The first prisoners to be housed at Thomson Correctional Center in northwestern Illinois are expected to arrive next month.
The Moline Dispatch reports the federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed about 80 minimum security prisoners will be housed at the site's satellite camp. The inmates will perform jobs to help prepare the prison to operate fully.
Illinois completed building Thomson prison in 2001, but never fully opened the facility because of budget constraints. The state sold the prison to the federal government for $165 million in 2012.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin's office says more prisoners are expected to arrive in the next few months.
There are about 160 federal employees currently working at the facility, and recruiting continues. The prison is expected to employ 1,100 staff when fully operational.
