Quinn Plan Would Cut Drug Treatment in Prisons

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn's prison plan goes beyond closing eight facilities. Drug-abuse treatment and job training would be cut by more than $12 million.

Critics say the cuts would make a crowded system more crowded. John Maki of the prison watchdog John Howard Association tells The (Bloomington) Pantagraph (http://bit.ly/wWi5KF ) that eliminating those services would mean more ex-convicts back in prison because they're not prepared for the streets.

Quinn's proposal for the budget year that begins in July would close two maximum-security prisons and six halfway houses along with drug and jobs programs the Corrections Department has yet to specify.

Sheridan and Southwestern Illinois correctional centers specialize in drug treatment. Their services would be affected but spokeswoman Stacey Solano says the agency is looking for other prisons to specialize too.