Quinn says he's ending controversial prison early release program

Source: Chicago Tribune

Gov. Pat Quinn announced today that he is ending a controversial prisons policy that accelerated good behavior credit for new inmates and led to some inmates spending just a few weeks in the state lockup.

The state now will require all prisoners serve at least 61 days before they can earn such credit, the governor said at a news conference in Chicago. The Illinois Department of Corrections also will provide prosecutors with at least 14 days notice before a prisoner can be released.

Quinn said he did not approve the early release program and thought it was "bad judgment." The governor put the blame on Michael Randle, his prisons chief, but said he would not fire Randle.

Read more: http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/12/quinn-says-hes-ending-controversial-prison-early-release-program.html

By all means have programs for drug offenders, but when it comes to murder, rape, assault, etc. I am totally with the hard-liners.

Hard drug users? Crackheads, tweakers and junkies need rehabilitation, and a prison is as good a place to do it as anywhere.

Anyone should be able to use any drug they want. Drug use should not be a crime. If people are committing crimes because of their drug use, however, that's a different story.

the people who run the prisons are pissed off because of mandatory overtime due to under-staffing. the prison system is also under funded and there`s no relief in site. i knew exactly what was happening when i read who the intake people were allowing to leave.

I think the figure is something like 400,000+++ inmates are released every year

-- time is up! That's all --

But this is a huge number of people returning to society after often very inhumane

treatment in our prisons. It effects all of society, naturally --

This idea of punishment is sick --

We should incarcerate -- isolate from society -- but where the right wing has taken

imprisonment and the terms of it is sick and destructive -- as all of their policies

are!