Members of a bipartisan state commission today narrowly recommended that Illinois should not close a juvenile facility in Kewanee. Advocates of keeping the Illinois Youth Center open say it's the newest and most cost-effective facility in the state.
Director Candice Jones says other sites have better rehabilitation opportunities... and that should be the priority. The commission's 5 to 6 vote is not binding, so the Department of Juvenile Justice can still go forward with the closure. That would affect about 200 current employees. Republican Senator Chuck Weaver of Peoria voted against closing Kewanee. He says it's possible to transition site to a geriatric prison for elderly inmates.