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* From the Southern…

– Illinois Department of Corrections Acting Director John Baldwin said on Thursday that an overhaul of the corrections’ system is in order.

He noted the spike over the past four decades in the state’s prison population is largely because of an increase in the number of people locked up for substance abuse-related problems, and said new laws and policies should be enacted to reverse the trend. […]

Baldwin said the system is currently upside down, with more money being spent on returning inmates who are considered at a low-risk of re-offending, when research shows that these individuals do best when they are allowed to resume their lives with minimal required interaction with the system.

The opposite is true for medium- and high-risk offenders, he said, though securing service providers for these individuals can be more difficult because, by nature of their assessed risk level, their cases are generally more complex.

Baldwin said the commission continues to meet, and its next major focus will be tackling sentencing reform. A wide array of experts across the political spectrum contend that draconian drug laws have led to the explosion of the prison population by locking up addicts who would be better served by community sanctions, such as home arrest and probation, with a treatment component.

Looks like good government to me.

Now, if we could just convince his boss to stop dragging his feet on medical marijuana and back a real legalization bill, I’d be pretty happy.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Apr 18, 16 @ 4:00 pm

Comments

Any “treatment components” left out there?

Comment by Led Hed Monday, Apr 18, 16 @ 4:05 pm
Rauner collapsed all the service providers, jail is now the only drug rehab in buisness.

Comment by Ghost Monday, Apr 18, 16 @ 4:06 pm
Rauner’s clemency approval rate demonstrates that he cares not for second chances or improving a person’s ability to move forward with their life.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 18, 16 @ 4:08 pm
The sooner the draconian drug laws are changed the better. The prison system has turned into a jobs program for communities which is the last thing they were meant to be. If we weren’t spending so much on prisons perhaps there would be more money for rehab centers

Comment by Just a Citizen Monday, Apr 18, 16 @ 4:21 pm
Sounds good, but how can one go in for drug treatment while one is on home arrest?

What about the people who are in prison on drug charges, but they have no place to live once they get out? How does house arrest work for that group?

Comment by Mama Monday, Apr 18, 16 @ 4:22 pm
We need to pass a bill to expand medical marijuana uses.

Comment by Mama Monday, Apr 18, 16 @ 4:24 pm
There is currently no drug rehab for those in jail or prison.

Comment by Mama Monday, Apr 18, 16 @ 4:26 pm
Millions to babysit pot smokers, not a penny for schools. Ugh.

Comment by IllinoisBoi Monday, Apr 18, 16 @ 4:31 pm
Best of luck with the boss, Director Baldwin.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Monday, Apr 18, 16 @ 4:31 pm
it takes community human service providers to assist these individuals, no budget = no human service providers = no programs

Comment by 13TH Monday, Apr 18, 16 @ 4:45 pm
I’ve read that the Illinois Medical Cannabis industry has spent $250 million so far on building their grow houses and retail stores. Can Gov. Rauner point to any other industry that is bringing that investment to Illinois on his watch? Anyone know how many jobs this new industry has created? Seems like those numbers would be more appealing to Gov. Rauner than the argument that sick people might actually be benefiting from the herb.

In terms of reducing the prison population for nonviolent drug offenders all it would take is creating some misdemeanor charges for controlled substance violations. Currently ANY amount of ANY drug besides cannabis, alcohol or tobacco is a felony offense. There are drug courts but those are just a government handout for the drug testing industry, of which the largest one in Chicago/suburbs is partly owned by the former head of the DEA and IDOC.

Comment by Vegan Butcher Monday, Apr 18, 16 @ 4:50 pm
The DOC director ought to tell the BigBrains that their early release plan does not provide lastin’
if the releases stay out. This means there are services available on the outside. The BigBrains have wrecked most it already.

Comment by Annonin' Monday, Apr 18, 16 @ 4:50 pm
Sentencing reform and drug policy should be top priority issues. Imagine if we had a government that could get past basic budget functions and work seriously on these reforms.

I look enviously at states that are legalizing and have more expansive MMJ. It’s hard to see us moving very far, with this governor and even Rep. Lang, who I think doesn’t support adult-use marijuana (recreational).

Comment by Grandson of Man Monday, Apr 18, 16 @ 6:19 pm
what is the number of inmates who are incarcerated on a first time offense Class 4 felony possession conviction?

How many inmates are incarcerated simply with drug possession offenses that are NOT convictions for dealing?

Comment by Amalia Monday, Apr 18, 16 @ 6:38 pm
“- Amalia - Monday, Apr 18, 16 @ 6:38 pm:

what is the number of inmates who are incarcerated on a first time offense Class 4 felony possession conviction?

How many inmates are incarcerated simply with drug possession offenses that are NOT convictions for dealing?”

I would guess very few….many counties have online access to arrest records of state prisoner/convicts. Most arrestees don’t see the inside of a state prison until they have repeatedly violated the laws of the state.

Drug laws my need some revision, but many of the the same people will still find a way to not comply with the laws of society.

Comment by Retired ISP Monday, Apr 18, 16 @ 6:51 pm
Yet another example of where the Rauner Administration is turning back the Big Labor/Government-dominated failures of the Madigan/Quinn/Blago cabal.

The is hit square on the head: “The prison system has turned into a jobs program for communities which is the last thing they were meant to be. “

Comment by yup, that makes a lot of sense. Monday, Apr 18, 16 @ 10:19 pm
The Cook County Sheriff has been cooking up some good stuff on this front for awhile now, with the Rocket Docket program and his expungement bill (HB6328) that ISP is trying to hold up over $60. Mary Mitchell had a good article on this over the weekend; if only a few more people knew about it and a few more folks would support it. Even the Policy Institute backs similar measures, and they had some pretty solid numbers on the idea in their March 2016 Special Report. You’d think these criminal justice reforms would be pretty solidly bi-partisan by now.

Comment by *...* Monday, Apr 18, 16 @ 11:25 pm
Legalize it. Almost anyone can get hold of a killing weapon in this country but it is illegal to consume a substance that mellows a person. Talk about irony.

Comment by illinoised Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 7:50 am
Bruce doesn’t even think veterans should be able to treat their PTSD with medicinal marijuana. He thinks that numbing with opiates and alcohol has proved to be a viable solution to this point.

Comment by AlfondoGonz Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 8:32 am