Former Illinois prison wardens have reservations about the state's handling of the inmate population.
The Department of Corrections moved up to 15 maximum-security inmates implicated in a prison fight two weeks ago to secure segregation cells at lower-level prisons. And Corrections said last week it is setting up temporary housing for minimum-security inmates in medium-security prison gymnasiums.
Gerardo Acevedo is a retired prison warden. He says it will be difficult to keep low-level and medium-security inmates separate in infirmaries, work assignments and religious services.
George Welborn says medium-security segregation units are secure. But guards at those prisons aren't used to handling hardcore maximum-level inmates housed there.
Welborn is retired after serving as warden at Tamms. Gov. Pat Quinn closed the high-security penitentiary to save money.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
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