Public hearings have been scheduled to review the proposed closures of three Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) facilities as concerns continue over the loss of state jobs and resources in Downstate Illinois.
The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA) will hold hearings on the proposed closures of the DuQuoin Impact Program (Oct. 21 in DuQuoin), Greene County Work Camp (Oct. 22 in White Hall) and Clayton Work Camp (Oct. 22 in Camp Point).
IDOC announced in August its intention to phase out the three facilities, along with the Dixon Springs Structured Impact Program, as part of what the Department is calling a “mission to promote public safety and rehabilitation.”
Under Illinois’ State Facilities Closure Act, facilities that serve as the primary workplace for at least 25 state employees are subject to a formal review process before closure. For proposed closures involving IDOC prisons and work camps, CGFA is required to hold public hearings within 35 days after a formal closure recommendation is filed and issue an advisory opinion within 50 days.
CGFA has also indicated that a final hearing will be held in Springfield during the first week of the fall Veto Session, when the Commission is expected to vote on its recommendations regarding the proposed closures.
Senate Republicans have been critical of the Pritzker Administration’s ongoing trend of closing, downsizing or relocating state facilities away from communities in downstate Illinois. They argue that the impact extends beyond the facilities themselves, affecting state employees, their families, local economies and communities that have relied on those operations for decades.
The latest closures follow other major controversial changes to downstate state facilities, including plans to close and relocate Logan Correctional Center and significant reductions at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Southern Illinois.
Senate Republicans say the upcoming hearings provide affected employees, local officials and residents an important opportunity to make their voices heard before final decisions are made about the future of the facilities.
Members of the public can submit public comments or register to give oral testimony here.
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