Springfield , IL – Local lawmakers, State Senator Dan Rutherford (R-Pontiac) and State Senator Gary Dahl (R-Granville), toured the Pontiac Correctional Center , Monday. Led by Senator Rutherford, Dahl and other newly-elected lawmakers observed conditions at the facility, and talked to administrators and workers about the prison’s needs.

“Touring the Pontiac Correctional Facility allows us to speak to the men and women who work at the prison, address any concerns the administrators of the facility may have, and observe the inmates’ living conditions,” said Rutherford. “I was extremely impressed by the dedication of the administrative officers and the correctional workers to ensuring the safety of staff and the inmates. They should be commended for the dangerous work they do on a daily basis.”

Prison administrators expressed their concerns over Governor Blagojevich’s recent threat to furlough prison workers at Pontiac and other correctional facilities to pay for an $86 million shortfall in the state’s current budget.

“I totally disagree with that approach,” said Dahl. “Furloughing prison workers isn’t just bad for the workers and their families—it could jeopardize safety at our prisons. Right now, Illinois prison guards do a terrific job with the resources they are given. Let’s keep it that way.”

Dahl noted that the move was the latest attempt by the Governor to raise state dollars at the expense of Illinois prisons. Last year, the Governor and Senate Democrats proposed closing prisons in Pontiac and Vandalia to pay for new state spending.

Although the Pontiac facility is located within Rutherford ’s 53 ^rd District, Dahl estimated that dozens of the workers employed at Pontiac live in Streator, Morris, Ottawa and other communities within his 38 ^th District. Overall, about 700 workers are employed at the Pontiac facility.