Sangamon Sun

Illinois state Sen. Steve McClure (R-Springfield) has spoken out about an incident in early January at Graham Correctional Facility.

"Today I sent a letter to the IDOC Director requesting information on the Graham Correctional Center incident," the senator said in a Jan. 30 Facebook post. "I look forward to getting answers and touring the facility with my colleagues soon."

The incident occurred on Jan. 18, when 18 staff members of John A. Graham went to local hospitals after interacting with inmates who were experiencing severe discomfort, WTOK reported.

Department of Corrections spokesperson Naomi Puzzello said that the Illinois State Police hazardous materials team was involved in the investigation. Staff members who were affected were responding to a “medical incident" involving individuals in custody who appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance.

"All staff members who may have potentially encountered the unknown substance were also sent to a local hospital, as a precaution," Puzzello told WTOK. "All staff are stable currently and many have already been discharged.”

The materials tested by the Illinois State Police did not turn out to be narcotics or hazardous materials, a WLS report said. The Illinois State Police will conduct additional testing on clothing.

Graham Correctional Center, which opened in 1980, is a medium security facility for adult male inmates; WTOK said. The maximum capacity of the center is 1,596; there are approximately 1,328 inmates currently there.

McClure was first elected to represent the 50th Senate District in 2018 and began in the Senate in 2019, the General Assembly website said. Due to redistricting, he now represents the 54th Senate District. He is a former prosecutor who was chief of the Juvenile Division and later served in the Felony Division of the Sangamon County State's Attorney's Office in Springfield.