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This just in… Feds confirm Thomson purchase

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Illinois

* 4:27 pm - From a press release…

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn announced today that the Department of Justice (DOJ) intends to acquire the Thomson Correctional Center by the end of the year and fully utilize the entire facility.

In a letter (attached) to Durbin, Quinn and Congressman Don Manzullo (R-IL), a DOJ official explained that the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) plans to make modifications to the prison and hire and train a full complement of staff while the Defense Department and Congress continue to work on authorizing and funding a portion of the Thomson facility for housing Guantanamo detainees.

Durbin and Governor Quinn issued the following statement:

“With this letter today, the Bureau of Prisons has reaffirmed the commitment it made earlier this year to fully utilize Thomson Correction Center and upgrade the facility to make it the safest prison in the nation.

The agency has already begun the process of recruiting for positions at the prison, so having the facility operating at full capacity could result in more jobs for residents of Thomson and surrounding areas.

As we have said many times, this move will have an enormous impact on our state –generating thousands of good paying jobs and potentially injecting more than $1 billion into the regional economy. This is an opportunity to dramatically reduce unemployment, create thousands of good-paying jobs and breathe new economic life into a part of Illinois that desperately needs this.”

The purchase, activation and operation of Thomson Correctional Center is expected to generate more than 3,000 jobs – roughly half of which are expected to be given to local applicants – and inject more than $1 billion into the regional economy. Currently, there is a critical need for a facility to address federal prison overcrowding problems nationwide and a particularly urgent need for supermax-type bed space. More than 209,000 inmates are in the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons, up sharply from 202,000 last year.

The Thomson facility was built in 2001 by the State of Illinois as a state-of-the-art, maximum-security prison to house the most severe criminal offenders. The facility was never occupied, however, and is sitting vacant. The facility was constructed on a 146-acre reservation has 1,600 beds with eight compartmentalized units designed for maximum inmate supervision and control. Security features include:

* Dual-sided electrical stun fencing capable of carrying 7,000 volts;
* 312 Cameras on a fiber optic surveillance network with motion detection/remote monitoring capabilities;
* Armed outer and inner perimeter towers.

Bottom line: The Dept. of Justice will run the entire facility. No Gitmo prisoners unless Congress decides to act, which will probably be never.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 4:29 pm

Comments

How much we getting for it?

Comment by OneMan Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 4:34 pm
So would this replace Oxford, Yankton and Terre Haute as the preferred federal lock-up for Illinois politicians? At least this way we won’t have to export our corrupt officials. We can keep them right here at home, where they belong.

We used to call Oxford “finishing school.” Now the convicted pols can joke that they’re off to the Thomson center for a few years…

Comment by 47th Ward Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 4:36 pm
47, the feds don’t usually ring minimum security prisons with “Dual-sided electrical stun fencing capable of carrying 7,000 volts.”

Then again, Rod may end up there if he gets as many years as he should.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 4:39 pm
The facility was never occupied

False.

Comment by Reality Check Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 4:41 pm
Only 7,000 volts?!??! That will never hold those super-bad guys! What are the politicians thinking? Impeach Obama and Durbin!

Comment by Lefty Lefty Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 4:47 pm
Granted Rich, my comment was tongue in cheek.

But they sent Fawell to South Dakota and Laski to West Virginia and I can’t help but think it would be better to keep guys like that right here where they belong.

Why should we ship our waste to other states?

Comment by 47th Ward Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 4:49 pm
Politically tone deaf to the point of tragicomedy. These people don’t care what anyone else thinks. They have no ability to compromise. They have no interest in transparency. This is government arrogance at an historic level.

Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 4:52 pm
3,000 jobs to locals and one billion to the region has to make the folks down there happy.

The price of property will go up in the area soon, so if people want to buy cheap, and become a local (to get one of the jobs) they had best act fast. Also if you want to start a business in the area best hurry while property is less.

Comment by Third Generation Chicago Native Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 4:54 pm
The press release said, never occupied. Wouldn’t it be nice if our so-called leaders cared enough to know the truth instead of always spewing lies. Thomson was used as min. security up until a couple of months ago — it was not FULLY occupied.

Comment by justsickofit Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 5:00 pm
Could this be part of the WH’s help Alexi and Quinn get elected program?

Comment by cassandra Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 5:02 pm
Big win for Quinn. Best of all worlds, all the positives, and none of the negatives of how this could have gone.

Comment by Niles Township Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 5:02 pm
I think this is a great move by the feds and the Governor. The failure to be able to properly utilize Thompson was one of the tragedies of the Ryan administration, for which I accept most of the blame for not seeing the huge revenue downturn coming. On the other had, I accept no blame for the Blagojevich administration not finding a way in 6 years to utilize it properly.

Comment by steve schnorf Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 5:03 pm
“Why should we ship our waste to other states?”

Hm. I suppose it is an issue of environmental justice. We created the toxic waste, we should bury it in our backyards, not those of other people.

Seems fair.

Will Quinn start running ads discussing this and the Ford plant to make the case that he deserves credit for working to improve the economy? And if so, will voters buy it?

Comment by Boone Logan Square Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 5:28 pm
I didn’t see anything thatb preculdes the Preisdent from making a decion on his own to site Gitmo in NW IL!

Comment by Please Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 6:02 pm
==- justsickofit - Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 5:00 pm:
Wouldn’t it be nice if our so-called leaders cared enough to know the truth instead of always spewing lies.==

Is there some error other than the lack of the word “fully” in paragraph nine? Yes, that is a significant error but does it really qualify as “always spewing lies”, especially since prior to paragraph nine the word “fully” is used several times to qualify the proposed utilization?

==- VanillaMan - Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 4:52 pm: Politically tone deaf to the point of tragicomedy. These people don’t care what anyone else thinks. They have no ability to compromise. They have no interest in transparency. This is government arrogance at an historic level. ==

What is politically tone deaf? To my knowledge the only controversy was over housing Gitmo detainees — is there some group who is against using it as just a regular prison?

What do you mean by “These people don’t care what anyone thinks?” Again, is there some block of people that would like to see the prison remain permanently underutilized?

You say “They have no ability to compromise.” It seems like the main point of contention (having Gitmo detainees) was compromised. Or are you referring to something else?

You say “They have no interest in transparency.” What wasn’t transparent?

“This is government arrogance at an historic level.” What is arrogant about trying to make use of an underutilized prison facility when we have other prisons that are overcrowded?

And I am not trying to be snide — I just did not see the justification for your comments based on what I read and would like to know more about what you were referring to.

===- cassandra - Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 5:02 pm: Could this be part of the WH’s help Alexi and Quinn get elected program?==

Would you prefer if the federal government did nothing to help Illinois from now to November?

Comment by Lakefront Liberal Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 6:09 pm
- Will the money be enough to pay off the bonds?

- Will the proceeds actually be used to pay
off the bonds?

Anyone want to bet on whether 3000 permanent jobs is too optimistic?

Comment by plutocrat03 Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 7:07 pm
Uh Lakefront Lib, we are told often that our state’s correctional population is seriously overcrowded. Wouldn’t it be cheaper to just use Thompson rather than spend gadzillions building even more prisons. If the prison population continues to climb, that’s what we’ll have to do.

Comment by cassandra Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 8:21 pm
Rich,

I hate to spoil the fun, but every federal maximum prison (er, FCI) has an accompanying minimum security prison (i.e., club fed) where there are no fences, just a line that you can not cross. If a Fed. prisoner croses that line, they get sent to a pen with a fence. Thus, no one crosses the line. Long story short, Thompson will have a minimum secruity pen filled with white collor perps and illinois state pols.

On a bright not, the Illinois pols will feed and clean after the hardcore prisoners.

Comment by Cuban Pilot Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 9:08 pm
Shout out to Sen. Mike Jacobs and President Obama for getting it done!

Comment by Please Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 9:09 pm
Sorry for the factual error, but every maximum security pen is a USP (United States Penitentiary) not an FCI. However, the point remains that every high level pen., also has a minimum security prison that essentially services the USP. For cheap labor at the USP, white collar perps and criminal pols do the “slave work”; in exhange, the white collar perps and pols don’t have bars and have more liberties. Still, Blago could end up at the prison camp in Thompson.

Comment by Cuban Pilot Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 9:15 pm
After reading my last two posts, I have come to the painful conclusion that I am the worst poster ever in the history of this great and wonderful blog.

I am sorry.

As punishment, may god either strike me dead make me blago’s cellmate.

Comment by Cuban Pilot Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 9:27 pm
This is crap Illinois needed this prison to put Stateville CC to rest. They stuck no money in Stateville in the last several years just because of this reason. The original thought was to build a new Receiving and Classification Unit behind Stateville, which was done, then close Stateville and move those inmnates to Thompson, where there would be better security. Stateville is the arm pit of the Dept of Corrections and all staff know it, it is unsecure and dangerous for staff. This is what Thompson was constructed for and the state has sold it for what???????? Now they will spend millions and millions of tax payers dollars dumping money into Stateville CC, and will continue to do so for years to come. Dumb Dumb Dumb..

Comment by dumb ol' country boy Monday, Jun 21, 10 @ 10:12 pm
…So that’s why Kirk was running away so fast today.

Gotta get away from those Gitmo by the Great Lakes terrorists donchaknow.

Comment by Rob_N Tuesday, Jun 22, 10 @ 1:01 am
===
Gotta get away from those Gitmo by the Great Lakes terrorists donchaknow.
===

Yeah, well thanks to Kirk and his “Motley crew”, we no longer have to worry about that–do we, “Rob_N” if that’s your real name?

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jun 22, 10 @ 1:05 am
Hmmm…happy, Dad?

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jun 22, 10 @ 1:21 am
Woops! Hit the enter key too soon.

Meant to say a belated “Happy Father’s Day” to all our Great Dads!

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jun 22, 10 @ 1:22 am
Perhaps the Madigan team is having second thoughts about their representative candidate, Ahearn.

Comment by Louis Howe Tuesday, Jun 22, 10 @ 6:13 am
They will be dedicating the Otto Kerner wing, which will house Illinois politicians.

Comment by Aldyth Tuesday, Jun 22, 10 @ 7:52 am
Kudos to the Governor for making this deal happen, and bringing revenue and long-term jobs to this desperate region of our state. Hopefully IDOC will get a chunk of the sale cash, given its needs and its past/present allocation of funding for prison upkeep and staffing.

Comment by unspun Tuesday, Jun 22, 10 @ 9:16 am
VMan, you poor guy. You live a real tough life here in the United States in the 21st Century, don’t you? Why don’t you give us a real crying song as you kill time today on the taxpayers dime.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jun 22, 10 @ 9:55 am
- Why don’t you give us a real crying song as you kill time today on the taxpayers dime. -

Yeah, it should be easy with the weather, maybe a play on SRV’s “The Sky is Crying”?

Comment by Small Town Liberal Tuesday, Jun 22, 10 @ 9:56 am
Does 1600 inmates equal 3000 jobs?

Comment by Mr. Ethics Tuesday, Jun 22, 10 @ 10:17 am
“3,000 jobs to locals and one billion to the region has to make the folks down there happy.”
Only a “Third Generation Chicago Native” would refer to a community that is actually slightly NORTH of Chicago as “down there”.

Comment by 3 beers to Springfield Tuesday, Jun 22, 10 @ 10:29 am