By Monique Garcia and Rafael Guerrero
Chicago Tribune
Ill. — Gov. Pat Quinn on Monday stood by his decision to close two prisons and several halfway homes, even as overcrowding at remaining facilities has forced the Illinois Department of Corrections to convert gym space into housing for inmates.
The state agency said it plans to use gymnasiums at six more prisons to bunk inmates, a practice already in use in at least one prison. Only minimum-security inmates will be housed in the “temporary dorm settings,” according to spokeswoman Stacey Solano.
About 100 inmates live in temporary housing, Solano said, and it is unclear how many more will be added. She said the department expects to phase out the temporary housing in the “coming months,” though the agency’s own projections estimate the overall prison population will increase by the end of the year.
The state’s largest public employee union contends that the move puts workers at direct risk because the gymnasiums are not equipped with the necessary safety features to properly house inmates.
Full story: Quinn stands by decision to close 2 prisons, despite inmate crowding