I have never been inside a jail, prison or penitentiary. My knowledge of those facilities range from the tiny cells seen on the old “Andy Griffin Show” to documentaries about Alcatraz. As far as I know, I don’t have any friends who have served time so I can’t even ask around what it is like being in the clinker. As much as a neophyte that I am about detention centers, I still think that it would be illegal if I were to visit a prisoner and bring in some sort of device to help them disable their cell door. Well, until January 1, 2011 certain tools are not illegal!
Governor Quinn signed Senate Bill 3503 last week. This new law prohibits people from bringing tools into prisons that are intended to help inmates evade security measures. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office has faced several recent incidents in which tools called poppers have been used by inmates attempting to escape from the county jail.
According to a speech the Governor gave last week, “The new bill expands the definition of ‘tool to defeat security mechanism" by adding ‘poppers’ to the list of examples and by expanding the definition to cover any item or device used to prevent a lock from locking. Poppers are defined in the law as any device that can be placed in a locking mechanism of a cell door to override or block the locking mechanism of a cell door allowing the inmate to exit the unlocked cell.
The previous version of this law defined ‘contraband’ within the context of the crime of bringing contraband into a penal institution. The definition of this term provided a broad description to include any “device or instrument capable of unlocking handcuff or security restrains, doors to sells, rooms, gates or other areas of the penal institution. "
I don’t understand why the state had to “expand the definition of tool to defeat security mechanism.” If a piece of bubble gum can be shoved into a security mechanism to disable it, then Wrigley products should be banned. Once a law starts listing specific products that aren’t allowed, prisoners and their visitors will come up with new ones that have not been listed in the law.
It should be real simple. If one gives a prisoner a device--no matter what the device is--that enables him to jam the security mechanism in his cell door, it is a crime! And why do we have to wait until January 2011 to implement the new law? It should be effective immediately! Just post some signs!
Quinn also signed Senate Bill 3546 last week which, according to Quinn, “requires railroad police to notify local law enforcement, including the county sheriff and the Illinois State Police when a rail shipment of firearms, explosives or other weapons are reported missing. Currently, railroad police conduct investigations of such thefts but do not take fingerprints left at the crime scene. The new law is aimed at helping law enforcement officials conduct more thorough investigations.”
What!!?? How can it be that the railroad police do not take fingerprints at the scene and they don’t notify local law enforcement when a gun shipment or explosives are stolen? Shouldn’t that be a part of the normal investigation of a crime? On every law drama I have ever seen on television they take fingerprints!
Again, this law does not take effect until January 1, 2011. So if one is planning on hijacking a gun shipment do it on December 31, 2010 and your fingerprints will be safe from scrutiny.
If these laws are as important as I think, they should be effective immediately and we should not have to wait until January 2011. But since there will be a new Governor in 2011, Quinn won't even get to see them become effective.
Oh, my blood is boiling! Not good for my high blood pressure! Ha! Ok, as always, you’re thinking logically and obviously our State government doesn’t. Anyone aiding and abetting a criminal is a criminal a/k/a an accomplice, no? And don’tcha think that ANYTHING being shipped/transported, be it by boats, planes, trains or automobiles, should be inventoried first at the beginning of its journey and again if there are multiple stops en-route, and then AGAIN at the end of the journey (like when a school teacher takes a head-count of students on a field-trip) to ensure all contents are legal and accounted for at the end of its shipping/transport journey prior to being placed into the hands of the legal, receiving end? Now, that’s not to say that even if the letter of the law is followed to a “T” on the shipping/transport side, that some idiot will do harm with such weapons or firearms after the fact…and you’re absolutely correct: WHY IN THE WORLD DO THESE NEW BILLS HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL JANUARY 2011 TO BE ENFORCED? What could possibly take so long for someone in the Governor’s office to stamp an “OK TO ENFORCE ASAP” notation on said documents?!?! Look here, I just did:
ReplyDeleteTHE PASSAGE OF SENATE BILL 3503 IS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY BY EXECUTIVE ORDER OF THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS DULY NOTED ON THE 29TH DAY OF JULY IN THE YEAR 2010. FAILURE TO IMPLEMENT AND ENFORCE THIS ORDER WILL BE SUBJECT TO SEVERE PENALTY. (for example purposes only)
THE PASSAGE OF SENATE BILL 3546 IS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY BY EXECUTIVE ORDER OF THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS DULY NOTED ON THE 29TH DAY OF JULY IN THE YEAR 2010. FAILURE TO IMPLEMENT AND ENFORCE THIS ORDER WILL BE SUBJECT TO SEVERE PENALTY. (for example purposes only)
Done! Now see, that wasn’t so hard…even with a disclaimer in small print!