Pontiac prison pegged for closure; prisoners to be transferred to Thomson

By Kurt Erickson | Monday, May 05, 2008

SPRINGFIELD — For the second time since Gov. Rod Blagojevich took office, plans are under way to close Pontiac Correctional Center.

The decision to shutter the maximum-security prison came as part of a deal to not close a similar prison facility near Joliet.

The latest version of the plan calls for closing Pontiac by February and transferring inmates to an unused maximum-security prison in Thomson.

Pontiac officials vowed to fight the plan.

“I cannot believe these guys,” said state Sen. Dan Rutherford, R-Chenoa, who said it makes no sense to close Pontiac when there is overcrowding within the state’s prison system.

“It’s an appropriate, functional facility,” Rutherford said.

Thomson was completed in 2001 to ease overcrowding, but it never opened because of state budget problems. A small portion of the prison is currently operating for minimum-security inmates.

If the proposal goes through, it would house 1,600 inmates by the 2010 fiscal year, while employing about 610 workers.

The plan to close Pontiac and open Thomson is noted in a letter sent Friday from Illinois Department of Corrections Director Roger Walker to state Sen. A.J. Wilhelmi, D-Joliet.

Wilhelmi was among those fighting to stop the proposed closure of a portion of the Stateville Correctional Center.

If Pontiac is closed, it would affect 1,650 inmates at 551 employees.

Some workers, but not all, will be able to transfer to jobs at other prisons in the region, top Walker aide Sergio Molina said Monday.

“We would obviously work closely with the union,” Molina said today.

The prison in Pontiac, which was built in 1871, was pegged for closure in Blagojevich’s first term. But, lawmakers worked to put the brakes on that plan, as well as one to close a prison in Vandalia.

While corrections officials said closing Stateville would have saved a projected $31 million, Molina said closing Pontiac and opening Thomson will save $4 million to $5 million annually.

The proposal to close Pontiac is not a done deal. The General Assembly will first hold hearings on the plan. And lawmakers could budget enough money to keep the facility open.

“We’ll follow the letter of the law. We’ll make a very impactful case that this will be very harmful to the economy,” Rutherford said.

Kurt Erickson can be contacted at kurt.erickson@lee.net or 217-789-0865.