The head of the state prison in Springfield will immediately return to his job after an internal investigation did not substantiate any claims of misconduct.
Mike Lyon, superintendent of Southern State Correctional Facility, was put on paid leave last month while the Department of Human Resources looked into allegations of misconduct.
In a press release Monday, DOC said the independent review of witness accounts and documents did not support the claim of misconduct.
“Our Department treats allegations of misconduct with the utmost seriousness, which is why we immediately refer these claims for independent external review,” said DOC Commissioner Nick Deml in a written statement. “In this case, clear and robust evidence quickly showed the allegation to be unfounded. I am pleased to welcome Superintendent Mike Lyon back to Springfield and have complete faith in his leadership and integrity.”
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The department has not released any details about the alleged conduct but the department did say it is not related to any of the recent deaths at the prison.
There have been six deaths this year at Southern State Correctional Facility. There’s been an overall uptick in prison deaths in recent years. In 2022, nine people died in state prisons. That's compared to the span between 2017 and 2021 when the DOC reported 15 deaths total at state prisons. According to death certificates, most of the people in 2022 died from natural causes.
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