Thomson prison: State moving to clear decks on possible sale - Illinois lawmaker wants to speed up federal takeover

Thomson prison: State moving to clear decks on possible sale - Illinois lawmaker wants to speed up federal takeover
By Ray Long
Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
November 27, 2009
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-thomson-prison27nov27,0,1666098.story


SPRINGFIELD - -- A key state lawmaker wants to fast-track hearings on the possible sale of the Thomson Correctional Center to the federal government, a move made easier when the Quinn administration filed its recommendation for closing the prison.

The Thomson prison has emerged as a leading site for a U.S. detention center to house terrorism suspects now being held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Gov. Pat Quinn's Department of Corrections filed paperwork Wednesday with a legislative oversight commission that must review all major state-facility closings, including the proposed sale of the northwestern Illinois prison, before an administration moves forward.

"Our goal is to have this public hearing by the end of December," said state Sen. Jeff Schoenberg, D- Evanston, who co-chairs the bipartisan review panel and said he wants to act "with all deliberate speed."

"I support the idea of closing the Thomson facility and negotiating a fair price with the federal government for them to acquire the facility," Schoenberg said. "The area's desperate for jobs and this would appear to be a responsible way to boost the local economy."

Prisons chief Michael Randle said submission of the paperwork should not indicate the federal government is prepared to buy the prison but said in a letter to the commission that it is crucial to take the key preliminary steps.

The prison is located near the Mississippi River and has been used sparingly for several years. The maximum security portion of the prison has not been used since construction in 2001.

The corrections report said the prison has a "dual-sided electrical stun fence," 312 security cameras on a fiber-optic surveillance network with motion detectors and remote monitoring capability. Further, it said the prison also comes with 26 noncontact visiting rooms and armed outer and inner perimeter towers.

The minimum security portion of the prison housed 186 inmates as of last week, and that number is expected to drop to 160 by the end of January. Given the East Moline Correctional Center is downsizing, that prison could house any inmates from Thomson, the Corrections Department said.

About 78 employees work at the prison now, and they would be allowed to apply for jobs in nearby prisons.

Given the state's budget crunch and a drop in the estimated prison population, there is no expectation the state would open the full prison on its own at an annual cost estimated at $54 million.

The Quinn administration is buoyed by an analysis from President Barack Obama's economic advisers that assumes about a quarter of the 1,600-cell prison would be run by the Department of Defense to house terrorism suspects now detained at Guantanamo Bay. The rest of Thomson would become the most secure facility in the federal prison network.

In the first year, the work of modifying and then running the prison would generate between 2,290 and 2,960 jobs in the seven-county area around Thomson, the White House has estimated, predicting local residents could get as many as 1,410 of those jobs.

Although many Republicans have raised concerns that putting terrorism suspects into the prison would put Illinoisans at risk, Schoenberg dismissed the fears.

"This is not like the 'Field of Dreams,' where if you build it, they will come," Schoenberg said.

rlong@tribune.com