Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is defending his plan to close the Tamms Correctional Center.During a news conference Tuesday in Chicago, the governor renewed his call to shutter the state's only super maximum security prison. Quinn says nearly 200 maximum security inmates at Tamms will be transferred to Pontiac Correctional Center. Ironically some of the current Tamms inmates are from Pontiac. They were sent to Tamms because of the danger they posed to other inmates and guards at Pontiac.
Tamms has an annual operating cost of 26-million dollars. The governor says the cost of housing an inmate at Tamms is nearly three times the state average. If the Governor's plan is approved it would mean the loss of 300-jobs when Tamms is scheduled to close at the end of August.
The governor also wants to close the Dwight Correctional Center. He says closing both prisons will save the state 48-million dollars.