 Lawmakers have voted to close a northwestern Illinois
prison so it can be sold to the federal government to house
Guantanamo Bay detainees.The Illinois Commission on Government
Forecasting and Accountability voted 7-4 on Wednesday in Chicago to
accept a recommendation to close Thomson Correctional Center.
The vote by the bipartisan committee of lawmakers is nonbinding.
Gov. Pat Quinn already has said he plans to sell the prison. Budget
problems have kept the prison about 150 miles west of Chicago
largely vacant since it was built in 2001.
Supporters say using the maximum-security facility to house
detainees could create the economic boost that was promised by the
prison but never materialized. Opponents say moving detainees to
Illinois could make the state a terrorist target.
[Associated Press]
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