A LOOK BACK AT 2006

In 2006, the safety of the Dixon Correctional Center was called into question by prison guards, citizens and local politicians after the May 11 attack on a prison psychologist by inmate John Spires. Spires, 51, convicted 20 years ago of raping four young girls, managed to force the psychologist into a closet, where he held her hostage for 25 hours, and sexually assaulted her. The prison went on complete lockdown for weeks afterward, and since the incident, Spires has been moved to the maximum security facility in Tamms. Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the prison workers' union, have said the attack was the product of poor staffing levels. They contend prisons across the state are insufficiently