Dwight Prison A Step Closer To Closing

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – More bad news for people working at the Dwight Correctional Center. The Illinois Supreme Court is siding with Gov. Pat Quinn in his effort to close the women’s prison and other correctional facilities.

In a split decision yesterday, the justices ordered the withdrawal of a preliminary injunction that had stopped Quinn from making the closures. Quinn had planned to close prisons in Tamms, Dwight and elsewhere since August in an effort to save money. The union AFSCME however stopped the closures by filing a lawsuit in Alexander County.

A judge halted the closure plan until an arbitrator decided if Quinn had followed proper procedures with the labor union in shuttering state facilities.