To gain insight into the impact of prison closures, WTTW News looked back on the last prison the state shut down: Dwight Correctional Center. Read on for this and more local stories. 

A Women’s Prison Closed in 2013. The Fallout Still Lingers

The administration building of Dwight Correctional Center is pictured on Sept. 19, 2024. (Blair Paddock / WTTW News)

Hi, it’s Blair Paddock on WTTW News’ investigative team. I’ve spent most of the year covering prisons — specifically the impending closures and rebuilds of Stateville and Logan correctional centers. It led me to the question: What happens when a prison closes? 

So, I looked back on the last prison to close in the state: Dwight Correctional Center, which closed in 2013. Since August, I’ve been speaking with those directly impacted by the closure, like women who were incarcerated with horrific accounts of transferring prisons or a former corrections worker who now is a security guard of the empty prison. Reporting led to visits to the village closest to the prison, also named Dwight, where I spoke to lifelong residents on the impact of the closure of one of the area's largest employers. I spent time at their Route 66 welcome center, watching tourists from the Netherlands and Mexico visit this small town, and at a local fall festival, which included prison-themed wrestlers.

What happened to the incarcerated women? 

• Hundreds of incarcerated women were transferred to Logan Correctional Center, nearly 100 miles away from Dwight. Women were then housed in a facility that was “not designed to address the operational needs of a large women’s population,” staff that was insufficiently trained to work with a female population and harassment, according to a report and accounts from incarcerated women.

What happened to the workers? 

• While future employment of correctional workers was a concern for those against the closure, most were able to stay within the department. Of the 351 workers at Dwight, 36 resigned or chose layoff from IDOC and 315 continued to work with IDOC at nearby prisons. 

What happened to Dwight? 

• When the prison closed in 2013, the village felt an impact but the full picture is more nuanced than the force of a shuttered prison: The R.R. Donnelley printing plant, a major employer, closed in 2020, the pandemic impacted jobs, and business owners retired. Now, nearby ALDI Distribution Center and the William Fox Developmental Center serve as some of the main employers for the town. 

How 2024 mirrors 2013. 

• In March, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration announced plans to close and rebuild Logan Correctional Center, the same prison the state shuttled women to the last time a facility closed. The state is also closing and rebuilding Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill.

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Mourners Gather to Honor Slain CPD Officer Enrique Martinez

Adrian Martinez Jr. hugs his mother, Rosa Mayen, after speaking at the funeral for Officer Enrique Martinez at St. Rita Cascia Shrine, 7740 S. Western Ave., on Nov. 18, 2024. (Anthony Vazquez / Sun-Times via Pool)

A funeral service was held Monday for fallen Chicago police Officer Enrique Martinez, who was fatally shot while on-duty earlier this month. Martinez was killed while conducting a Nov. 4 traffic stop in the Chatham neighborhood. Martinez was 26 years old and was with the police department for nearly three years. Authorities have charged Darion McMillian, 23, with murder. He is currently being detained pending trial.

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Back in the Day: November 19, 2014 - Judge Orders Suburban Harvey to Pay $26M in Unpaid Water Bills to Chicago 

One under-known fact about Chicago is that the city regularly sells treated Lake Michigan water to the suburbs, who in turn charge their residents for access to that supply. On this day 10 years ago, a Cook County judge found that south suburban Harvey had failed to pay Chicago back for millions of gallons of water. In the ruling, the judge ordered the municipality to pay the city $26 million in unpaid water bills—that number is more than Harvey takes in from annual property taxes. In 2017, another Cook County judge ordered that control of Harvey’s water operations be transferred to a court-appointed receiver, noting that millions of dollars were missing and another $26 million misspent: funds still being diverted to keep the city afloat instead of paying bills. By 2021, Harvey regained control of its water operations but as of July 2024, the suburb still owes around $4.8 million in unpaid water bills to Chicago. 

Other News From Around Town

• Block Club Chicago: Roscoe Village and Avondale residents are pushing to block a proposed warehouse on Western Avenue near Belmont and Diversey over traffic, safety concerns. 

   

The Chicago Bulls are almost a month into their NBA season. How do you feel about the team so far? Tell us what you think and why. 

Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published.

• Our Spotlight Politics team with the latest pushback on proposed budget cuts to police reform efforts.

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