SPRINGFIELD – Gov. Pat Quinn defended his state prisons chief on Wednesday, a day after reappointing S.A. "Tony" Godinez to the post despite criticism about ethics, inmate overcrowding, understaffing and violence.

Godinez's name was one of two dozen the Democratic governor sent to the Senate for confirmation as agency directors, but it's clearly the most contentious. The Senate has not set a date for voting on the appointments.

Republican senators have questioned Godinez and his Department of Corrections as Quinn ordered the closure several prison facilities to save money, even though there is a record-level inmate population that critics believe has sparked an uptick in violence. But the director of a prison watchdog group said Godinez's 40-year prison career is well-suited to those and other challenges ahead for Illinois' prisons.