WREX - Thomson Prison Gets Multimillion Dollar Funding

News Article

By: Sean Muserallo

Tens of millions of dollars are headed to Thomson Prison. The money will help the prison finish getting ready to reopen.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, D-IL, announced the Senate Appropriations Committee, which is he a member of, approved more than $43.7 million for staffing and equipment.

The committee also included in the budget $15 million worth of repairs and updates for the federal prison.

"The funding for Thomson Prison approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee today is more good news for our state, and will help relieve overcrowding in our prison system and create good-paying jobs," Durbin said.

The Thomson Correctional Center sold in 2012 to the federal government. Fully activating the prison the state sold is expected to cost $195 million total.

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 serious criminal offenders. The bulk of the facility was never occupied, however, and is sitting vacant. The facility was constructed on a 146-acre piece of land and has 1,600 beds with eight compartmentalized units designed for maximum inmate supervision and control.

Source