Illinois plans to tear down, rebuild Stateville prison
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CREST HILL, Ill. — Gov. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) announced plans Friday morning to tear down and rebuild Stateville Correctional Center.
IDOC will work with officials on a timeline and next steps — with work to begin pending capital appropriations in the fiscal budget for 2025.
The state said it’s anticipated this plan will temporarily close and demolish Stateville with a new correctional facility to be built on its grounds.
The prison is located just north of Joliet in Crest Hill.
The state is also planning to replace Logan Correctional Center in downstate Lincoln, but that exact new location has not been determined yet.
“The capital funds dedicated to Stateville and Logan further demonstrate our commitment to continuing to rebuild and strengthen our state’s infrastructure,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “These investments will allow staff to work in modern and safe facilities, ensure those who are incarcerated can safely serve out their sentences, and save taxpayers hundreds of millions in deferred maintenance costs from years of neglect.”
Kane County program can move IDOC inmates back to jail for re-entry to society
The plan estimates construction costs will total between $805 to $935 million. Gov. Pritzker’s proposed FY25 capital budget included $900 million in new funds to demolish and rebuild the prisons.
The projects are expected to save Illinois an average of $34 million in annual operations savings, according to the state.
“This plan marks a pivotal moment in IDOC’s ongoing efforts to ensure the safety and well-being of our staff and the individuals in our care,” Acting Director of IDOC Latoya Hughes said. “These investments underscore Illinois’ unwavering commitment to implementing modernized and secure correctional environments while taking a fiscally responsible approach to address aging infrastructure.”
Over the years, Stateville has held notorious inmates including Richard Speck, Leopold and Loeb, Larry Hoover, James Degorski and Juan Luna. John Wayne Gacy was executed there.
It was opened in 1925. Stateville currently has a capacity of 3,020 with the current population at 1,927 as of Friday. It has one of the highest cost to incarcerate an inmate of any prison in the state.
The cost is $61,304 per inmate with IDOC’s average being approximately $46,000.
The Illinois prison population is 29,828 as of Friday. Its peak was in Feb. 2013 at 49,401.
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