Illinois Shuts Lincoln Women's Prison, Costing Hundreds of Jobs in Town of 13,000
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 17
Illinois Shuts Lincoln Women's Prison, Costing Hundreds of Jobs in Town of 13,000
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 17
Summary
Illinois has officially closed the women’s prison near Lincoln, removing an employer that supported hundreds of jobs in the central Illinois town.
Lincoln, about three hours south of Chicago, has roughly 13,000 residents and now faces another economic blow after years of local shutdowns.
Closures already cited by residents include a bottle factory in 2019, a Christian university, a glass-window plant and Lincoln College, which shut in 2022 after 157 years.
The prison loss has deepened fears about Lincoln’s future even as health care, manufacturing, agriculture and Route 66 tourism remain among the town’s remaining economic anchors.