Obama Budget Includes Thomson Money

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Feb 1, 2010 6:40PM

President Barack Obama released his $3.8-trillion fiscal 2011 federal budget that he'll propose to Congress and it includes money to buy Thomson Correctional Center. The budget has $237 million set aside for the purchase of the prison which would hold around 100 detainees transferred from Guantanamo Bay once it's closed as well as other federal prisoners. The Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet reports:

The Obama White House is proposing acquiring Thomson for a dual use: To house an estimated 100 Guantanamo detainees who are being held indefinitely in a facility run by the Department of Defense and to use the rest of the complex to house federal prisoners in a facility to be run by the Bureau of Prisons.

The Defense Department would "own" Thomson and lease space to the Defense Department. The Bureau of Prisons would occupy 75 percent of the facility and the Defense Department would use 25 percent of the space for the detainees. The plan calls for two entirely separate facilities side by side.

During a teleconference yesterday, a White House spokesperson said the $237 million price tag, "includes the cost of modifying and operating the facility for a year. The negotiation process with the State of Illinois regarding the purchase price is ongoing, and this number builds in flexibility depending on the final appraisals and final negotiated price with the state."