Sentenced to prison and sent home the same day

By the time Pedro Arenas pleaded guilty to a gun charge, he had already served his sentence.

Still, Arenas was herded onto a heavily guarded Cook County sheriff's bus and driven an hour from Chicago to an Illinois state prison, where he was photographed, fingerprinted, fed twice and issued an identification number. Hours later, he was released from prison with new street clothes and enough bus fare for a return trip home — all of which left him confused.

"Why did they have to take me down there?" he asked. "Why waste all that time and money?"

Arenas experienced what is euphemistically known as "dress in, dress out," where inmates who have completed their sentences in county jail are transferred into the state prison system only to be turned around and sent home the same day.

...

As Illinois grapples with paying its bills, Gov. Bruce Rauner is looking to cut costs by overhauling the state's criminal justice system. Rauner in February formed a commission to conduct a comprehensive review of sentencing laws, prisoner diversion programs and early release programs to reduce the number of adults and juveniles sent to correctional facilities.

full: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/ct-jail-prison-turnaround-met-20150412-story.html