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Another Quinn screw-up

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Illinois

* This is what happens when you are a good campaigner and a mediocre governor, and when your good campaign sensibilities don’t translate into sound governing…

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has suspended a prison program that allowed repeat drunk drivers, drug users and even people convicted of battery and weapons violations to serve less than three weeks’ total time behind bars.

Records obtained and analyzed by The Associated Press show that since September more than 850 inmates were released weeks earlier than they ordinarily would be. The Corrections Department was saving money by abandoning a policy that requires inmates to serve at least 61 days and awarding them discretionary good-conduct credit immediately upon entering prison.

That means some prisoners have enough good-conduct days to qualify for release almost immediately — before they’ve had a chance to demonstrate any conduct at all. The inmates are kept at the department’s prison processing centers and released after as few as 11 days.

Jorge Bogas spent just 18 days behind bars for aggravated driving under the influence after he hit two cars, hospitalizing one motorist for weeks, while driving the wrong direction on Interstate 57. Bogas sat five days in Cook County Jail, was transferred to the processing center at Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet and released 13 days later.

The campaign self-preservation mode only kicked in when campaigner Quinn was notified about what Gov. Quinn was doing. Typical. Dan Hynes responds via press release…

“The details emerging about the Quinn administration’s secret prisoner release program are deeply troubling, and I think the people of Illinois deserve answers. The Governor’s decision to suspend this program is the right one, and I support his pledge to conduct a ‘top-to-bottom’ review. Given the apparent confusion and misinformation on display yesterday surrounding this program, I would encourage Governor Quinn to begin his review at the top, starting with himself and his top staff. The people of Illinois have the right to know who implemented this program, who signed off on it, whether anyone, and who, will be held accountable, and ultimately, who is in charge on such obvious issues of public safety.

“Given the Governor’s recent misadventures in transparency — including the abrupt resignation of a top aide amid an inquiry for politicking on state time, his refusal to acknowledge his campaign’s effort to knock an opponent off the ballot, and his administration’s outright refusal to allow a news outlet to investigate allegations of decrepit conditions at one of our state’s juvenile justice centers — where the press and the public have been stonewalled on matters large and small, I encourage this review to be conducted in public. Furthermore, given the potential immediate safety risk to communities across Illinois, I strongly encourage the review to be completed and the public made fully aware of its findings within a matter of days. Governor Quinn’s pattern of appointing blue-ribbon commissions will not suffice on this matter.”

* AFSCME decided Saturday to remain neutral in the governor’s race. That’s been anticipated for quite some time, but it’s still a big blow to Hynes because it shows that the state employees union isn’t confident that he can defeat Quinn, with whom the union will have to deal after the election.

* Meanwhile, my statewide, syndicated weekly newspaper column takes another look at the politics of the budget…

Last week we all celebrated - or bemoaned - the first anniversary of Rod Blagojevich’s arrest. After Blagojevich was impeached and removed from the governor’s office, I, like most others, thought things were going to be different with Pat Quinn in charge.

But the Statehouse bickering continues, and the gridlock over the state’s paralyzing and mind-boggling budget deficit is almost as bad as ever. Heck, it may even be worse.

You probably know by now that Gov. Quinn wants to take out a $500 million short-term loan and use about half of it to help pay some of the state’s bills during the holiday season - particularly focusing on private, not-for-profit human service agencies that take care of the poor, the infirm and the aged.

Comptroller Dan Hynes and Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias both must sign off on the borrowing, but Hynes said “no” earlier this month. Among other things, Hynes says there’s no money to pay off the loan and likened the idea to using one credit card to pay down another one. Ironically enough, Quinn nixed a similar idea when he was state treasurer back in the 1990s.

After much back-and-forth bickering between Quinn and Hynes, things seemed to calm down for a few days. Then, Quinn said last week that he wasn’t going to continue harping on Hynes’ refusal to approve the borrowing plan. At the same time, though, he couldn’t resist getting in a shot at his Democratic primary opponent and even attempted to link him to the disgraced Blagojevich.

“A year ago, with the previous governor under arrest, the comptroller signed off on a $1.4 billion short-term borrowing plan,” Quinn said. “I don’t know, if you’re going to do that, at that time, and a year later, running for office, saying you can’t borrow money to help human beings get paid in the month of December, the holiday season … I think he’s missing the boat on that.”

Quinn then said he was dropping the subject.

“But we’re not going to beat that horse,” he said. “If (Hynes) has his position, we just have to move on.”

But it was clear a couple of days later that Quinn was not at all intending to “move on.” Quinn addressed the Governor’s Conference on Aging last week and pledged to “get the necessary funds to pay our bills,” then added, “even if the comptroller is blocking my plan.”

AARP Illinois also held a news conference that day to warn that 200 human services agencies that deal with senior citizens could be out of business in a matter of weeks if the state doesn’t start making good on its overdue bills soon.

Hynes may be right about the narrow fiscal issues at hand - that there is no available money to pay off the proposed loan, that the state will need to use a third of its revenues to pay off its short-term loans in March and April and that the new loan would cover only 5 percent of the state’s overdue bills - but this is a political time bomb, particularly in a Democratic primary race. We’re talking about human service agencies that serve lots of poor people. It doesn’t take a media expert to figure out how to spin that one.

Of course, this would’ve been a much more effective bludgeon had Quinn not so thoroughly muffed the issue earlier this month by attacking Hynes with the false claim that Giannoulias was supporting the loan.

Still, we can expect more and more stories on this growing crisis. It’s the holidays, and this is a ready-made story for the season. Quinn can come off looking compassionate, while Hynes is in real danger of being portrayed as a fussbudget who is more worried about numbers and making Quinn look bad in advance of the primary than he is about real people.

Chicago’s WLS-TV (Channel 7) - the top-rated news station in the region - ran its second long story on this topic last week. In the piece, Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) is featured, demanding that political leaders “put aside our partisan differences, our political aspirations, and take emergency action now.”

That’s the sort of comment we undoubtedly will see more of as the rest of the media begins to pay attention to this topic. It’s a high-stakes game. Unfortunately, there are a lot of “little people” in the middle who are melting down while the state dithers.

* Related…

* State disciplines few nursing home administrators

* Several Illinois governor candidates say ethics reform law fell short

* Gov. hopefuls weigh in on crime, punishment

* Hynes scoops up a major union nod in race for governor

* Quinn taps former congressional candidate to lead anti-discrimination panel

* Gov. Quinn appoints new chair to human rights commission

* Thomson reacts to leaked memo

* Memo Says Thomson Prison will House Gitmo Detainees

* Memo may point to IL as site for Gitmo detainees

* Gitmo detainees coming to Illinois?

* Teacher evaluations need careful revamp

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 12:24 pm

Comments

“Quinn can come off looking compassionate, while Hynes is in real danger of being portrayed as a fussbudget who is more worried about numbers”

Which is the exact reasoning that got Illinois into this mess.

Mo money, mo problems.

Comment by Johnny USA Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 12:34 pm
The Chicago Sun-Times is sort of right, the teacher evaluation processes need a total revamp.

But I’m not talking about the same thing as Arne Duncan. I’d like to start with some sort of “customer” input. Why can’t parents provide school districts feedback on teacher performance? College students are routinely asked to evaluate faculty, I think it would help principals and administrators to hear if they think teachers are performing at the appropriate level. Parents of k-8 students especially. I can tell you if my kid’s teacher is doing the same stuff as his friends’ teachers. Parents are a good and underused resource in educational performance measurement.

At the high school level, maybe the students should do the evaluations themselves.

Enough with government agencies evaluating each other. Let’s have some customer feedback in education. Want to borrow a business concept for better government? I like this one.

Comment by Paul Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 12:40 pm
Interesting that Quinn has replaced another African American with a non African American with ties to mayor Daley, was Castro a part of HDO?

Comment by Huh? Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 12:41 pm
So, not only was Quinn secretly releasing prisoners, he publically exposed himself as supporting moving terrorists to Thomson.

What is he thinking?

C’Mon Dan! You are a guy who knows how to count. Start doing so publically.

If Quinn wins the nomination, voters will soon tire of him before the General.

Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 12:41 pm
Castro was not HDO

Comment by WOW Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 12:53 pm
I dearly would like to see student growth factored into teacher evaluations. This should help the problem where a teacher’s class doesn’t earn AYP, but she moves her students up 1.5 years in performance. It’s not, after all, the teacher’s fault if the inputs she gets are not performing at grade level. It is her fault if, on average, her class doesn’t move at least a year in performance. Yes, some will not because of external factors, but it should be no more than a handful.

One of the things to watch though, is how the math is used. I’ve heard of various funny types of math being involved including “imaginative extrapolation” which sounds like “creative accounting” to me.

Comment by cermak_rd Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 1:02 pm
Rep Harris is just a bit disingenuous; not a single Republican vote was necessary to pass a budget (had a bill been presented in a timely manner). Unless of course he is referring to the “partisan differences” within the Democratic party.

Comment by Angry Republican Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 1:04 pm
I’d like to hear more about how other states manage short-term offenders before I assumed the worst. I assume they are expensive to process and I also wonder why they couldn’t be handled through electronic monitoring in lieu of much more expensive incarceration. Is there a best practices standard out there. There should be.

As to the drunken driver example–does anyone seriously think a few weeks in the slammer is gong to act as a deterrent.Sounds like a serious alcohol problem to me. If we have to spend the money, better to lock them up in an alcohol treatment facility. At least we have a chance
at getting something back for our cash.

Comment by cassandra Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 1:06 pm
It seems pretty stupid , politically, to be releasing prisoners before an election. There is nothing good that can possibly come of it. I am not sure who makes decisions like this but it should have been a no brainer. If one of these guys does one thing wrong, and they will, it’s a big issue.

It’s a good thing for Quinn that this came out before some citizen was run over by one of these clowns.

Hynes should have

Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 1:22 pm
“Secret” prisoner release program? The one with all the press releases about it, you mean? Most people agree it was a good idea, obviously somebody in DOC management screwed-up with the idea of adding the “good time” to the front of a sentence, instead of subtracting it off the *end of one. I don’t see how you fairly lay that mistake at Quinn’s feet, just his DOC director, as that is his JOB.

My guess would be that DOC didn’t think there were enough qualified early release candidates to meet some arbitrary savings goal already stated for the program, so some guy who is great at accounting, but not accountability, decided to play with the application of Good Time. Because it’s all good, as long as it looks good on paper, right? Because it’s not like these numbers don’t actually connect to human lives anywhere… I see this in other agencies, where people who came in from Private sector jobs have this mantra about “making government run like a business”.

But it’s was never supposed to, and when you try to make it a “business”, it ends up like one:

… Enron.

Don’t let the accountants dictate policy to the civil service specialists, and we won’t tell you how to fill out your tax forms.

Comment by Some Guy Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 1:25 pm
Everyone should read this and order a calendar to support autism, and when you think about taking services away from our kids you will look at this calendar and think twice.

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=343571

Comment by Boscobud Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 1:27 pm
===The one with all the press releases about it, you mean?===

No. This is a different one. Read again.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 1:29 pm
I agree with Cassandra. More than 80% of those that are locked up have alcohol and drug problems, that get them involved with the legal system and treatment is what they need. But wait, didn’t we cut alot of those services during our last political debacle around our state budget? These are the people that secure SA and public defenders and the prison systems their jobs. I agree with Quinn’s decision and naturally it will be played out in the media to fit someone’s political agenda with elections right around the corner. Why can’t people be involved and interested during the rest of the year, and not just when it is politically correct to do so?

Comment by Anon Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 1:41 pm
–”Is there a best practices standard out there. There should be.”–

1.Aggravated domestic battery aka intentionally inflicting great/serious bodily harm or permanent disabilty or disfigurement. 2. First offense, mandatory term of imprisionment of not less than 60 consecutive days. (does not sound like a ‘policy’ to be abandoned to me)

So how bout it, Cassandra, what do you suggest we do with these? Just lock them up, just check the standard and lock them up, ….uh, where, they might not be drunks?

Comment by Cindy Lou Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 1:44 pm
Cindy Lou

I’m not talking about procedures, if that’s what you’re quoting. I’m talking about national best practices sentencing guidelines, if such exist, particularly with respect to substance abusers. And does the term imprisonment include electronic monitoring?

In any case, how is the problem solved by putting the alcohol abusers in jail for 61 days. It’s a risky form of detox and anyway, according to many accounts, alcohol and drugs are readily available in most jails. Addictions don’t lead to rational behavior and I’d like to see the research figures on how many attain sobriety as a result of two months in jail.

My preference…electronic monitoring combined with mandatory alcohol treatment. And they keep
going to work if they have jobs.

Comment by cassandra Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 2:03 pm
you’re stuck on drunks, I’m not. I read the article and brought up a different example from the article. And that’s from 720 ILCS 5/12-3.3

What’s your solution for the abusive spouse or partner. The article was not about one certain ’secret’ release type.

Comment by Cindy Lou Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 2:12 pm
No Cindy Lou I’m stuck on if I have to spend all this money on taxes, I’d like to actually address the problem without creating more problems.

As to dv offenders…usually, but not always men, and often breadwinners…not sure how matters are improved by making it almost certain that they’ll lose their jobs. Most people can’t take two unexpected months off without consequences. I’d say, again, some combo of reasonable fines, electronic monitoring, mandatory dv counseling, go to work, and protective services for the victim-shelter or electronic warning or both.

Comment by cassandra Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 2:22 pm
The screw ups just keep on coming, weekly if not daily, and yet the polls don’t move?
C’mon Illinois wake up! Maybe people will start paying attention after XMas.

Comment by Bill Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 2:27 pm
Cassandra, I’m not even going to ask what you think is a reasonable fine for beating the crap outta somebody, nor why you feel that all these services can be put forth without using your tax dollars and why you feel abusers all have jobs to attend to to begin with. You like to put life in neat little nutcups, but fail to take into consideration that people don’t always fit into your planned solutions. Has the state sent out any funds lately to the social services you and I currently fund? How about repeat offenders? Got some stats on how well ‘reformed’ abusers are that don’t fit your nutcup? What does your plan call for backup when Beater Joe is going on multi reoccurances ?

Factually monitoring sounds lacking unless you post a guard at the door. Sure, alarms go off, red flags start waving, oops, but ‘help’ may not be arriving soon enough.

We’re not going to agree on this. But the constant attempt to down play crimnal actions and solve them by not involving your pocketbook or neighborhood is not overly realistic.

Comment by Cindy Lou Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 2:42 pm
Confessing my own ignorance, I wonder why our state prisons accept people with less than a year to serve. Don’t they belong in the county lock-up?

Comment by steve schnorf Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 4:04 pm
An inmate at Pinckneyville is presently holding an IDOC employee hostage. AFSCME has been warning of this risk for years.

Comment by My Kind of Town Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 4:35 pm
Steve, I’m sure someone other than I could give a much full/accurate answer, but part of it has to do with the charged class of offense and any previous convictions and that type of thing which can change the class for any given offender.

Example: Class 4 felony 1 to 3 yrs peniteniary &/or up to $25000 fine vs Class A misdemeanor up to a yr in jail and up to $1500 fine.

Comment by Cindy Lou Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 5:21 pm
From the world’s biggest Rod apologist…

“The screw ups just keep on coming, weekly if not daily, and yet the polls don’t move?”

Too funny.

Comment by Little Lebowski Urban Achiever Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 5:24 pm
Yeah. Bill doesn’t quite grasp irony.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 5:26 pm
I wonder by Bob Reed denied that the secret prison release policy existed when the AP reached out to him for comment from the administration? Quinn knew all about it. Very distrubring, but not at all surprising from this administration.

Rich, I have to disagree with you about Hynes and the short-term borrowing plan. Let Quinn fight it out with Madigan after feb 2nd to get his 50 percent tax increase passed. Then and only then should Hynes agree to support any short-term borrowing plans to get the state through FY11. Quinn wins the primary, he’ll have leverage and he can then do whatever he wants pretty much.
But, Hynes should definitely not sign off on the $500 million short term borrowing plan.Besides, Quinn has indicate that he has a way to work around the short-term borrowing plan that has fallen through. Ok. So, the social service providers and agencies need to be made aware that Quinn has a plan that is not short-term borrowing and intends to see that bills start getting paid.

Comment by Will County Woman Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 5:41 pm
What irony?

Comment by Bill Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 5:49 pm
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=344025&src=109

Oh, for sure Quinn knew. That’s why the policy was a secret policy. It was not something that he intended for the public to know or find out about, especially during a contested primary race. It’s just like he wants people to believe that the Thomson deal was not a done deal when he came back from D.C.

For someone to have good credibility for 30+ years how come so many questionable coincidences in less than one year? Come on he has 8 or 9 or 10 questionable conincidences going back to the $15,000 “face time” thing in March or May. I can understand one or two “I didn’t know how or why X or Z happened”, but 8 or 9 or 10 in less than a year, after 30 years of none presumably?

He flashes that Quaker Oats pilgrim of a smile of his and then says stuff like ” you guys (the media) know me. I’ve been for ethical, honest and open government for more than 30 years.”

Here’s the thing…he wanted to tout savings as part of his accomplishments. He was angling to say that under his administration the IDOC saved taxpayers X amount of thousands or millions of dollars.

I’m wondering if he was going to try to inflate/infuse the number$ from the other early release program with the secret policy numbers.

But, at the end of the day it appears that Quinn is who the democrats want for governor. more power to ‘em!

Comment by Will County Woman Monday, Dec 14, 09 @ 6:34 pm