SPRINGFIELD - The state has paid a consultant more than $411,000 since last year to study what kinds of upgrades need to be made to Illinois prisons.

But, officials say they have no plans to use the results of the study in their attempt to close Pontiac Correctional Center as part of a controversial cost-cutting maneuver.

The reason: Even though the study was supposed to be done a year ago, officials haven't publicly released it, saying it is still undergoing revisions.

And, given the state's financial situation, a top aide to Illinois Department of Corrections chief Roger Walker says the agency can't wait for the final draft of the study while officials look for ways to save money.

"There are immediate issues we can't ignore," said Sergio Molina, executive assistant to Walker.

That stance has raised eyebrows among opponents of the plan to close the maximum-security prison in Pontiac.

The study, for example, could provide a blueprint to the department showing that other prisons should be closed, upgraded or converted into alternative uses.

State Sen. Dan Rutherford, R-Chenoa, has been urging the department to slow down and create a long-term plan for the state's prisons.

"It just seems to me it would be a benefit to have this study," Rutherford said. "It makes sense that you wait and see what it has to say."

In May, Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced plans to shutter Pontiac and move inmates to a newer, mostly unused prison in Thomson, north of the Quad-Cities.

The proposal, which officials claim will save taxpayers $4 million, will be the subject of a legislative hearing on Aug. 12 at Pontiac Township High School. A panel of lawmakers will eventually vote to support or oppose the governor's move.

A coalition of business and government leaders in Pontiac is rallying to save the prison, arguing its closure would devastate the region. Thomson-area officials are pushing for its opening, saying it will bring major economic development to the largely rural area.

In May 2007, the state hired the Peoria-based engineering firm of PSA Dewberry to spend the next four months analyzing the prison system at a cost of $456,125.

Among items to be studied was the condition of the state's older prison facilities, including prisons in Pontiac, Chester, Stateville and Dwight.

Molina said the study was supposed to show what it might cost to keep the older prisons operational. It also would offer a roadmap for maintaining newer prisons.

In addition, the study was supposed to offer some insight on how the state might deal with an aging inmate population, he said.

But, Molina said the final draft has not been approved because the consultants didn't take into account the possibility that new initiatives aimed at keeping felons from returning to prison might affect inmate population figures.

"There was no mention of those at all," Molina said.

Repeated requests to view the study have been denied. Molina could not say Tuesday when it will be completed and released.