By Cynthia Grau/WJEZ News

Representative Tom Bennett took his first tour of the Pontiac Correctional Center Monday with several fellow lawmakers.

Bennett, who admitted he’d never seen the inside of the prison, said beforehand that he wanted to keep an open mind and learn from the tour. Shortly after finishing, he stopped by the WJEZ studios to give listeners his thoughts.

“You can tell the employees know the inmates. They know them by name and they know what’s going on,” Bennett said. “They know what to be aware of. They’re a good bunch of folks there. They’re proud of the job they do and I do thank them for their work. It’s important work, not only for Pontiac but also for the state of Illinois.”

Looking forward, Bennett said this tour helped him see some of the things that needed to be worked on inside the prison with the state’s budgeting in mind.