Weeks after blocking a move to close a major section of Stateville Correctional Center, some lawmakers now are rallying to save the aging Pontiac prison in rural Livingston County.

State Sens. Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) and Dan Rutherford (R-Chenoa) met with local leaders at Stateville, north of Joliet, and the Dwight Correctional Center on Monday to discuss the threat to the Pontiac prison and to kickoff a summer tour of state prisons.

They hope to persuade Gov. Rod Blagojevich to back off plans to shut down Pontiac by bringing attention to the impact of prison closures on local communities.

They also want the governor to create an independent panel to review the state's correctional system and map out a long-term plan to address problems.

"There's been a lot of talk about closing prisons and that wreaks havoc on local communities," said Radogno, who was among a group of lawmakers who earlier this year blocked the state's plan to shut the maximum security wing of Stateville . "Our planning now is in response to prison closures and not a long-term planning of the correctional system."

After trying unsuccessfully to close three prisons including Pontiac in 2004, Blagojevich in February said he intended to close the maximum security wing of Stateville to save an estimated $30 million in next year's budget.

Critics questioned the estimated savings and argued that the shutdown would have forced the loss or transfer of more than 400 jobs and dealt an economic blow to Will County. The state subsequently backed off the plans to close the Stateville wing and has turned its attention to the 130-year-old Pontiac prison.

State officials say transferring most of Pontiac's 1,600 prisoners to a prison built for $145 million in 2001 in Thomson near the Iowa border would save money and improve safety for inmates and prison workers.

Thomson's minimum-security wing has housed prisoners for years, but its maximum-security unit has remained vacant, awaiting prisoners from Pontiac or Stateville. In May, after the state halted plans to close Stateville in favor of Pontiac, Radogno introduced a bill calling for a moratorium on prison closures and establishing a panel to examine how the system is run and where resources are spent, and to set up a plan for the future.

With the General Assembly in recess, Radogno and Rutherford are asking Blagojevich to implement such a plan through executive authority.

In a written response Monday, Januari Smith, spokeswoman for the state Department of Corrections, said: "These are very tough decisions to make when improving efficiency and closing facilities . . . While prison facilities are often a great economic benefit to the communities they are located near, that should not be the primary reason to continue to operate a facility."

Although the state budget next year includes funding for Pontiac, the state is moving ahead with plans to close it.