U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat and assistant Senate
majority leader, announced Tuesday that the Obama administration will
purchase the unused Thomson prison from the state of Illinois for $165
million.
Durbin hailed the acquisition as an instance of
collaboration between Gov. Pat Quinn and the U.S. Justice Department
Federal Bureau of Prisons. “This historic action will lead to the
creation of hundreds of construction jobs and over 1,000 permanent jobs
at this facility,” Durbin said in a statement.
Cheri Bustos, the
Democratic nominee in the 17th congressional district that includes the
village of Thomson, said the sale was “great news because there should
be no higher priority than putting people in our district back to work,”
in an e-mailed statement.
While the agreement might indeed prove a boon
to an economically troubled region, it emerged out of exasperation with
U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Virginia), chairman of the House appropriations
subcommittee that controls the Justice Department budget. Read more »
Gov. Pat Quinn scored a big victory Friday in his plan to balance
the state budget. Arbitrator Steve Biereg ruled that the state acted
reasonably in the June ordering of the shut down of seven different
corrections and juvenile justice facilities.
Illinois prison reform advocates received news sparking two causes for concern in the last few days.