The Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) held public meetings during the week about the proposed closure of Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill and Logan Correctional Center, a women’s prison located in Lincoln.
In March, the Pritzker Administration announced plans to demolish and rebuild the Logan facility but did not commit to rebuilding the women’s facility, which employs approximately 500 people, in Lincoln. Residents of the Central Illinois city say that permanently closing the facility would devastate the local economy.
Amid swirling uncertainty surrounding Logan Correctional Center’s future, members of the Senate Republican Caucus sent a letter to COGFA expressing their opposition to its closure ahead of this week’s hearings.
In this letter, they acknowledged the need for renovations at the aging facility but insisted that relocating it would create unnecessary challenges for both the dedicated staff and the residents, many of whom are from Central and Southern Illinois. They continued by saying that keeping this facility open in its current location would not only save local jobs but also minimize disruptions for incarcerated women and their families. All Senate Republican members signed the letter, urging COGFA to oppose relocation plans.