A public meeting is set for June 13 for those looking to share their opinion about the planned closure of the Logan women’s prison in Lincoln.
The Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability hearing is set for 5 p.m. Thursday, June 13, at Lincoln Junior High School in Lincoln. Lincoln is about 30 miles southwest of Bloomington.
The Illinois Department of Corrections will be on hand to provide information to the commission and an opportunity will be given for local stakeholders to offer testimony.
Anyone wishing to provide either oral or written testimony must contact the commission in advance:
- facilityclosure@ilga.gov
- By mail at Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, Attn: Facility Closure, 802 Stratton Building, Springfield, IL 62706
You’re encouraged to submit your request at least 3 days prior to the hearing. Include your name, facility being closed, your position on the issue, type of testimony, and your email. State Sen. Sally Turner, who represents Lincoln, has shared further details about testimony on her Facebook Page.
The Pritzker administration wants to tear down the Logan Correctional Center and rebuild a new facility closer to Joliet. The same would happen to Stateville men’s prison. Both are aging facilities.
By moving Logan to Joliet, the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) would take a “more regionalized approach” for its women’s facilities “by providing a northern facility to pair with the already centrally located facility in Decatur,” according to a recent report. IDOC says Joliet is “geographically sensible.”
Additionally, IDOC says the move would also help it recruit employees, because the Chicagoland is bigger, more diverse, and more educated than Logan County.
Logan County officials have generally opposed the closure. The Logan prison, along with its neighbor the Lincoln Correctional Center, is a major employer in the Lincoln and broader Logan County economy.
