RichardWanke.Com

The political mess-up with IDOC and the resultant suspension of Meritorious Good Time defined the whole of 2010. Parole, work release, home monitor, direct treatment, educational programs and alternatives to incarceration were negatively impacted by legislative inaction in addressing this problem. Meritorious awarding of inmate credits for schooling and various treatment programs proceeded and committee meetings were held but open legislative debate of correctional issues was rare and obstructed by unnecessary posturing and barbs of political finger pointing.

Safety concerns and warnings by security staff and correctional officers were ignored. Shortages of food, clothing, medical and legal services are now the norm in IDOC; overpopulation and warehousing of IL prisoners go unquestioned by the media who are still diverted by scandals of early release. The temporary appointment by newly re-elected Gov. Quinn of Gladyse Taylor as Acting Director of IDOC did nothing to help the public or inmates. In her 1st 100 days in office, Ms. Taylor has done little and said less publicly on any IDOC issue.
Whether the IL legislature will vote anytime soon also reduce the more than 50,000 inmate population in State prisons is unknown.  While the State legislature today took the responsible action of addressing the broken judicial system of Death Row in IL by abolishing the IL Death Penalty, it has been the only IDOC corrections issue so far pending on the State legislative agenda.

The good news is that the State finally managed in the waning hours of the lame-duck session to pass a State income tax increase which Governor Quinn will sign. That act takes part but not all of the pressure off the legislature as far as dealing with the State’s financial crisis. The legislature also agreed to borrow in order to pay the massive amount of current outstanding State bills, but it was not able to agree on any other source to raise additional revenue which is badly needed immediately. Consequently, a new legislature will be sworn into office today and it will begin the process of propping up the tax increase. It will have to first deal with the unfinished business of current bills and other possible revenue if it wants any room to move around in. Then it has to go on to figuring out a new budget for the year.

These are all big, disputed issues for the new legislature. So, we are a little further on toward their possible consideration of any reinstatement of MGT, but it remains a lesser issue on their agenda. The State legislature in the coming weeks will again become preoccupied and embroiled in legal wrangling over the State budget from January – ? 2011, and have little time or incentive to resolve the MGT stalemate until some outline of agreement on the bigger financial issues becomes apparent.