Lacking quorum, State Commission Delays Vote on Stateville and Logan C.C. Closures
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State Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer (R-Murrayville) and Sen. Donald DeWitte (R-West Dundee) met last week as members of the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) for the purpose of taking official action on whether to close two correctional facilities being proposed by the Governor. The future of the Stateville Correctional Center, a maximum facility for men in Crest Hill, and the Logan Correctional Center for women in Lincoln is still uncertain with no official vote taken for lack of a quorum of commission members.
“This week COGFA met as part of our responsibility to review and vote whether or not to support Governor Pritzker’s plans for the closure of both Stateville and Logan Correctional Facilities, as well as their plans to rebuild both on the grounds at Stateville,” commented COGFA Co-Chairman Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer. “Our community meetings were well attended and the broad ideas of the Department of Corrections were not supported by many. The reality is that the IDOC’s lack of maintenance has led to the need for new facilities. However, the administration and Department only provided the basic idea of closure and replacement, not an actual plan. The lives of both those employed at or incarcerated in these facilities seems to have been left out of the discussions. In the case of Logan, it only makes sense to have a centrally located facility that covers incarcerated women from throughout the state with higher level offenses.”
Under the State Facility Closure Act, public hearings must be held to consider all perspectives of closing a state facility and the impact it would have on the staffing, budget, and the local community. No remote option was permitted for this meeting to allow for more participation and establish a quorum.
“I have been disappointed with this entire process. The issue of possibly closing one or more of our correctional centers is extremely important and should have been taken care of while we were still in session,” added Sen. DeWitte. “We’re also talking about a prison population that is shrinking, and plans to rebuild and add even more space at Crest Hill? Those numbers just don’t make sense.”
Commission Member Rep. Joe Sosnowski (R-Machesney Park) said, “I cannot support any of these closures at this time with so many unanswered questions on specific plans for each facility. The people of Illinois deserve real transparency, clarification and information from a Pritzker administration.”
