State Senators Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg), Sally Turner (R-Beason), and Don DeWitte (R-St. Charles) issued the following joint statement after the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules accepted permanent rules regarding mail procedures in Illinois Department of Corrections facilities:

“As members of JCAR, we are pleased to see steps finally taken to curb the flow of illicit drugs into our correctional facilities.

“For far too long, the Department has allowed preventable drug exposure incidents to endanger the health and safety of correctional officers and inmates. We have repeatedly called on IDOC and the Pritzker Administration to take action and implement meaningful safeguards to protect those who live and work in these facilities.

“With these rules now in place, we hope IDOC leadership follows through on their pledge by fully implementing the mail-scanning protocols outlined in the regulations.”