It’s official! As anticipated, the IL House has now passed Senate Bill 2621, by a vote of 68 -50, authorizing the Department of Corrections to issue sentence credits which can lead to the early release for inmates eligible under the terms of the bill. The bill will now head to Governor Pat Quinn for possible signature. Quinn has 60 days to either sign it or indicate his opposition to it. While this is great news for all incarcerated in the overcrowded IL state prisons, the bill still needs Quinn’s approval and then to be implememented. It is unknown right now if Quinn will sign the bill into law; he has not indicated past support for the bill or any inclination that he will work to implement any form of early release. If signed the law will head to Rules and Regulations for work before IDOC changes are begun. As we have said before, even in the most optimistic scenario, readers should not look for any sentence shortening to begin till after the November 2012 elections and possibly even some time in 2013. Still, this is wonderful and long anticipated news! Congradulations to everyone who has worked so hard for so long to try to reinstate some form or early release for IL inmates!
Here is the link to the whole piece of SB 2621`legislation. Readers will have to scrutinize it carefully to determine just who is eligible for what.
Bill Synopis:
Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Changes the references to "good conduct credit" and "early release" on felony sentences to "sentence credit", and the references to "good conduct for meritorious service" to "sentence credit for good conduct". Provides that the Department of Corrections shall provide annual reports to the Governor and General Assembly on award, amount, holding offenses, and revocation of sentence credit for good conduct. Provides that the rules and regulations for sentence credit shall provide that the sentence credit accumulated and retained by an inmate during specific periods of time in which the inmate is engaged full-time in behavior modification programs or life skills courses and satisfactorily completes the assigned program as determined by the standards of the Department of Corrections shall be multiplied by a factor of 1.50 for program participation. Provides that the rules and regulations shall also provide that sentence credit, subject to the same offense limits and multiplier, may be provided to an inmate who was held in pre-trial detention prior to his or her current commitment to the Department of Corrections and successfully completed a full-time 60 day or longer substance abuse program, educational program, behavior modification program, or life skills course provided by a county department of corrections or county jail. Requires the county program credit to be calculated at sentencing and included in the sentencing order. Deletes prohibition on an inmate receiving additional sentence credit for time spent in an educational or training program if the inmate previously served more than one prior sentence for a felony in an adult correctional facility. Provides that the Department may also award 60 days of sentence credit to any committed person who passed the high school level Test of General Educational Development (GED) while he or she was held in pre-trial detention prior to the current commitment to the Department of Corrections. Provides that the Department's rules and regulations for revoking sentence credit, includes revocation of sentence credit for good conduct. Effective upon becoming law.
Senate Floor Amendment No. 4
Provides that eligible inmates for an award of sentence credit for specific instances of good conduct may be selected to receive the credit at the Director's or his or her designee's sole discretion. Provides that consideration may be based on, but not limited to, any available risk-assessment analysis on the inmate, any history of conviction for violent crimes as defined by the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act, facts and circumstances of the inmate's holding offense or offenses, and the potential for rehabilitation. Restores language that no inmate shall be eligible for the additional good conduct credit in which the inmate is engaged full-time in substance abuse programs, correctional industry assignments, educational programs, behavior modification programs, life skills courses, or re-entry planning who (i) has previously received increased good conduct credit for that participation and has subsequently been convicted of a felony, or (ii) has previously served more than one prior sentence of imprisonment for a felony in an adult correctional facility.
RichardWanke.Com 
My son was incarcerated for driving on a revoked license. He received three yrs serving over a yr already. Eligible for parole in october 2012. I can’t brlieve you get more time driving while people kill someone and get a slap on the wrist. Not fair. All he tried to do was thr right thing. He tried everything to get his licence back. Money, classes, fines. He lost his license 12 yrs ago. When is enough enough??
LikeLike
As I see it Mr. Rays comments are not eertinly correct either. ICC IS housing “max” offenders. These “max” offenders DO have access to the minimum and medium security inmates not only when they are coming and going to “chow” but at other times also.In a statement from IDOC they say they are “dispersing” gang members amongst other inmates in an effort to quell the violence. Now THAT is a ridiculous way to “prevent” violence. That’s like throwing Hannibal Lector in with Little BoPeep and expecting him to suddenly become “un-violent” I, too, am asking as a concerned citizen, Why is ICC exposing minimum and medium security inmates to those who are “max” or should obviously be classified “max” because of their violent actions?This whole thing reeks of rationalization.If it were their loved one who was continually being punished for the actions of others as ICC is doing to them, would they keep hiding their heads in the sand?We are sick of hearing about ICC’s ridiculous rules and cover ups. For heavens sake, get the GANGS under control and stop punishing those who are just trying to survive in that hell hole.
LikeLike
Why is it taken so long to implement the good time, I really miss my boyz,,,
LikeLike