2 state lawmakers rally to save Pontiac prison

Weeks after blocking a move to close a major section of Stateville Correctional Center, some lawmakers now are rallying to save the aging Pontiac prison in rural Livingston County.

[show me]

pontiac is out dated and relic there is no reason to keep wasting taxpayer s money when there is a state of the art prison sitting empty they need to shut pontiac down and move them to the new one and quit wasting taxpayer s money

[Jake]

show me wrote:

pontiac is out dated and relic there is no reason to keep wasting taxpayer s money when there is a state of the art prison sitting empty they need to shut pontiac down and move them to the new one and quit wasting taxpayer s money

That would be a great idea if Ferret Face Blago would build a state-of-the-art maximum security prision, but he won't. His solution would be to turn all convicts out on the street.

[concerned]

show me wrote:

pontiac is out dated and relic there is no reason to keep wasting taxpayer s money when there is a state of the art prison sitting empty they need to shut pontiac down and move them to the new one and quit wasting taxpayer s money

Stateville is a bigger drain on the taxpayer. This is the one that should be shut down.

[pcc wife]

Pontiac isn't the drain you're led to believe...it's all politics. And if you think that "state of the art prison" will remain that way after these rough and tough prisoners spend a short time there you've got another think coming. They rip apart EVERYTHING...and Thomson will look just like Pontiac or any other maximum security prison in no time.

[People People]

We don't really need prisions in Illinois.
All we have to do it blockade Robbins, Harvey, Maywood, Ford Heights, Blue Island, Calumet City, Wentworth, Pilsen, Englewood, Hazel Wood, etc.
In other words, simply fortify the boundaries surrounding the criminal elements in our state [mostly those of Chicago's south/southwestern suburbs and south/southwest and west sides] and we can do away with the majority of our prisions.
IF one bothered to look at the demographics of the state's prision population [seriously - look at 'em], you'll see that the vast majority of past, current and/or repeat offenders come from concentrated areas of specific demographics. By enforcing blockades of those 'no-go' zones the state could save a fortune. Select 'inmates'[those with day passes for work and with ankle monitors] could be allowed out. Otherwise, those under the age of 21 without a high-school diploma [no free ride there, if we bother to keep the schools open within the secured areas the tests / criteria for getting a diploma would have to be the same as, say...Winnetka, Wilmette or Bannockburn] are not allowed to roam outside of the 'zones.'
We could drop basic foodstuffs, condoms and other birth-control devices into the 'zones.' We could also drop plenty of handgun ammunition into the 'zones.' Within a few short years the implosion of the population demographic that's sociopathic would be vastly reduced and the size of the 'zones' could be correspondingly reduced.
Face facts - Illinoisans, the criminal elements within this state are fairly easy to identify. Let's serve our open/outstanding warrants, reduce the actual 'prison' capacities by at least 80% and focus on the sociopaths among us.
It's time to cul the herd.

[Enough Political Stunts]

This smacks of just a political stunt. Makes sense for Rutherford to do this since it's about Pontiac, but what does Rodogno have to do with it? This looks like pure campaign politics, something the current governor has proven we've had more than enough of. Is this what we can expect from the GOP the next couple of years?
Sigh.

[Ned]

Why close Pontiac when the bigger financial strain is at Stateville?

The Tribune should do a story on how much money the state shells out to the officer's salaries at Stateville. The tax payers would be amazed on how much it is.

[Lindy Croft]

As a correctional officer at Pontiac, I think the govener should remember his promise about balancing the budget on the backs of state employee's. We need our jobs as well as the c/o's in Stateville.