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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Since December 2009, serious questions have been
3 raised about Illinois Department of Corrections programs to
4 grant early releases to prisoners assigned to Departmental
5 custody, and despite good-faith efforts by members of the
6 General Assembly, these questions have not yet been answered by
7 the administration of current Governor Pat Quinn; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Investigative reports indicate that under one of
9 the Department's early release policies, the "Meritorious Good
10 Time (MGT) Push" early-release program, at least 1,745
11 prisoners may have been released from Departmental custody
12 after serving terms as short as 11 days of Departmental
13 custody; and
 
14     WHEREAS, Department of Corrections prisoners who were
15 granted "Meritorious Good Time Push" early release include
16 prisoners who had previously been convicted of serious and
17 life-threatening criminal offenses, such as murder, attempted
18 murder, manslaughter, sex crimes, and weapons violations; and
 
19     WHEREAS, Investigative reports indicate that at least 129
20 prisoners released from Departmental custody under the
21 "Meritorious Good Time Push" early-release program had been
22 tracked as of January, 2010, as having violated, subsequent to

 

 

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1 their release, the terms of their release, and as of January
2 2010 had been returned to Departmental custody; and
 
3     WHEREAS, Investigative reports indicate that about
4 one-half of the 129 former prisoners granted "Meritorious Good
5 Time Push" early release committed violent criminal offenses,
6 including unlawful use of a weapon and domestic or aggravated
7 battery, subsequent to their release, which according to the
8 these reports was why this group of ex-prisoners were returned
9 to custody as of January 2010; and
 
10     WHEREAS, The Department of Corrections has not been able to
11 share, with the General Assembly or other investigators, any
12 additional information about further early-release prisoners
13 who may have been returned to custody after January 2010; and
 
14     WHEREAS, It is not clear how the "Meritorious Good Time
15 Push" policy was conceived, finalized, or implemented; the
16 General Assembly and other investigators have not been able to
17 obtain definitive answers to these questions; and
 
18     WHEREAS, The process used to generate, implement, and
19 respond to the so-called "Meritorious Good Time Push" early
20 release policy raises significant concerns about the current
21 governance structure and responsiveness to the public welfare
22 of the Illinois Department of Corrections and the overall

 

 

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1 safety of the Illinois public; therefore, be it
 
2     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
3 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
4 there is created a nonpartisan Early Release Investigative
5 Committee, which shall have the duty of inquiring into,
6 investigating, and reporting to the Illinois House on the early
7 release programs implemented by the Department in 2009 and
8 2010, including, but not limited to, the "Meritorious Good Time
9 Push" program; and be it further
 
10     RESOLVED, That the Committee shall contain 10 members, of
11 whom 5, including one co-chairperson, will be appointed by the
12 Speaker of the House and 5, including one co-chairperson, will
13 be appointed by the House Minority Leader; and be it further
 
14     RESOLVED, That the Committee is instructed to invite and
15 hear public testimony from executive-level leadership
16 personnel of the Department of Corrections on the
17 implementation and consequences of these Departmental early
18 release policies; and be it further
 
19     RESOLVED, That the Committee shall receive staff support as
20 necessary from the employees and contractors of the Illinois
21 House of Representatives; and be it further
 

 

 

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1     RESOLVED, That the Committee shall report to the Illinois
2 House no later than May 1, 2010 on its findings and the current
3 state of the investigation, as of the date of the report, into
4 the early release programs implemented by the Illinois
5 Department of Corrections in 2009 and 2010; and be it further
 
6     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this Preamble and
7 Resolution be presented upon adoption to the Speaker of the
8 Illinois House and to the Illinois House Minority Leader.