SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- A spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons won't say whether the agency is interested in buying the Illinois prison at Tamms that Gov. Pat Quinn plans to close.
In a letter dated Friday and obtained by The Associated Press, Quinn tells the agency's director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons that the 14-year-old Supermax lockup would be a ''valuable addition'' to the U.S. correctional system.
Prison bureau spokeswoman Traci Billingsley says the agency often tries to buy state prisons if they are adequate and money is available. She would not comment on Quinn's letter.
Quinn says the high-security Tamms must close to save money. Angry southern Illinois lawmakers want him to keep the prison open and keep its hundreds of employees working.
A Quinn spokeswoman did not immediately comment.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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