Early-release program linked to sale of Thomson prison?
Imagine waking up in the hospital with 85 staples in your head, no hair, no teeth, and no idea how you got there. The person who beat you was sent to prison, but was back out on the street just 18 days after he was sentenced.
Senator Tim Bivins says this nightmarish situation became reality for Jennifer Hall of Chicago when the Illinois Department of Corrections released her attacker as part of its accelerated Meritorious Good Time Program. She was attacked August 25, 2008, beaten so severely that she still suffered from seizures more than a year after the attack. Her accuser was sentenced in October 2009 to three years in prison. Eighteen days later, he was paroled.
And Senator Bivins said there may be more to the story surrounding the once-secret early release program for prison inmates in the Illinois corrections system. He thinks the MGT Push program may be tied to the state’s attempt to sell the Thomson Correctional Center in northwest Illinois to the federal government.
Legislation intended to generate much-needed revenue was signed into law this week, which Senator Tim Bivins said will provide a five-week amnesty period for tax delinquents.
Senate Bill 377 (P.A. 96-1435) allows individuals who have accumulated back taxes between June 30, 2002, and July 1, 2009, to pay those taxes penalty-free from October 1 to November 8 without being fined. Tax delinquents who don’t pay during the amnesty period will see all interest and penalties double.
Officials hope that by providing incentive for tax delinquents to cough up their overdue obligations the program will bring in tardy tax dollars, as opposed to spending state time and energy pursuing the tax delinquents.
Senator Bivins and Representative Sacia host Financial Safety Seminar Aug. 17
Information about consumer fraud and identity theft were featured at a Financial Safety Seminar hosted by Senator Tim Bivins of Dixon (at left) and Representative Jim Sacia of Pecatonica (at right) August 17 at the Senior Resource Center at the Lincoln Mall in Freeport.
A representative from the Attorney General’s office talked with the crowd of 115 participants about consumer fraud prevention, the “Do Not Call” Registry, identity theft protection, and understanding telecommunication scams.
Two days after a Republican-initiated panel held its first meeting to investigate a secret and controversial prisoner early-release program, the Governor released a report on the program, according to Senator Tim Bivins, who is serving on that panel.
The Illinois Joint Investigatory Panel on Early Release met August 11 in Peoria. The panel selected that community, in part, because of the murder of a Peoria grandmother in May. The man accused of the crime had been a prisoner and participant in the controversial Meritorious Good Time Push (MGT-Push) program.
The panel first offered a brief review of the history of the controversy, and recounted efforts dating back to January to obtain information about the ill-fated program.
Although Governor Pat Quinn appointed former Judge David Erickson of the Cook County Circuit Court in December 2009 to conduct a review of release practices, a report still had not been released eight months later. However, two days after the panel’s first meeting, the Governor released the report August 13.
Senator Bivins: Questions remain about Governor's early-release program
Senator Tim Bivins is serving on the Illinois Joint Investigatory Panel on Early Release to determine the whereabouts of early release inmates and resolve unanswered questions about the details and community impact of Governor Pat Quinn’s “MGT Push” and early release programs.
The Panel held the first of two public meetings in Peoria August 11.
Senator Bivins, who served 20 years as Lee County Sheriff, says the public deserves answers to a number of questions. Lawmakers and the public have been seeking answers about “MGT Push” since December 2009, but have been unsuccessful in getting the Quinn Administration to respond.
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Imagine waking up in the hospital with 85 staples in your head, no hair, no teeth, and no idea how you got there. The person who beat you was sent to prison, but was back out on the street just 18 days after he was sentenced.
Legislation intended to generate much-needed revenue was signed into law this week, which Senator Tim Bivins said will provide a five-week amnesty period for tax delinquents.
Information about consumer fraud and identity theft were featured at a Financial Safety Seminar hosted by Senator Tim Bivins of Dixon (at left) and Representative Jim Sacia of Pecatonica (at right) August 17 at the Senior Resource Center at the Lincoln Mall in Freeport.
Two days after a Republican-initiated panel held its first meeting to investigate a secret and controversial prisoner early-release program, the Governor released a report on the program, according to Senator Tim Bivins, who is serving on that panel.
