SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A prison watchdog group is asking Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn to reconsider plans to close the Dwight women's prison.

A statement from John Howard Association executive director John Maki on Wednesday says Dwight is the state's only maximum-security prison for women.

He says the Livingston County facility has been successful in hiring many female correctional officers and training staff to handle a population that overwhelmingly comes from backgrounds of physical, sexual and emotional abuse.