Lake County Gazette

Senator Sally Turner and Representative Bill Hauter expressed their disappointment in a joint statement, noting that "We are greatly disappointed that the people of Logan County have not received any assurances regarding the future of Logan Correctional Center." Turner made this statement in a June 14 Facebook post.

"We are greatly disappointed that the people of Logan County have not received any assurances regarding the future of Logan Correctional Center," said Sally Jo Turner, State Senator 44th District (D), according to Facebook. "We adamantly disagree with the Pritzker Administration's misguided plan to close and relocate Logan Correctional Center and insist that the Illinois Department of Corrections commit to rebuilding the facility within Logan County. We do not dispute the fact that LCC is in need of repairs and may need to be rebuilt in the near future; however, the Governor's Administration has failed to provide a compelling argument to justify the disruption and hardship that moving the facility to Northern Illinois would create for our community, the facility's employees and its residents."

Hundreds of individuals attended a facility in Lincoln on Thursday for one of two hearings last week concerning proposed actions for Logan and Stateville correctional facilities. According to WTTW, the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) prefers that Logan Correctional be rebuilt on the grounds at Stateville, which is 150 miles away from its current location. This would create "a more regionalized approach for the women’s facilities," according to an IDOC report quoted by WTTW.

Screenshot of Sen. Sally Turner's June 14 Facebook post | State Senator Sally Turner's Facebook page

The plan to rebuild Logan Correctional could cost up to $425 million, with the intention to house incarcerated individuals in Logan until it is rebuilt, WTTW reports.

A Yahoo News report indicates that funding for the demolition and reconstruction of Logan and Stateville Correctional centers is included in the budget for the next fiscal year, totaling just under $1 billion. The proposal was announced in March, and the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability is expected to issue a decision this month, Yahoo reported.

"The decision by the Governor’s Administration to close the Logan Correctional Center without any assurance of its reopening within Logan County is both devastating and infuriating," said officials elected to represent Logan County, including Senator Turner, Representative Hauter, Logan County Board Chairman Emily Davenport, and Lincoln Mayor Tracy Welch in a joint statement provided to 25NewsNow. They added, "While we recognize that Logan Correctional is in need of repairs, it is only in its current state of disrepair because of neglect and the misplaced priorities of this Administration. Logan Correctional is an instrumental part of Lincoln and its surrounding communities. It provides more than 500 direct jobs, hundreds more indirect jobs, and immeasurable local economic benefits."

Turner has served as a senator for the 44th Senate District since 2021. She holds a degree in legal studies from the University of Illinois and has experience as a juvenile probation officer and paralegal in the Logan County State’s Attorney’s Office. She was elected as Logan County Clerk in 1994 and held the position through five consecutive re-elections, according to her official biography.