Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform Releases Preliminary Report

Lee Edwards | As of Wednesday, July 8, 2015

The Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform is developing evidence based strategies to reduce the prison population throughout the state by 25% by 2025.
The Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform is developing evidence based strategies to reduce the prison population throughout the state by 25% by 2025.

The Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform released a preliminary report that frames its process and progress on lowering the Illinois prison population by 25% by 2025.

Ill. Gov. Bruce Rauner established the Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform with Executive Order 15-14 (EO15-14) on Feb. 11. EO 15-14 allocates resources to the Commission for addressing criminal justice sentencing policies/practices through comprehensive evidence-based strategies.

The Commission is still in the process of compiling and analyzing information from listening tours with victims’ rights groups, former offenders, law enforcement officials, treatment providers, defense attorneys, and residents of Chicago and East St. Louis, and will also research what other states in the U.S. are doing in the area of sentencing reform before a final report is issued.

“The governor is pleased to see the work the commission has accomplished, and he is looking forward to its final report and recommendations on reducing recidivism,” said Catherine Kelly, Press Secretary for Gov. Rauner. “The commission will continue to meet regularly to develop tangible ways to reduce Illinois’ prison population by 25 percent, as the Executive Order states. There are a number of ideas generated in the report; in particular, the commission is examining ways to sentence smarter to better serve the public and the offenders.”

Members of the Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform are:

• Chairman: Rodger Heaton - Public Safety Director & Homeland Security Advisor, Office of the Governor

• Vice Chairman: Jason Barclay - General Counsel, Office of the Governor

• Kathryn Bocanegra - Director of Violence Prevention, Enlace Chicago

• Jerry Butler - Vice President of Community Corrections, Safer Foundation

• John Cabello - State Representative

• Michael Connelly - State Senator

• Scott Drury - State Representative

• Brendan Kelly - State's Attorney, St. Clair County

• Andrew Leipold - Edwin M. Adams Professor, University of Illinois College of Law

• John Maki - Executive Director, Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority

• Doug Marlowe - Chief of Science, Law & Policy, National Association of Drug Court Professionals

• Karen McConnaughay - State Senator

• Michael Noland - State Senator

• David Olson - Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Loyola University

• Michael Pelletier - Illinois Appellate Defender

• Howard Peters- Former Director, Illinois Department of Corrections

• Elena Quintana - Executive Director, Institute for Public Safety - Adler University

• Kwame Raoul - State Senator

• Elizabeth Robb - (Ret.) Chief Judge, 11th Judicial Circuit

• Pamela Rodriguez - President and CEO, Treatment Alternatives for Safe

Communities

• Kathryn Saltmarsh - Executive Director, Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council

• Stephen Sawyer - Director of Specialty Courts, 2nd Judicial Circuit & (Ret.) Chief Judge

• Elgie Sims Jr. - State Representative

• Brian Stewart - State Representative

• Greg Sullivan - Executive Director, Illinois Sheriffs' Association

• Michael Tardy - Director, Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts

• Gladyse C. Taylor – Acting Director, Illinois Department of Corrections

To learn more about the Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform visit http://www.icjia.state.il.us/cjreform2015/.

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