Pantagraph.com Weather forecast, local radar and more
Pantagraph EditorialSunday, May 18, 2008 12:04 AM CDT
Comments Comments (2) | E-mail this page E-mail this page | Print this page Print this page | Enlarge type Enlarge type | Reduce type Reduce type | Search archives Search archives | RSS RSS feeds | Add to My Yahoo! Add to My Yahoo!
Complete study, plan needed before closing prisons
By the Pantagraph Editorial Board
Advertisement

We support a moratorium on closing prisons until a comprehensive plan is developed to determine which prisons - if any - should be closed.

The plan must show how it can be done to ensure that Illinois taxpayers save money without compromising their safety or the safety of the people who work in the prisons as well as those serving time.

We would say this even if Pontiac Correctional Center were not targeted for closure by Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

With the state's prisons at 135 percent of capacity, the state should be looking at opening the already-completed, but nearly vacant prison in Thomson without closing Pontiac or another facility.

According to the Illinois Department of Corrections Web site, Pontiac's capacity is 1,068, while its average daily population is 1,660.

Stateville Correctional Center, which was targeted for closure before the governor suddenly shifted his sights to Pontiac, has a rated capacity of 1,506 and an average daily population of 2,773.

The story is similar across the state

Danville, capacity, 896; population, 1,845.

Dwight, capacity, 858; population, 1,039.

Lincoln, capacity, 500; population, 885.

Logan, capacity, 1,050; population, 1,903.

Menard, capacity, 1,933; population, 3,315.

See for yourself by going to www.idoc.state.il.us and clicking on the "facilities" and checking out these and other prisons statewide.

Under the proposal backed by state Sen. Dan Rutherford, R-Chenoa; Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont, and others, current prisons would be studied by a Corrections Facilities Panel made up of four lawmakers, two correctional facility employees, two representatives of outside organizations knowledgeable about prisons and the director of the Department of Corrections. The panel's recommendations would be due by Sept. 1, 2009.

Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson has signed on as a co-sponsor. She needs to take a more vocal role, particularly in getting fellow Democrats on board.

Aides to the governor rejected the idea, claiming it could hurt efforts to cut costs.

However, the estimated $5 million that the governor's office claims could be saved by closing Pontiac, while significant, pales in comparison to the budget as a whole.

Furthermore, we suspect when related costs are factored in such as the economic impact of a prison closure, including unemployment compensation, the "savings" wouldn't be so high, particularly in the short run.

It is better to do this right than to do it fast.

Video stories
Most commented stories
Community calendar
Browse online archives
Recent issues:
Reader comments on this story - 2 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

newdays wrote on May 18, 2008 12:02 PM:

" I also looked at the comptrollers page for Illinois. It shows an annual payment each year to Cook County for prison expense. The amount is $9,000,000. I do not know what service is provided for this money. I do believe that as tax payers we have a right to know... "

newdays wrote on May 18, 2008 9:22 AM:

" Illinois houses over 1000 DOC inmates in the Chicago Jail System. Illinois is paying for this housing of inmates. WHY? We have Thomson sitting there empty. Put those dollars @ over $30,000 per inmate, paid to chicago to work back into the State of Illinois budget and open up Thomson. Put people to work from the Thomson area. What the world is the State of Illinois doing with our dollars. Why should the citizens of Illinois be paying money to Chicago? "
Add your own comments

Please read the rules before posting comments.

You must be logged in to leave comments.
If you don't have a member ID, please register.

*Member ID:
*Password:
Remember login?
(requires cookies)
  Forgot Your Password?
 
Lee Enterprises Customer Service | 301 W. Washington St., PO Box 2907, Bloomington, IL 61701-2907 | Ph. 309-829-9000 | 800-747-7323
Copyright © 2008, Pantagraph Publishing Co. and Lee Enterprises. All rights reserved. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy