Report: Most Charges Against 'Early Release' Program False
CHICAGO (STMW) -- Most of the charges that have been made against Illinois' "early release" program for prisoners -- such as prison sentences cut by months or years, public safety endangered, or that it was done secretly -- are false, according to a report from Northwestern University's law school.
The reports Illinois residents have heard over the past year about the program called MGT (Meritorious Good Time) and MGT-Push have been troubling. Political candidates have either attacked the program or disowned it.
As the report, "Setting the Record Straight: The Truth About 'Early Release,'" explains, the MGT program originated and was expanded beyond present day use under the administration of Republican Gov. James Thompson, a release from Northwestern says. MGT-Push was a modest modification which brought the administration of "good time" credit into closer compliance with the law but made little change in the length of prison terms, according to the release.
"Contrary to media reports, MGT-Push has not been responsible for an illegal or premature release of a dangerous criminal or for the commission of additional violent crime," Young said. "MGT-Push did not cut prison sentences by months or years. It did not add to the public risk or endanger public safety. And it was not 'secret.'"
The report draws on factual and legal analysis to show that most of the charges laid against MGT and MGT-Push were false, the release said.
The report counters each of the major allegations made against MGT and MGT-Push, including that:
• MGT-Push was responsible for an illegal or premature release of a dangerous criminal;
• MGT-Push resulted in the commission of additional violent crime;
• MGT-Push cut prison sentences by months or years, as alleged, instead of the 37-day average it achieved;
• MGT-Push increased the risk to the public; and
• MGT-Push was a "secret."
The pressure to end MGT-Push and to suspend MGT has had severe consequences, according to the report. The controversy and the decisions it spawned, the report states, have resulted in a sharp and sudden increase in the prison population that will overburden corrections and cost the state millions of dollars.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
