Some Stateville employees push back against prison closure and reassignment plans

CREST HILL, Ill. - Workers at Stateville Correctional Center are criticizing the state's plans to close the facility while a new prison is being built. 

Some staff workers said that the state's plans to demolish and rebuild Stateville will unnecessarily disrupt their lives as the facilities they'd be re-assigned to would require commutes of up to two hours each way. 

The Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) said it would take them about a year to break ground for new buildings at Stateville after moving prisoners out in September.

State Sen. Rachel Ventura, who represents Joliet, said the timeline doesn't make sense to her.

"To completely shut down Stateville in September when we're at least a year away from any additional aspects of that, I would say that let the courts say it then because right now you're the ones making that decision to impact all of these people's lives," said Ventura.

Staff members are urging lawmakers to vote against plans to close Stateville during construction.