Thomson Correctional Center
in Thomson, Illinois is being considered by the
Department of Defense to house suspects from the
closing U.S. Guantanamo Bay prison.
The maximum-security Thomson
Correctional Facility, about 150 miles west of
Chicago, was one of several evaluated by the
Federal Bureau of Prisons, and emerged as a
leading option to house the detainees, the
official told The Associated Press on condition
of anonymity because a decision has not been
made.
(
Tribune photo by Lane Christiansen /
November 14, 2009 )
President Barack Obama wants
alleged terrorism suspects from the
controversial military-run detention center in
Cuba to be transferred to U.S. soil so they can
be prosecuted for their suspected crimes.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has
been hinting at a possible new use for Thomson,
and he issued a statement saying he would hold a
news conference Sunday to outline those plans.
Thomson was built by the state in 2001 with
1,600 cells, but budget problems prevented it
from fully opening, and it now houses about 200
minimum-security inmates.
It is unclear how many
Guantanamo detainees – many held without charges
since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan –
would be transferred to Illinois or when. Obama
initially planned to close the Guantanamo Bay
prison by Jan. 22, but the administration is no
longer expected to meet that deadline.
If the Federal Bureau of Prisons buys the
facility, it would be run primarily as a federal
prison, but a portion would be leased to the
Defense Department to house a limited number of Guantanamo
detainees, the White
House official said. Perimeter
security at the site would be increased to
surpass that at the nation's only Supermax
prison, in Florence, Colo., the official said.
Interrogation Is An Art Form. Become An
Amazing Interviewer Using These Hypnotic Interview And Interrogation
Techniques In The Focused Interviewing System! Polygraph Expert Reveals
All!
The course is free! To sign
up for the weekly training just
Click Here!
