Tagged: Tamms Correctional Center

The only super-maximum security prison in Illinois may not close after all. An Illinois panel voted Tuesday against closing the Tamms Correctional Center and other prisons.

The Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability voted 7 to 3 against the closure. Republican Representative Mike Tryon was among those who voted no. He said he couldn’t support closing prisons without a plan for what to do with the structures.

A legislative commission is scheduled to give its opinion on Illinois Governor Pat Quinn's plans to close several state facilities, including the Tamms maximum security prison in southern Illinois. But the commission's vote is advisory only and the governor can close the prisons, mental institutions and offices no matter the findings. Quinn says closing the prisons would save money, while closing other facilities would lead to improved care for people with developmental disabilities. The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability is scheduled to convene this morning.

The Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability met yesterday to hear testimony on the closure of the Tamms Correctional Center in far southern Illinois. While locals championed the facility’s benefits …human rights groups and inmates’ families urged the state to shutter its only Super Max prison.