SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) – With less than two weeks until the midterm elections, Darren Bailey announced he is committed to keeping Logan Correctional Center open if he is elected governor. The southern Illinois farmer said Gov. JB Pritzker isn’t thinking about how closing the women’s prison could impact Lincoln residents.
Bailey said the men and women working at Logan have a tough job that most people wouldn’t want to do. He stressed that Logan employees walk through the doors each day knowing there are challenges and risks that could impact their lives.
“They’ve earned our respect and deserve to be heard,” Bailey said Thursday. “Instead, they’re left wondering whether they’ll need to sell their home, move their children, or leave a job they’ve spent years doing.”
Logan will remain open during construction of the suburban facility, but many fear the city will suffer when it closes.
“This is not the administration of 20 years ago that abandons properties,” Pritzker said last month. “In fact, our desire here is to use every resource we have in the state of Illinois to grow our economy.”
Bailey said Logan has already made massive changes, including electrical improvements, a generator, boiler system, sewer work, healthcare and dietary wing, and a refurbished mental healthcare unit. The Republican admitted the facility needs more work, but he said the estimated cost is roughly $116 million.
“Before this governor commits taxpayers to a project approaching $1 billion, I think he owes us an explanation,” Bailey said. “Show us the numbers. Show us why fixing this facility doesn’t work.”
Pritzker said Illinois needs to do everything possible to make facilities safe for correctional officers and prisoners. He also believes new prisons need to help rehabilitate people.
“So, we’re making the investments that I think are proper,” Pritzker said. “Hopefully, we’re going to make it so that families that have prisoners in the state of Illinois are closer to those prisoners.”
WAND News asked independent candidate for governor Collin Corbett for a response to Bailey’s plan. The Corbett campaign has not provided a statement at this time.
