Joliet Prisons

Home

The man who tried to break into
the old prison as well as out of it

Gallows waiting for him

Cost of catching 6 Joliet escapees set at $153,099

By RAY SERATI
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE

The cost of recapturing six inmates who sawed their way out of Joliet Correctional Center earlier this year has hit $153,099. The six inmates, termed dangerous by the Department of Corrections, on Feb. 11 sawed through their cell bars and then squeezed through a window and fled the maximum-security facility. The hunt for the inmates went nationwide.

The last inmate to be taken back into custody was David Rodriquez, 21, a convicted murder. The only escapee to leave the state, Rodriquez turned himself in to police in Phoenix, Ariz., on March 3.

Seven employees of the facility have been disciplined; five of them were dismissed. The escapees have pleaded guilty to escape charges and have been given four additional years to their current sentences. The highest cost in connection with the escape was $93,850 in overtime, according to a DOC report.

The figures do not include "straight time pay" for employees, said DOC spokesman Nic Howell, because employees would be paid for doing what they normally do during the working day.

However, the report does show that some of the overtime pay will be taken in as compensatory time off instead of pay. The overtime cost that will be deferred will be $22,659.