Illinois officials are moving forward with a plan to build a pair of prisons to replace two other aging facilities. The state has budgeted $900 million for the work, and the Illinois Capital Development Board and Illinois Dept. of Corrections recently issued a request for proposals seeking a construction manager and advisor to oversee design and construction.
The planned multi-security level prisons would each contain 1,500 single cells as well as spaces for health and other services. One would house men and the other would house women, according to state officials.
The prisons will replace two aging facilities, Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, Ill., and Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln, Ill. Stateville has already been largely shut down following a judge’s order to transfer inmates to other facilities by the end of September because of hazardous conditions in the deteriorating building that originally opened in 1925. Repairs to the Stateville building were estimated to cost more than $250 million, plus design issues restrict space for inmates’ “out-of-cell time” and necessitate extra staff, records show. And Logan, which opened in 1978, is "“inefficient, ineffective and unsuitable for any population," according to a third-party report prepared for the state.
Officials have identified unused grounds at the Stateville site as the potential locations for both future prisons.
Firms interested in the RFP have until Dec. 16 to complete a prequalification process with the Capital Development Board. Officials plan to shortlist between three and five firms to interview, records show. Details are available on the board’s procurement website.
“We're seeking a team with the expertise and vision to help implement Illinois' bold investment in correctional infrastructure, improving our capacity to deliver effective rehabilitation programs and prepare returning citizens for successful reentry,” said Latoya Hughes, acting director of the state Corrections Dept., in a statement.
The construction manager would be excluded from participating in additional design and construction contracts related to the project.
The Capital Development Board is tentatively aiming to present its selection next April.
