Ill. Senate votes to override Tamms veto

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The Illinois Senate voted on Wednesday to override the Gov. Pat Quinn's veto of funding for Tamms and Dwight Correctional Centers, a youth detention center in Murphysboro, Ill., and several halfway houses throughout the state.

"Our prison population is at an all-time high, our prisons are severely overcrowded and our staffing levels are down," Sen. Gary Forby said in a news release. "I hope that today's Senate vote sends a clear message to the governor that he needs to stop fighting us on this issue. He needs to use these funds to manage the overcrowding of our prison system and ensure the safety of employees and inmates."

Forby sponsored the override of the governor's veto.

The Senate vote does not force the governor to keep these facilities open. It does, however, stop him from using the funding dedicated for the facilities in any other way.