Fill the Thomson prison, already

May 07, 2008 11:19 am

— Here we go again. Once again, talk has surfaced among state officials that now is the time to fully open up the Thomson Correctional Center — that the time has come to shutter an older prison in the state and send those inmates to the new state-of-the-art facility along the Mississippi River.
But, once again, opposition most certainly will surface among those who — understandably — don’t want to face the impact a prison closure would have on a community.
The most recent news came Monday, when it was announced the Illinois Department of Corrections is shelving earlier plans to close a maximum security unit in Joliet; the DOC instead will target a more than 130-year-old prison in Pontiac for closure. According to a letter from Corrections chief Roger Walker Jr., many Pontiac Correctional Center inmates would move to the maximum facility jailhouse in Thomson.
But keep in mind that announcement follows Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s February declaration that he wanted to close a portion of the Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet to save millions in operating and remodeling costs at the 83-year-old prison. Again, understandably, the plan met with stiff resistance.
So then came the newest plan detailed Monday. While it would signal a loss to the Pontiac community — if it happens — the transfer of prisoners would be good news for the seven-year-old Thomson facility that now houses some minimum security prisoners but has about 1,600 single maximum-security cells that have not been used. It also would provide prisoners and their guards with a safer environment.
And it would be good news for the economy not only in Thomson but throughout the Gateway area due to the many jobs that would need to be filled at the prison. More jobs equals more people moving into the community and a greater demand for goods and services. Of course, we’ve known that for seven years — even longer when you take into account the time it took to build the facility.
We have been eagerly — and patiently — waiting for the prison to be used to its full potential and to see activity that will signal economic growth in a county whose leaders and businesses have planned and banked on it for years.
It’s time for it to happen.