Recently the Federal Bureau of Prisons announced the purchase of Thomson Prison in Thomson, IL. With the opening of the prison, there is a tremendous opportunity for our area and we welcome the nearly 1,100 jobs.

According to the Daily Herald, “State officials estimated that annual operation of the facility would generate more than $122 million in operating expenditures, including salaries and $61 million in local business sales.” The Bureau of Prisons informs us that they will finalize their plans for the coming year sometime in December of this year. At this time, they plan on spending a minimum of six months in performing needed modifications, alterations, and necessary testing of the current facility. After this phase they will begin the staffing phase. Some hiring could begin before the end of 2013 but their plans are not definite at this time.