Sale of Thomson prison could create jobs and bolster economy
At the request of Gov. Pat Quinn, I, along with state Sen. Tim Bivins, R-Dixon, arrived at Thomson prison on Monday to find a daunting number of reporters, heads of local municipalities, law enforcement officials, and others with a need to know more about the proposed plan to sell the prison to the federal government.
We were immediately ushered to the front of the briefing to join U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, and my good friend, state Rep. Pat Verschoore, D-Milan.
The briefing itself lasted about 2 hours. It was impressive and thorough, and it answered much of the “coffee shop spin” that was already gripping northwestern Illinois. It was conducted by the governor’s Chief Operating Officer Jack Lavin; Illinois Department of Corrections Director Michael Randle; Jonathon Monken, director of the Illinois State Police; Harley Lappin, director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons; and Phil Carter, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of Defense for detainee affairs.
Without this briefing, there would still be far more questions than answers. Several very important considerations have influenced my strong stand in favor of the state of Illinois selling the Thomson prison to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
First, the 1,600-bed maximum-security facility in Thomson has sat nearly vacant since its completion in 2001, breaking the hearts and dreams of those in the surrounding community who invested their life savings and all they could borrow into businesses to support the anticipated opening of the prison. Many are now bankrupt.
Second, as a state legislator, I have no control over President Barack Obama’s decision to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. If the detainees now housed there are coming to American soil, I’m all in favor of housing approximately 100 at Thomson and filling the remainder of the facility with maximum-security federal prisoners.
Both Mr. Carter and Mr. Lappin assured us that the Gitmo detainees would never be commingled with other federal prisoners. They would have their own segregated wing under the control of the U.S. military.
A fact not known to many of us before the proposed sale of the Thomson prison is that there are already 340 former Gitmo detainees currently being housed in federal prisons in the United States, 40 of them at the federal facility in Marion. It wasn’t made clear this week how many may be housed at other federal Illinois facilities in Greenville, Pekin and Chicago. It appears the transfers of those prisoners weren’t newsworthy because they weren’t tied to the closing of Gitmo.
No, the transfer of detainees here won’t result in the creation of terror cells in northwestern Illinois. Detainees are not allowed visits from anyone other than clergy, lawyers and the Red Cross. Other prisoners at Thomson would retain normal visiting privileges.
Please remember, folks, we are not breaking new ground here. Our federal facilities already are housing 340 of the worst of the worst with no problems. Thomson would simply fall in line, but of course, it is tied to the closing of Gitmo, so the politics have gotten out in front of practical reality.
This is an opportunity for up to 3,200 new direct and indirect jobs – many of them federal law enforcement positions. There will be local hires and transfers from the state system to the federal system. The facility will have an $85 million annual operating budget. That’s money pumped back into our local economy.
Thomson prison is new, it’s practically vacant, and our state can’t afford to fully open it. Yes, you can make an argument that we need it open. I, along with the citizens of Thomson, have been making that argument for 8 years. It’s time to plow new ground.
Note to readers – Jim Sacia, a Republican, represents the 89th District in the Illinois House of Representatives.
