,

Pat Quinn

Illinois

Governor

Department of

S. A. Godinez

Corrections
1301 Concordia Court· P.O. Box 19277
Springfield IL 62794-9277

September 23, 2011

Mr. Dan Long, Executive Director
Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability
703 Stratton Office Building
Springfield, Illinois 62706

Director

Telephone: (217) 558-2200
TOO: (800) 526-0844

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SEP 2 3 2011

CGFA

Dear Director Long:
In response to the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability request dated
September 14, 2011, please find enclosed the Illinois Department of Corrections (lOOC)
recommendation for closure of Logan Correctional Center in compliance with 30 ILCS 608.
Should you have any questions or require additional information to supplement the
recommendation for closure submission, please contact lOOC CFO Bryan Gleckler at (217) 5582200 ext. 2029.

Sincerely,

S.A. Godinez, Director
Illinois Depa.'1:ment of Corrections

cc: Senator Jeffrey Schoenberg, Co-Chair
Representative Patricia Bellock, Co-Chair

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Recommendation for the Closure of
Logan Correctional Center
Response to the Commission on
Government Forecasting and Accountability

Submitted by:
Director S.A. Godinez
Assistant Director Gladyse C. Taylor
Illinois Department of Corrections

September 23, 2011

Introduction
For FY2012, the General Revenue Fund (GRF) budget appropriation for the Illinois
Department of Corrections (IDOC) totals $1,167,299,300. This appropriation level
reflects a $110,742,300 reduction from the introduced budget request of
$1,278,041,600. Due to the fact that approximately 86% of the Department's total
budget goes toward the operation of correctional institutions, in order to achieve this
level of a reduction IDOC is faced with the unfortunate reality that correctional facilities
will have to be impacted.
In order to meet the FY2012 budget appropriation, IDOC is implementing several
reductions that will have a direct impact on the overall operation of the Department.
These reductions range from not processing collective bargaining employees pay
raises, freezing headcount at the June, 2011 level, reduced spending on non-personnel
items, and closing the Logan Correctional Center.
At the present time, IDOC's inmate population is 49,105. This is hovering around an alltime high for inmate population in the State of Illinois. The inmate population at Logan
Correctional Center, a Level 4 Medium Security facility, is 1,980. Faced with shutting
down a facility in an attempt to cut costs, IDOC has deemed Logan Correctional Center
a suitable facility to close due to its large general inmate population that can be more
easily transferred than a higher risk population and its proximity to other correctional
facilities. The proximity of other facilities will minimize the closure's impact on the
community (i.e. businesses, services) and also aid those facing layoffs via the closure,
as opportunities for employment at other facilities within commuting distance will be
more readily available.
Per the State Facilities Closure Act (30 ILCS 608/5-10 (a)), IDOC is required to respond
to the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) for the ten
specific items listed below:
1. Location and identity of the facility;
2. Number of employees affected, and the effect of the closure on those
employees;
3. Location of where affected employees and/or work functions would be moved;
4. Availability and condition of land and facilities at both the current and potential
locations;
5. Ability to accommodate the functions and employees at both the current and
potential locations;
6. Cost of operations at both the current and potential locations along with any
other related budgetary impacts;
7. Economic impact on surrounding communities at both the current and potential
locations;
8. Ability of the current and potential communities to provide the infrastructure to
support functions and employees;
9. Impact on service delivery to both the current and potential locations; and

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10. Environmental impact, including the impact of costs related to environmental
restoration, waste management, and environmental compliance activities.
Responses to the aforementioned items follow below:

1.

Location and identity of the facility.

Logan Correctional Center
1096 1350th Street
Lincoln, Illinois 62656
2.

Number of employees affected, and the effect of the closure on those
employees.

As of August 15, 2011, 356 employees were located at Logan Correctional Center, 11
of which were on official Leave of Absence. As part of the plan to terminate operations
at Logan Correctional Center, all 356 employees would be affected as the entire facility
would become non-operational effective January 1, 2012.
The Department intends to take every measure possible to minimize the impact of the
closure on these 356 employees. In fact, there are enough positions available
throughout the agency to ensure that each of these 356 employees is offered a position
within the Department of Corrections. Filling vacancies at other institutions will assist
the Department in reducing its overtime liabilities; therefore resulting in additional cost
savings for IDOC. There are a total of 7 correctional facilities located within 90 miles of
Logan Correctional Center. The Department estimates that there will be approximately
192 positions available by December 31, 2011 at other IDOC facilities that are within 90
minutes of Logan Correctional Center. These facilities include Lincoln CC, Taylorville
CC, Decatur CC, Jacksonville CC, Pontiac CC, Dwight CC and Hill CC. The remaining
164 employees would likely have to relocate to another region of the state to remain
with the Department.
The Department analyzed drive distances based on the city residences reported to
IDOC for the 356 employees currently working at Logan Correctional Center. The data
were then charted according to residence county whereby 155 (43.5%) of the cases live
within Logan County, 101 (28.4%) live within Sangamon County, and 64 (17.9%) live
within Menard, Mason, and Tazewell Counties.
The data were then aggregated according to four time intervals based on drive times to
other nearby correctional centers. While the overwhelming number of employees, 348
(97.7%), of Logan Correctional Center live within one hour of the facility, the same
number live within one hour of Lincoln Correctional Center, 324 employees (91.1 %) live
within one hour of Taylorville Correctional Center, 289 (81.1 %) live within one hour of
Decatur Correctional Center, 160 (45.0%) live within one hour of Jacksonville
Correctional Center, and 17 (4.7%) live within one hour of Pontiac Correctional Center.

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Note that each correctional center was analyzed individually, so one employee could
live within an hour of two or three different facilities.
3.

Location of where affected employees and/or work functions would be
moved.

The Department currently maintains 27 correctional centers, with another 14 satellite
and transitional facilities in operation. and numerous parole offices. Given total staffing
levels of more than 11,600 employees, there are a number of positions that become
available through attrition, retirement, transfer, resignation, etc. throughout the year.
The Department intends on offering at least 667 vacancies to impacted employees at
other correctional facilities throughout the state. These positions will be available at
every correctional facility or office, presenting many options for the 356 displaced
employees to fill vacancies, with little or no demand for additional training to perform
work functions. However, not all work functions for the 356 displaced employees will be
moved directly to one location, they will be dispersed throughout the correctional
system.
Availability and condition of land and facilities at both the current and
potential locations.

4.

Logan Correctional Center was opened in 1930 as a mental health facility. This
institution was turned into a correctional facility in 1978. In addition to the 13 3-wing and
2-wing dorm style buildings, Logan also has a 448-bed X-house that was opened in
1997.
Over the past several years, there have been several capital upgrades made to Logan
Correctional Center. These major upgrades are as follows:
•
•
•
•
•

Power Plant Upgrade - $4,400,000
Constructed new dietary and medical building - $10,000,000
Re-roof of Housing Unit 14 - $600,000
Re-roof of Administration building and gym - $500,000
Re-roof of (4) housing units - $800,000 (currently under construction)

While these upgrades have been made, there are many other capital needs at this
facility that have yet to be addressed:
•
•
•
•
•

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Re-roof additional housing units - $1,200,000
Window Replacements - $4,000,000
Exterior door replacements - $600,000
Rehab Water Storage Tank - $150,000
Replace primary electrical loop and switch gear - $2,400,000

5.

Ability to accommodate the functions and employees at both the current
and potential locations.

Upon closure, functions at Logan Correctional Center will be nearly non-existent as no
inmates will be housed there. Upkeep and maintenance of the facility and grounds will
be managed by employees from Lincoln Correctional Center. This closure will require
relocating approximately 1,980 inmates throughout the system.
Of the 1,980 inmates that will need to be relocated, IDOC projects that bedspace for
300-350 inmates will be found in Health Care Units and Segregation Units throughout
the correctional system. Consequently, approximately 100% of our beds, including
medical and segregation beds, would be filled leaving the Department with increased
challenges in prison operations and the maintenance of daily populations. Of the 1,980
inmates, 130 -180 inmates will have to be housed in available beds located at Tamms
CMAX.
Ultimately, given IDOC's current bedspace challenges, approximately 1,500 minimum
security inmates will likely be required to be housed in gymnasiums at Hill Correctional
Center, Lawrence Correctional Center, Pinckneyville Correctional Center, Western
Illinois Correctional Center, Illinois River Correctional Center, Big Muddy Correctional
Center, Shawnee Correctional Center, Danville Correctional Center, Jacksonville
Correctional Center, Robinson Correctional Center, and Taylorville Correctional Center.
Adding this population to the aforementioned institutions leads to operational challenges
and makes it more difficult to provide day to day mandated services (i.e. provision of
health care services, programming, processing inmates through the Dietary at meal
times, etc., becomes more difficult to accomplish).
While IDOC is prepared to face the challenges of providing mandated services in a less
than ideal situation, an increased risk of legal exposure is an evident possibility. To
assist in confronting these challenges, IDOC will be required to increase employee
headcount at the facilities that will receive the additional inmate population.
6.

Cost of operations at both the current and potential locations along with
any other related budgetary impacts.

The FY12 appropriation for Logan Correctional Center totals $30,510,300. Given that
the plan is to close this facility effective December 31, 2011, the Fiscal Year 2012
savings at Logan CC will be approximately $15,255,200. However, there is also a cost
associated with redistributing the 1,980 inmates currently located at Logan to other
institutions for items such as food, medical care, clothing, etc. Assuming a marginal
cost of approximately $6,1 OOlinmate/year, the Fiscal Year 2012 costs associated with
relocating 1,980 inmates to other correctional facilities is $6,039,000. Given this cost,
the Fiscal Year 2012 net savings associated with this closure is approximately
$9,216,200. On an annual basis moving forward, assuming all other things equal, the
cost savings would be approximately $18,432,400.

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7.

Economic impact on surrounding communities at both the current and
potential locations.

IDOC requested the Regional Economics Laboratory at the University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign to analyze this segment of the report. The Department provided applicable
information regarding employee salaries, along with annualized expenditures for
operations for Logan Correctional Center.
The report from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is attached for your review.

8.

Ability of the current and potential communities
infrastructure to support functions and employees.

to

provide

the

Given budgetary constraints and the lack of a significant capital appropriation over the
past several years, there are a multitude of major infrastructure issues throughout many
of our facilities. Logan Correctional Center is no exception.
As described above, the inmate population from Logan CC would have to be shifted to
other medium security facilities, which will create a variety of operational concerns,
including the facilities' ability to adequately provide the necessary services to the
additional inmate population. In addition, IDOC will maximize its current available beds
by being forced to utilize segregation beds and health care beds to house general
population inmates.
9.

Impact on service delivery to both the current and potential locations.

This closure is being driven solely based on the Department's Fiscal Year 2012 budget
appropriation and presents a wide array of operational issues and concerns.
Nevertheless, this closure is an end product of the State's fiscal challenges and the
least harmful of closure options that would affect prison operations. While the impact of
this closure will be felt in the daily management of the prison population the Department
will continue as it always does to make safety and security its first priority.
10.

Environmental impact, including the impact of costs related to
environmental restoration, waste management, and environmental
compliance activities.

The grounds and maintenance of the facility will be provided by Lincoln Correctional
Center. There is no known environmental impact associated with the closure of this
facility.

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