The View From Here: Thomson, Ill., And Its Maximum Security Prison

By David Greene
Thomson, Ill
FILE - In this May 21, 2010 file photo, a van drives past the Thomson Correctional Center in Thomson, Ill. The prison in northwest Illinois could see inmates move in March 2015 as hiring ramps up for the federal prison. The prison was built by the state in 2001, but it didn't open fully due to budget troubles. The prison was at one point under consideration by the Obama administration as a new site for inmates from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. M. Spencer Green / Associated Press
Thomson, Ill
FILE - In this May 21, 2010 file photo, a van drives past the Thomson Correctional Center in Thomson, Ill. The prison in northwest Illinois could see inmates move in March 2015 as hiring ramps up for the federal prison. The prison was built by the state in 2001, but it didn't open fully due to budget troubles. The prison was at one point under consideration by the Obama administration as a new site for inmates from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. M. Spencer Green / Associated Press

The View From Here: Thomson, Ill., And Its Maximum Security Prison

By David Greene
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As part of a new election series, we visit Thomson, home to a maximum security prison that has been virtually unused since it opened 16 years ago. The state failed to provide a budget to operate it.

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