Even as Illinois loses a youth prison, it's gaining an adult correctional facility.
Illinois' Department of Juvenile Justice is going forward with plans to close the Illinois Youth Center at Kewanee.
Director Candice Jones said recruiting staff was difficult and national practices favor smaller regional facilities. Plus, she'd said, most of the juvenile offenders sent there were from Cook County; it's better to house them nearer family.
Kewanee's closer to Iowa than to Chicago.
Most adult prisoners come from Cook County and the surrounding area too.
But some could be housed in Kewanee, in the future.
The Department of Corrections confirms: It will take over the facility on July 1, and repurpose it as an adult prison. No other information was available. A Corrections spokeswoman says planning's in the early stages.
State legislators from the area (where a prison means jobs) are thrilled.
Rep. Don Moffitt (R-Gilson), Sen. Chuck Weaver (R-Peoria), Sen. Neil Anderson (R-Rock Island), and Rep. Mike Smiddy (D-Port Byron) issued a statement thanking the governor. They say, it will help ease overcrowding in its other prisons.
More than 45,000 inmates are in D.O.C custody, well about the designed capacity of 31,000.
