Illinois’ Early Release Program *Halted*
[Guest post by DRJ]
The AP reported that Illinois’ budget crisis prompted its Governor to implement a secret early release program for state prisoners to help balance the budget:
“Records obtained and analyzed by the AP show that since September more than 850 inmates have been released weeks earlier than they ordinarily would be. The Corrections Department is saving money by abandoning a policy that requires inmates to serve at least 61 days and awarding them discretionary good-conduct credit immediately upon entering prison.”
Some released prisoners served mere days, including a wrong-way drunk driver released after 18 days who hit two cars and hospitalized another driver for weeks; and a previously convicted felon who served 21 days for armed robbery and was arrested with an illegal weapon and a bag of cocaine.
ADDENDUM: I hadn’t even published this post before the Illinois Governor announced he was rescinding the early release program in response to the AP’s article.
— DRJ
Why, it’s almost like one hand of the government had no idea what the other hand was doing or something!
Unless of course Governor Quinn is just trying to cover his ass once the initial decision reached the light of day.
chaos (9c54c6) — 12/13/2009 @ 7:47 pmWhy do I suspect chaos of being love2008?
In any case, “administrative releases” have been going on forever in Illinois and sometimes it has to do with the budgets of some persons and not the State’s.
nk (df76d4) — 12/13/2009 @ 8:14 pmBecause you’re a brainless fuck?
chaos (9c54c6) — 12/13/2009 @ 8:18 pmObama will work secretly with his blue states to release a lot of prisoners next year in time for the census. He has to show decreases in black prisoner population. His reverend was yelling “God Damn America” because of all the blacks in prison. Obama needs to show that he has decreased the black prisoner population by 2012 or he’ll have to explain why the numbers remain high even during his presidency.
j curtis (5126e4) — 12/13/2009 @ 8:25 pm21 days for armed robbery? Didn’t Huckabee get raked over the coals for releasing an armed robber after 11 years? (Actually, he only decreased his sentence from 105 years to 47, it was the parole board who released him at 11).
Vatar (3899d0) — 12/13/2009 @ 8:25 pmGeez, why does sunlight cause embarrassment if Quinn thinks this is a good program? What a putz!
daleyrocks (718861) — 12/13/2009 @ 9:20 pmI like how when the state needs to make cuts because they run out of money, one of the first things they do is release “non violent” prisoners. Like here in CA where 40,000 prisoners are supposed to be let go early because there’s no money to hold them.
What’s the point of even bothering sending them to prison if they’re just going to let them go days later?
wherestherum (d413fd) — 12/13/2009 @ 11:05 pmExactly.
DRJ (84a0c3) — 12/13/2009 @ 11:07 pmWhy are prisons so expensive?
How much did it cost to intern people at Manzanar?
Michael Ejercito (6a1582) — 12/14/2009 @ 7:52 amOn prisoner release, I doubt that the state would release Scott Peterson or Richard Allen Davis.
But what about people convicted of drug possession or distribution, who have completed 85% of their sentences or more? Should they stay in prison?
Michael Ejercito (6a1582) — 12/14/2009 @ 7:54 amThis would be a very different discussion if those were the types of people being released.
Sadly, I don’t think those folks are in the same class as “armed robber who had served 21 days”.
Scott Jacobs (d027b8) — 12/14/2009 @ 8:09 amThis program gives new meaning to the phrase “Get out of jail free card”. I guess Quinn had adopted that as the State’s policy without bothering to check and see if prosecutors, victims, and other citizens thought that was a good idea. It’s not playing too well in Peoria.
Rochf (ae9c58) — 12/14/2009 @ 8:53 amPrison costs can be cut drastically by employing wooden stocks. All cities and towns should have these. Toss in a few vendors of rotten tomatos and you can add this to the jobs created/saved list.
Corwin (ea9428) — 12/14/2009 @ 9:02 amIllinois will get a billion dollars out of Gitmo closing. A billion dollars. You could built an aircraft carrier or a space station for that much money. Every single way he can, Obama’s administration is sending tons of cash to bureaucrats and corrupt leaders. These massive frauds will be fighting hard to stay in existence 50 years after Obama’s out of office.
It would have been practically free to change the rules governing Gitmo to match the methods Illinois will offer. And they would be completely separated from our country. But that would fail to accomplish the true goal of relocating as much wealth as possible into the hands of those who put Obama where he is today.
Dustin (44f8cb) — 12/14/2009 @ 9:09 amMy daughters and I are the victims of domestic battery/prior, with an active 2 year order of protection against a prisoner that was released after serving 2 months in prison! According to the eligibility requirements, he was not eligible…so why is he out? I lost my freedom while being with this man so why should he have his freedom? We were never asked how we felt about this and I will fight to have him locked back up! Here’s an idea…instead of letting prisoners out to cut costs..how about the people responsible for this outrageous idea take a pay cut!
Melissa Loeffelholtz (59133a) — 12/16/2009 @ 8:13 pm