Governor Pat Quinn says he doesn't believe that closing prisons will have an impact on public safety. The governor says the Tamms prison is only about half full and it costs three times more to house inmates there than any other prison in Illinois. He says he plans to go ahead with closing down the prison despite the fact that others want to keep it open.
Illinois prison guards have been opposed to the closure. They say that moving the inmates to other prisons will just lead to more overcrowding and put the safety of guards and inmates in jeopardy.
