On March 15, 2024, Governor JB Pritzker stood before cameras and announced what may be the largest capital investment in Illinois corrections history: a plan to demolish and rebuild both Stateville Correctional Center, a maximum-security men's prison just outside of Joliet, and Logan Correctional Center, Illinois's primary women's prison in Lincoln — and replace both with modern facilities at a cost of approximately $900 million.
Why These Two Facilities?
The announcement was not a surprise to anyone who had followed the condition of these two aging institutions. A state-commissioned assessment of both facilities found that they had accumulated more than $402 million in combined deferred maintenance costs — meaning that decades of deferred repairs had created an infrastructure backlog so large that renovation was deemed less practical than replacement.
Stateville, a former "panopticon" design prison built in the 1920s, has been chronically cited for structural deterioration, failing mechanical systems, and conditions that courts and advocates have described as unconstitutional. Lawsuits alleging decrepit and isolating conditions contributed to the transfer of Stateville's population to prisons across the state, and Stateville effectively closed in March 2025 following those transfers.
Logan, the state's primary facility for incarcerated women in Lincoln, Illinois, has faced a series of sexual assault and harassment lawsuits, physical plant problems, and infrastructure failures. The 2024 plan called for a new women's facility with gender-responsive design — a term reflecting research showing that incarcerated women have distinct needs, trauma histories, and programming requirements that standard corrections facilities designed primarily for men do not address.
Where Will the New Facilities Be Built?
The location question generated significant local politics. The original announcement suggested one of the new facilities might be built near Logan's existing Lincoln location. However, by 2025, the Illinois DOC had announced plans to build both new facilities in Crest Hill, in Will County — a decision that dashed the hopes of Lincoln-area residents and officials who had expected the women's facility to remain in their community.
The decision to centralize both facilities in Crest Hill — near the existing Stateville site — reflects practical considerations including land availability, infrastructure access, and proximity to labor markets for correctional staff. But it also means that women incarcerated in Illinois's new facility will be housed in the Chicago metro area rather than central Illinois, which has implications for family visitation access for women whose families are downstate.
The Timeline: "Far From Shovel-Ready"
An advisory board convened to evaluate the project issued a frank assessment in June 2024: the plan was "far from shovel-ready." Significant planning, environmental review, procurement, and design work remained before construction could begin. The IDOC named a construction management team for the rebuild initiative in November 2025 — a step toward execution that suggests the project has advanced from announcement to active planning, but the actual construction timeline extends years into the future.
For families with loved ones currently at Logan or in the IDOC system, the practical implication is that the new facilities are at minimum several years away. People currently incarcerated will remain in existing facilities until the new buildings are complete.
Women at Logan: Advocates Seek Transfer Plan
In December 2025, advocates asked Governor Pritzker and IDOC to endorse a specific plan for transferring women currently at Logan to other facilities during the construction period and transition. The advocacy reflects concerns that women at Logan face ongoing safety issues — including a documented pattern of sexual assault by staff — and should not be left in deteriorating conditions for the years it will take to complete the new facility.
IDOC headquarters: 1301 Concordia Court, P.O. Box 19277, Springfield, IL 62794. Phone: (217) 558-2200. Website: idoc.illinois.gov.