Prisons director retiring at end of year

SPRINGFIELD - The director of Illinois' Department of Corrections has announced plans to retire, one of the first state agency heads to announce he's leaving at the same time as Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn.

Department officials say S.A. "Tony" Godinez, who has worked in corrections for 42 years, told staff of his decision on Thursday. The 62-year-old was first appointed to the role in April of 2011, and was reappointed last spring.

Republican Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner has been critical of Illinois' prison system under Quinn. That made it unlikely that Godinez would have stayed on when Rauner takes office in January.

The corrections department came under criticism for a number of issues during his tenure, including concerns about alleged overcrowding, but Godinez contested those claims. He followed Quinn's directive to close two prisons and sell one to the federal government.

In a statement, he said that he leaves the position "knowing we did great work in a time of many challenges and this is a very safe, secure and efficient prison system."

Godinez began his career in corrections as a re-entry counselor with the state department in 1973. He also served as a parole counselor, and as an assistant warden at Stateville Correctional Center, as well as Stateville's warden. He was named chief of operations for the department in 2003.

The department statement noted Godinez' efforts to improve efficiency and reduce costs at the prisons, and said he increased the number of female wardens. It said the department under him had made safety and security a priority despite a 12 percent increase in inmate population since 2000.