Republican state Rep. Dennis Reboletti knows something about prisons because as an assistant attorney general he defended the state against lawsuits from inmates. He says he’s concerned by Gov. Pat Quinn’s refusal to let reporters into state prisons.

He says he plans to call the director of the Department of Corrections to find out why the Quinn administration is keeping reporters out. Reboletti says he’s also going to bring up the issue with the Republican caucus because Illinois taxpayers spend a lot on prisons.

“Since they’re not able themselves to go in there, they’re going to have to trust the legislators, the watchdog groups, and the media so hopefully we’ll resolve the situation and the media will be allowed in at some point in the near future,” says Reboletti.

Reboletti says he’s sure there’s a way for reporters to safely visit prisons without being too burdensome on the Department of Corrections.