Downstate Illinois is once again losing state facilities, jobs, and resources under Governor Pritzker as his Administration continues a troubling pattern of closing or relocating state operations away from communities outside the Chicago region.
The Pritzker Administration previously announced plans to close Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln and build its replacement in Crest Hill, moving the facility from Central Illinois to the Chicago region. That decision was followed by major downsizing and massive layoffs at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Southern Illinois.
Senate Republicans say the repeated decisions are becoming impossible to dismiss as unrelated events. Every closure means more than losing a building. State facilities provide jobs that support families, boost local economies, and serve as important anchors for communities throughout Downstate Illinois.
The latest decision also raises questions about the future of rehabilitation programs offered through the facilities and the Pritzker Administration’s so-called restorative justice priorities. Impact programs and work camps are intended to provide structure, programming, work experience, and opportunities that can help individuals successfully reenter society.
State Senator Syverson Moving state jobs from round the state to Chicago is not going to solve Chicago’s economic problems but it will create economic problems for smaller downstate communities losing both services and jobs that go with it.