Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Unclear on the concept

Posted in:

Illinois

Gov. Bruce Rauner (R-IL) is working to ensure his administration can keep suing inmates to recoup the cost of their stays in jail.

After the Chicago Tribune brought some abusive room-and-board lawsuits to light last fall, state lawmakers hashed out a tense compromise over legislation to shield inmates. But on Friday, Rauner sent the bill back to the legislature. […]

Rauner’s increasing interest in going after inmates in court in the past two years has sometimes seemed vengeful.

One inmate he sued had just won a $50,000 legal settlement from the agency over inadequate medical care claims. The state sued him for $175,000 “even though the department already had agreed in writing not to try to claw back the settlement money,” the Tribune wrote in November.

Think Progress bills itself as “a news site dedicated to providing our readers with rigorous reporting and analysis from a progressive perspective.”

But that “rigorous reporting” apparently doesn’t include checking to see if the Illinois attorney general is part of the governor’s administration. She’s elected on her own. And she, not Rauner, is the one who decides whether to file the lawsuits.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Aug 25, 16 @ 10:08 am

Comments

I’m confused. From Trib article linked in Think Progress article:

“Attorney General Lisa Madigan, whose office filed the lawsuits following referrals from prison officials, supported the legislation, saying the lawsuits raised little money and raised difficult moral questions. The corrections department took no position on the measure.”

And:

“The law that allowed the state to sue prisoners and parolees for the cost of their incarceration dates to 1982. Corrections officials do not appear to have used it much until last year, when the number of lawsuits jumped from two each in 2012 and 2013 to 11 in 2015.”

It seems the legislation would have helped, AG supported it, and DOC hold the cards to sue or not.

We need a good reporter to sort all this out for us….

Comment by Lefty Lefty Thursday, Aug 25, 16 @ 10:23 am
Facts Schmacts. And by the time TP corrects its misinformation (assuming it ever does) this shady version will have already been posted to hundreds of facebook walls as gospel.

Comment by Responsa Thursday, Aug 25, 16 @ 10:37 am
There have been a number of articles, both before and after Rauner’s election which point towards his vindictive, some would say over zealous vindictive attacks.

This aspect of his personality is evident in how he leads Illinois…. if the little boy can’t buy his way, he stamps his feet throwing a tantrum.

Comment by Springfield Reader Thursday, Aug 25, 16 @ 11:02 am
Yes, the AG and not the governor makes that decision. But Rauner had the ability to take away that discretion by signing the bill - and he chose not to, instead choosing to wash his hands of the matter.

Comment by Commander Norton Thursday, Aug 25, 16 @ 11:05 am
All of the “advocacy journalism” suffers from a lack of attention to detail. In my opinion, the stories only give you a lead to something interesting that you have to go research yourself to understand. You can’t rely on them at all to actually understand the issues.

Comment by NoGifts Thursday, Aug 25, 16 @ 11:43 am