In May 2008, Governor Rod Blagojevich proposed to shut down the Pontiac facility, with a phase-out plan to take place from January through February 2009.
Blagojevich's successor, Pat Quinn, cancelled plans to close Pontiac Correctional Center in March 2009 after taking office.
[4] When the prison was expanded to house an adult population, the buildings of the former reform school were used as the administrative offices.
The cells had iron bars in the front and contained a cot or spring bed, a stool and locker.
Relatives were allowed to visit once a month on any day except Saturday afternoons, Sundays, and holidays.
Inmates were put in certain confinement cells with nothing but a slice of bread to eat every morning for 3 to 8 days, for worse violations.
[5] In the 21st century, inmates are disciplined in many forms for known violations of laws or rules of the institution or department, for which they receive tickets.
[9] On April 23, 1973, a brawl broke out at Pontiac involving 100 inmates using homemade knives, cleaning utensils, and metal trays as weapons in the mess hall.
By the time guards fired tear gas to suppress the violence, two inmates had been stabbed and killed.
According to Time Magazine, this fight had been sparked by competition among members of rival Chicago gangs who were imprisoned.
Soon the local and state police arrived and fired eight rounds of tear gas into the prison yard.
After the shakedown, on November 3, the court ordered Pontiac Correctional Center to restore the family visitation hours and phone privileges as they were before the riot, as well as the meals, exercise and work times.
Protective custody and inmates from the medium-security unit may obtain jobs within the prison, ranging from cellhouse porter to lawn care or vehicle maintenance.
[14] In March 2015, officers received a tip that an inmate in the North Cellhouse had a homemade weapon in his cell and had threatened to use it against staff.
The prison's Tactical Team was mobilized after the inmate refused to comply with orders to put on restraints for a cell search.
When the team entered the cell and attempted to restrain the inmate, he stabbed 3 officers multiple times on the hands, arms, and legs.
According to Joe Lewis, a correctional officer and union official at the Pontiac facility, other inmate violence against employees was occurring.
Illinois Department of Corrections spokeswoman Nicole Wilson disputed Lewis's statement, saying,"The events that led to this incident do not appear to be the result of a lack of policy or a breakdown in existing policies but rather a failure to follow workplace safety procedures already in place, DOC's investigation will include why procedures weren't followed and how future incidents can be prevented.
[17] On February 12, 2017, less than 16 hours after the assault noted above, an inmate stabbed an officer in the side of the head/temple area in Property.
Staff had been ordered to continue some normal movement, which included moving inmates to and from the property building to prepare for transfers.
[19] Many residents of Pontiac opposed the plan, fearing "570 jobs in this central Illinois town would be lost.
[20] On September 15 a joint meeting in Chicago and Springfield was held on the issue, for voting by the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.
"[19] On September 17, an independent commission of state lawmakers rejected closing the prison, despite the claims by the Department of Corrections that such action would save money in the next year's budget.
[21] Pat Quinn, lieutenant governor of Illinois since 2003, assumed the governorship in January 2009 after Blagojevich was impeached for corruption charges.
Plans were finalized in early 2022, allowing the prison to remain open, while permanently closing the medium-security unit.
This unit provides psychiatric and psychological mental health services for offenders who are sentenced to be within the correctional system for a longer period of time and have a segregated status.