are concerned.

Rose

Rose

Well, might as well speculate about what things will be like with the new warden. You have to wonder why he would move from Warden of a Super Max to Warden of a Max... maybe they just move 'em around at will. Maybe he wasn't tought enough for Tamms... OR, maybe they figure Menard could use toughening up. That would suck, to turn Menard into a mini-Super Max. I hope the visiting policy doesn't change for the worse -- like no contact visits. I hate to be a pessimist, but I don't think this is good news.

Im not liking the sounds of that! And the way things are going I wouldent put it past them. well hell!

And I thought I was the only pessimist here!! But, still, if we think the worst and he's not as bad as that then, it's a nice surprise

Rose

Well I hope it means something positive as I have a pen pal from that place that sounds like a nightmare!

Another angle on the same story. It's interesting to note he's only ever been Assistant Warden at one place!!!!!!!1

Troubled prison's warden loses job
Death of inmates probed at Menard
Advertisement


By Jeff Long
Tribune staff reporter

May 20, 2004

The state has fired the warden of a Downstate prison where two inmates from the northwest suburbs died recently under suspicious circumstances, a spokesman said Wednesday.

The dismissal of Menard Correctional Center Warden Eugene McAdory Jr. took effect Saturday, said Illinois Department of Corrections spokesman Sergio Molina.

It comes amid investigations of two deaths at Menard and allegations by female guards of sexual harassment by co-workers, although officials would not say whether McAdory's firing is related.

"Right now is not the appropriate time for me to comment," McAdory, 44, said when reached by phone Wednesday afternoon. "I just need a couple of days to regroup. I have to be right in what I say and how I say it. There's a great deal at stake here."

McAdory's replacement will be Charles Hinsley, 46, warden of the Downstate Tamms Correctional Center since December 2002. He will take over at Menard on June 1, Molina said.

The Randolph County state's attorney is investigating the death of a Menard inmate from Arlington Heights, Joshua Daczewitz, who was strangled by another inmate in February, authorities said. No charges have been filed.

Another inmate, Charles Platcher of McHenry County, died in December of hypothermia. A Randolph County coroner's inquest ruled the death accidental. The county prosecutor's office said Wednesday that that case also is under investigation.

In March, 12 female guards, based mostly at Menard, filed a lawsuit in federal court saying co-workers at Menard and two other state prisons sexually harassed them. The allegations date to 2000, before McAdory took over at Menard.

Molina said Wednesday that the Corrections Department's investigation of the Platcher case is complete, although he did not rule out the possibility of more disciplinary action.

So far, a prison nurse has been fired and two other department employees have been disciplined in the wake of Platcher's death.

State officials told the coroner's jury that two heat valves were defective in the third floor of the prison's medical unit, where Platcher was being held in solitary confinement.

In April, Platcher's father and brother filed a $1 million lawsuit against the department and Health Professionals Ltd. of Peoria, which handled health care at the prison at the time of Platcher's death.

The suit says prison staffers wore winter clothing and drank hot beverages to keep warm while Platcher, 31, wore only a hospital gown in his bare cell.

It also alleges that Platcher, who was serving a 40-year sentence for stabbing his mother to death in 2001, had been beaten by prison staff members and a sock had been stuffed into his mouth for complaining.

Originally filed in Cook County, the lawsuit has been transferred to Peoria County, the family's lawyer said Wednesday.

Platcher's father, John, said Wednesday that McAdory's firing caught him by surprise. Although he said the department has been slow to respond to all of his questions about his son's death, he said McAdory seemed among the few willing to help.

"I think they're just making this warden a scapegoat," John Platcher said. "I talked to this warden four different times, and I felt compassion from him. He's the man who told me he would get to the bottom of this, that he would find out what happened."

Said McAdory: "I appreciate his comments. He really has been grateful."

McAdory was notified that "his services were no longer required" in the middle of last week, Molina said.

Molina would not say why department Director Roger Walker fired McAdory, who began his career with the department as a supervisor at the Illinois Youth Center in St. Charles. He became warden at Menard on Jan. 1, 2003.

McAdory became a lieutenant at Danville Correctional Center in August 1985, a captain at Pontiac Correctional Center in July 1987, chief of security at Pontiac in March 1990 and chief of security at Joliet Correctional Center in September 1991, Molina said.

In February 2001, Molina said, McAdory was demoted from assistant warden at Menard and transferred to Lawrence Correctional Center in Downstate Sumner as a captain. Molina would not explain the demotion.

But by December 2002, McAdory had been promoted again to assistant warden at Southwestern Correctional Center in East St. Louis before becoming Menard's warden.


Copyright © 2004, Chicago Tribune



Rose

Personally, I don't see the point in "speculating". It won't do anyone any good, but cause a bunch of worry and stress.......and for what? I say just sit tight and wait. Or make some calls. But sitting idle and just thinking the worst will not do anyone any good.

Yes that's true. Thinking positive, maybe he'll serve them all ice cream in the afternoon and give us unlimited visits. And hey -- as long as we're thinking "positive" why not hope for conjugal visits as well?

I needed that good laugh. Things haven't been too good the last couple of days but this has cheered me up!!


Rose

Ha Ha Jims...........I don't know that I 'd go quite that far. You dont' have to be positive to that extreme ( I know you were only kidding). Just don't get yourself down.

hey... it could happen!! HA!! :D We can always dream.... ;)

I tried to fish with a friendly CO walking me over to N2.... I got nothing... ;) Maybe she really doesn't know much about him... but more likely, she just wasn't gon' give up that kind of info to me....
I agree you really can't do anything but wait and see...

did someone say conjugal visits? where do I sign the petition? It would be fun to do for IL prisons just to rock the boat a little. Maybe add something funny like ice cream sundae's on Sunday. or something serious like raising state pay! The men would have good laugh!

I write someone at Tamms. This warden was pretty good as far as I know. He seemed like a decent guy. I hope he goes back to Tamms when everything is calmed down

Thanks for the info-Im curious as to how it will work out.

Susan, thanks for confirming what we thought. Sorry, you can't have him back, we need him back at Menard. He's already ruffled a few feathers.

Rose