Where Does the Thomson Correctional Facility Go From Here?

Within the coming weeks, the Illinois legislature will finalize a sale of the Thomson Correctional Facility for $165 million. Thomson Prison is located about 70 miles West of Rockford. The prison can hold up to 1,600 inmates, these inmates will be transferred from the severely overcrowded Federal prisons throughout the United States. It may seem as a daunting prospect to have so many prisoners living in the maximum-security prison in your backyard, yet Illinois representatives claim that it will greatly help Illinois and primarily the Northwest region. The prison, which is set to open by the end of the year, will bring around 1,100 jobs to the area. It is also speculated to bring in about $61 million to local businesses. This seems to some to be a great prospect as we, the tax payers, were paying to keep the unused prison functional since its opening in 2001. Furthermore, with a purchase price of $165 million, Gov. Pat Quinn has stated the funds will be used primarily to pay off Illinois’ staggering debt.

However, the sale did not go off without a hitch. In Washington, the Chairman of the Bureau of Prisons, Frank Wolf, has not signed off on the purchase and refuses to do so. Yet, President Obama was determined to make the sale, and despite the general courtesy that he usually extends to congressional committees, he bypassed it after Attorney General Eric Holder’s finding that he did not need the express authority of the committee. Governor Quinn has also outwardly expressed his desire for the Feds to buy the Prison. The reason for Rep. Wolf’s refusal to sign off is due to the fact that he believes the opening of the prison will be used to open the door for the transfer of inmates that are based in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, commonly known as Gitmo. President Obama staunchly rejected any of the claims made by Rep. Wolf, largely due to new restrictions that effectively removed funding for the transfer of Gitmo inmates to the Thomson Facility.

Some Republicans disagree, stating that by effectively going around the Congressional Committee headed by Frank Wolf, President Obama has gone against the will of the Congress and the American People and will be met with the utmost opposition of the Appropriations Committee. The committee has stated that although it is not likely for the Gitmo inmates to be transferred to Illinois, by moving some of the prisoners from other federal prisons in Illinois, it will open up space for terrorist inmates to be transferred to other Federal Prisons in the United States. The basic question opponents ask is whether President Obama will stick to his word and not transfer the Gitmo inmates; or will Obama stick to his (other) word and close the Guantanamo Bay Correctional Facility?

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