SPRINGFIELD, IL - Illinois prison guards are stepping up their efforts to keep Gov. Pat Quinn from shutting down two state penitentiaries.

A dozen guards spoke at the state Capitol on Thursday to describe attacks on staff and inmates in the already overcrowded correctional system. They predict even more violence if the prisons are closed.

Jake Dalton, a sergeant at the Pontiac prison, says Quinn has lit the fuse on a powder keg.

The union for Corrections Department employees says assaults on staff jumped by 46 percent between 2007 and 2011.

Quinn plans to close the "supermax" prison at Tamms, where inmates who become violent are sent. A women's prison at Dwight is also scheduled to close.

He says inmates from these facilities can be transferred safely to other prisons. Quinn says that will save money that can be used on other important services.