(Joe Ragusa/WJBC)
By CYNTHIA GRAU/WJEZ
PONTIAC – State Sen. Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington) and State Rep. Tom Bennett (R-Gibson City) hosted a special tour of Pontiac Correctional Center Monday morning for area lawmakers.
Several of the legislators were touring the facility for the first time and Barickman said he wanted to give them a first-hand experience of seeing the prison.
“Often times (there’s) a lot of errant information about what our prisons are like and I want lawmakers to experience first-hand what it looks like,” said Barickman. “I think they’ll likely say it was clean, and orderly, and things like that, but I want them to experience that first-hand.”
It was Bennett’s first chance to tour the facility. He was looking to take his experience and apply it to lawmaking in Springfield.
“Of course, I know that the whole prison system has challenges with space and all sorts of things,” said Bennett. “I’m looking forward to learning more.”
State Rep. Randy Frese (R-Quincy) said he was looking forward to seeing everything first-hand inside the prison.
“I’m there to look at conditions for inmates. I’m also there to look at conditions for people who work there,” said Frese. “I’m like a sponge; I’m going to take it all in.”
State Sen. Margo McDermed (R-Mokena) said she didn’t exactly know what to expect from the tour, but she was coming with an open mind.
