Officials from the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Department of Defense are expected Monday at the Thomson Correctional Center. It's about 150 miles west of Chicago.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin say the potential sale could help create about 3,000 jobs in the economically depressed area.
But critics, including Republican members of Congress from Illinois, have been quick to condemn the prospect of the sale because of safety concerns.
Federal officials are considering Thomson along with a facility in Florence, Colo. and a site in Hardin, Montana.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)