SPRINGFIELD – March 12, 2009. Governor Quinn announced that he will keep Pontiac Correctional Center open.  The decision is another step in Governor Quinn’s efforts to ensure greater fiscal responsibility in state government – the prison provides nearly 600 jobs and generates an approximate $54.4 million in revenue for the region.

 

“Especially in these tough economic times, we must be more fiscally responsible,” said Governor Quinn. “Keeping Pontiac Correctional Center open will ensure nearly 600 people in the region keep their jobs, prevent hundreds of families from being uprooted, and allow Pontiac to maintain one of its largest sources of revenue.”

 

On May 2, 2008, then Governor Rod R. Blagojevich announced Pontiac Correctional Center would close by the end of 2008.  Under that plan, the nearly 600 employees, more than 1,600 inmates, and the facility’s operating budget were to be transferred to the Thomson Correctional Center, located in Carroll County in northwest Illinois.

 

However, the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA), which studies and provides recommendations on local and regional economic and fiscal policies, released a memorandum on September 23, 2008 citing its unanimous vote (9-0) against the closure of the Pontiac Correctional Center.

 

Central Illinois lawmakers, elected officials, and community action groups have been vocal supporters of keeping Pontiac open, citing security of the employees and inmates as an additional reason to maintain the Pontiac facility. 

 

The Center is the state’s only facility that provides single cells for most maximum-security inmates.  Housing two maximum-security inmates in a single cell significantly increases the risk of violence.