The Illinois Department of Corrections transferred the first 20 offenders to the new Life Skills Re-entry Center in Murphysboro on Monday. WSIU's Brad Palmer reports.
The new Life Skills Re-entry Center in Murphysboro is now open.
At last month's graduation ceremony for the first class of cadets to provide security at the facility, Governor Bruce Rauner said the goal is to stop the revolving door to prison.
"It'll keep our communities safer by treating our offenders, giving them the life skills, helping them with their mental health challenges and addiction challenges, but giving them vocational skills, technical skills, life skills, so that when they leave the corrections system, they're able to be productive citizens."
The Illinois Department of Corrections transferred the first 20 offenders to the former Illinois Youth Center facility on Monday. They'll go through an orientation process before starting their educational, job readiness and cognitive behavior therapy courses.