McLean County Times

Illinois State Sen. Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington) appears to be annoyed over the lack of communication from Gov. Pritzker's (D-IL) Administration due to the possible downsizing of the Pontiac Correctional Center. 

Barickman scolded Pritzker and his administration for not attending a forum about the future of the state prison in a May 25 Facebook post.

"It's clear that no one from the Pritzker Administration wants to come to participate in a discussion," Barickman wrote in the post. "I think it's frustrating and wildly unfortunate."

In his Facebook post, Barickman shared a link to a Pontiac Daily Leader story about the public forum he and Rep. Thomas Bennett (R-Gibson City) hosted about the Pontiac Correctional Center which was held earlier this month.

"When an administration makes big decisions, they tend to give you a head's up — 'Hey, this is happening, want to let you know here's why. If your constituents call, you can explain whatever the circumstances,'" Barickman said in the article published on May 11. "Unfortunately, in this one, there was none of that. It was us finding out from people locally that something had occurred."

Back in February, Barickman and Bennett penned a letter to the General Assembly on the questions they had about the situation at Pontiac Correctional Center. According to the Peoria Standard, Bennett and Barickman noted there is "rightfully a great deal of concern" about what lies ahead in the future for the prison. The lawmakers noted they were aware some prisoners had been moved to other prisons, and sections of the facility had been closed. 

"When we first heard about the potential closures and transfers, we immediately filed a formal request for more information from both the Director of the Illinois Department of Corrections and Governor Pritzker," they wrote in the letter. "As of yet, we have not received a response."

Five years ago, Barickman led other legislators on a tour of the prison. At the time, Barickman said the Pontiac Correctional Center played an important role for both the area and in keeping citizens safe, according to a press release. 

Pontiac Correctional serves as a maximum-security prison. It first opened in 1871.