SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Officials in Illinois revealed plans on Friday to initiate the search for a contractor responsible for overseeing the design and construction of two new prisons, with a total budget set at $900 million.
The Illinois Capital Development Board is expected to release a bulletin as early as November 19, inviting proposals from firms that specialize in construction management and serve as owner’s representatives for the project. The initiative aims to replace the aging Stateville Correctional Center in the suburbs of Chicago and the Logan Correctional Center, which is designated for women in Lincoln.
This announcement marks the first tangible step taken by the Illinois Department of Corrections since Governor J.B. Pritzker allocated funds last spring for capital construction projects. However, legislators have expressed concerns regarding the Department’s transparency regarding plans and timelines associated with the project.
Typically, the Capital Development Board does not announce a call for proposals before issuing a professional services bulletin. Nonetheless, board representative Lauren Grenlund explained that given the project’s magnitude and the necessity for some firms to undergo an extensive prequalification process, officials decided to issue a pre-advertisement.
“This is a significant undertaking,” Grenlund noted. “We usually don’t publish these pre-advertisements, but we wanted to ensure this opportunity reached industry experts as quickly as possible.”
Grenlund anticipates that a selection will be made early next year, directing further inquiries to the Corrections Department. Efforts to gather comments from the prison system were met with unanswered phone calls and emails.
The plans include the construction of two 1,500-bed facilities, each designed for single-cell occupancy. One facility will be dedicated to women, while the other will cater to men, accommodating inmates with varying levels of security risks, including minimum, medium, and maximum security.
According to the announcement, the new prisons will prioritize the integration of therapeutic environments, alongside comprehensive programming and services that encompass medical care, mental health support, dietary plans, and recreational activities to foster rehabilitation and reintegration into society for inmates.
In response to a court ruling that deemed the Stateville prison unfit for habitation, Corrections officials have largely vacated the facility, which has been operational since 1925. This decision met with resistance from employees who contend that maintaining the facility during the construction of a new one would be beneficial, reducing their commute to other prisons and minimizing interruptions to inmates engaged in educational and social programs.
A union representing employees, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 31, has come to an agreement with the Corrections Department, enabling many Stateville staff members to remain employed at other facilities on the campus that continue to operate, as stated by union representative Anders Lindall.
During recent legislative hearings, Corrections officials suggested a potential relocation of the Logan prison from central Illinois to the Stateville campus in Crest Hill, located 40 miles southwest of Chicago. This proposal arose from the fact that nearly 40% of the women detained at Logan are originally from the Chicago area. However, it faced significant backlash from local officials in Lincoln, residents, and prison employees, all represented by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 31.
Skepticism also looms over the proposed capacity for each new prison, set at 1,500 beds. Lawmakers have expressed doubts, especially given the significant decline in prison populations across the state. Stateville currently has an operational capacity exceeding 3,000 inmates but reported just 568 residents as of June. Similarly, Logan has a capacity of around 1,400, with a population of just over 1,000 as of the same time.