Downstate Illinois is once again losing state facilities, jobs, and resources under Governor Pritzker as his Administration continues a troubling pattern of closing, downsizing, or relocating state operations away from communities outside the Chicago region.
The latest example comes from the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), which announced plans to close the Clayton Work Camp, Dixon Springs Structured Impact Program, DuQuoin Impact Program, and Greene County Work Camp.
For Downstate communities, however, this is not an isolated announcement.
The Pritzker Administration previously announced plans to close Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln and build its replacement in Crest Hill, moving the facility from Central Illinois to the Chicago region. That decision was followed by major downsizing and massive layoffs at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Southern Illinois.
Senate Republicans say the repeated decisions are becoming impossible to dismiss as unrelated events. Every closure means more than losing a building. State facilities provide jobs that support families, boost local economies, and serve as important anchors for communities throughout Downstate Illinois.
The latest announcement has also renewed frustration over how the Pritzker Administration handled the future of the affected IDOC facilities. Individuals in custody had previously been removed from DuQuoin and Dixon Springs, while the Administration continued to maintain that the programs were not being permanently closed until now.
The decision also raises questions about the future of rehabilitation programs offered through the facilities and the Pritzker Administration’s so-called restorative justice priorities. Impact programs and work camps are intended to provide structure, programming, work experience, and opportunities that can help individuals successfully reenter society.
Downstate communities are not disposable and Governor Pritzker has a responsibility to represent the entire state. Downstate families pay taxes just like everyone else and deserve a state government that invests in their communities rather than continually taking jobs, facilities, and resources away.
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