CHICAGO – Illinois prison officials are moving quickly to empty the high-security Tamms prison – once home to hundreds of inmates called “the worst of the worst” – and other facilities slated to be closed early next month.

Department of Corrections spokeswoman Stacey Solano said Monday that 124 inmates have been moved from Tamms to segregation units at Pontiac Correctional Center since Thursday. As of Monday, 12 inmates remained in Tamms’ single-cell isolation area and 48 others were still housed in the prison’s minimum-security unit.

All residents also have been moved out of three halfway houses targeted for closing, Solano said.