On November 7th, former governor George Ryan reported to the minimum-security federal prison in Oxford, Wisconsin, less than a week after getting reassigned from the one in Duluth, Minnesota. What was he thinking? The Duluth prison made the 2006 Forbes “12 Best Places to Go to Prison” list, but Ryan preferred the Wisconsin location.
“Both Oxford and Duluth are fine institutions, and it’s not a matter of choosing one over the other, but the travel time to Oxford is better for his family,” his attorney, former governor Jim Thompson, said at the time. The other differences?
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DULUTH, MINNESOTA
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OXFORD, WISCONSIN
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Security Level: Minimum
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Security Level: Medium, with attached minimum camp
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Population: 854
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Population: 1,187 (205 in minimum security)
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Staff Members: 85
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Staff Members: 290
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Miles from Chicago: 469
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Miles from Chicago: 199
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Starting Inmate Wage: 12 to 40 cents per hour (depending on the job and inmate experience)
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Starting Inmate Wage: 12 cents an hour (goes up to 40 cents an hour)
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Best Perk: Large collection of musical instruments
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Best Perk: Culinary classes
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Notable Illinois Alums:
Governor Dan Walker, Judge David Shields, Judge Michael McNulty |
Notable Illinois Alums: Congressman Dan Rostenkowski, Alderman Lawrence Bloom, Alderman Virgil Jones, Alderman Ambrosio Medrano, Cook County commissioner Martin Tuchow
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