CHICAGO – Convicted felon John Flood credits a state transition center with helping him get his life back on track after prison and testified Tuesday that Gov. Pat Quinn's plan to close them would have a disastrous effect on inmates looking for a fresh start.

"They know how to do prison; they don't know how to do the world," said Flood. The 54-year-old spent nearly two years at Westside Adult Transition Center in Chicago after his theft sentence before landing a maintenance supervisor job.

He was among about a dozen – including state employees and U.S. Rep. Danny Davis – who spoke against the proposed closure Tuesday before a state commission.