Springfield (AP) -- A prison
watchdog group is asking Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn to reconsider plans to close
the Dwight women's prison.
A statement from John Howard Association executive director John Maki
(MA'-kee) on Wednesday says Dwight is the state's only maximum-security prison
for women.
He says the Livingston
County facility has been
successful in hiring many female correctional officers and training staff to
handle a population that overwhelmingly comes from backgrounds of physical,
sexual and emotional abuse.
Quinn wants Dwight closed to save money. He closed the Tamms
super-security prison earlier this year and several juvenile detention centers.
Maki pointed out John Howard supported those closures.
Maki says Dwight is 80 miles from Chicago
-- home to many inmates' families. The distance allows inmates to maintain
contact with children.
Online: http://www.thejha.org/
