Panel recommends to keep Tamms prison open

TAMMS, Ill. -- A state commission recommended Tuesday that the Tamms Correctional Center not be closed to save the state money.

The Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability voted 7-3 to recommend to Gov. Pat Quinn that the center, which employs about 300 people, remain open.

Although its recommendations are not legally binding, no governor has ever closed a state facility over the commission's recommendations, said Illinois Sen. Gary Forby.

"I think they made the right decision. Now we've just got to convince the governor this is the right way to go. Tamms needs to stay open," Forby said.

Tamms Correctional Center, in Alexander County, has both minimum- and maximum-security units housing 375 inmates.

State leaders had proposed closing the prison, along with several other Department of Corrections facilities, to save money as the state struggles to balance its budget. Illinois has $8.5 billion in unpaid bills, according a February commission report.

"As legislators, we're trying to put people to work and the governor is trying to put people out of work. That's not the right way to balance the budget," Forby said.

It's expected to cost the state $26.3 million to operate the Tamms Correctional Center this year.

The state's per-inmate cost is higher at Tamms than any other facility in the state at $64,805 in 2011, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections. The average cost per inmate at all state prisons was $21,405. The department, in a response to the commission, said it has sufficient space to relocate the inmates at Tamms to facilities in Pontiac and Menard. While its maximum-security unit has a capacity for 500 inmates, it only has 186. Tamms' minimum-security unit has a capacity for 200 and a current population of 189.

As a cost-saving measure, the department would use more electronic detention for low-level-threat inmates rather than keep them incarcerated. Closing the Tamms facility would affect more than just its employees, according to an economic impact study done by the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois. The 295 direct jobs at Tamms help generate an additional 43 jobs in the community such as grocery store clerks and bank tellers, the report said. Closing the facility would result in a loss of nearly $12 million in direct and indirect income.

Alexander County already has an unemployment rate at nearly 12 percent.

"If you do away with Tamms down here, you're going to destroy Alexander County," Forby said. "You'll hurt the people in Cape, too, because you've got a lot of people who live there that work over here."

Two workers contacted by the Southeast Missourian said their union prohibited them from talking to the media. A union representative could not be reached Tuesday afternoon.

Ben Varner, senior analyst for the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, said commission members took into consideration Quinn's recommendation, the economic impact study and numerous hours of testimony given at a public hearing April 2 at Shawnee Community College in Ullin, Ill.

The commission, made up of state senators and representatives, must submit its recommendation in writing to the governor's office before May 11, Varner said.

Despite the bipartisan commission's recommendation, Quinn could still cut funds for Tamms out of his budget proposal, which must be approved by legislators by May 31, Forby said.

The Department of Corrections plans call for the facility to cease operating Aug. 31. The estimated annual maintenance costs following the closure total $225,000, including utilities, general maintenance and upkeep.

mmiller@semissourian.com

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8500 Supermax Road, Tamms, IL