Week of February 4 - C# Numbers and HJR80

[DANICABCOLLUM]

C# Inmates - Where's The Justice?[/b]

[Ed note:  This letter to State Representative Art Turner from IPT member Danica Collum was so on target that we thought you'd like to read it:] [/i]

January 29, 2007

Dear Mr. Turner,

I am writing this letter in regards to HJR80 and the desperate need for change to take place concerning the Long Term Prisoners.  Men and women who have been locked away and in a sense have been forgotten.  The C# prisoners who were sentenced under the obsolete state law prior to 1978 have spent in some cases 20 to 30 years more behind bars than those convicted of similar crimes after 1978.  Most of these C# prisoners are between 50 and 60 years of age, and have spent half of their lives behind bars.

If the goal of the prison system is to rehabilitate and give these people a second chance, it has failed miserably.  The majority of these prisoners have dramatically changed their lives,  furthered their education, obtained college degrees, and have made huge strides and accomplishments during their incarcerations.

The parole process and the decisions made by the PRB are very frustrating.  Year after year the C#'s prepare and pray and hope for release.  They follow the guidelines, they strive to achieve good behavior, they are remorseful and they adhere to all the rules set by the IDOC.  Most of them have excellent work records, and are respected by their peers and the staff who are with them 24 hrs. a day.  It would make more sense to let the staff at the prison make the decision who should be released.  Not the PRB who see the prisoner once a year.  They hold these people's lives in their hands, and I feel a lot more time and consideration should be put into the process.  Character references and testimony from staff would be very beneficial for these prisoners, but in most cases it is not allowed.  Who knows these people better than the ones who are with them day and night?

The reason the PRB denies the majority of these cases is "It would depreciate the seriousness fo the crime."  We are not deneying that these crimes are of a serious nature, or that we should just release these prisoners without careful consideration and investigation into their behavior while incarcerated.  The more information the better the decision.  There are some who have earned their release through changed behavior, and the willingness to conform and follow the rules.  They have truly been reformed, and yet they are not rewarded for their success.  What incentive does that give for good behavior?

As the wife of a C# prisoner who has served 27 years, I implore you to demand reform and change in this situation.  Allow the rehabilitated and reformed to re-enter society and prove that they can be productive citizens, leaders in the community, and educators of our youth who might be headed in the wrong direction.

I will continue to pray and ask God for his favor in this very important issue, and believe that reform and change will occur through him.  God bless all the C#s out there who are determined not to be defeated and  who have worked hard to turn their lives around and refuse to give up.  This cause is important to many people and we are determined to keep fighting and to let our voices be heard until we achieve our goal.  Thank you for your time and careful consideration in this matter.

Sincerely.

Danica B. Collum

[jewels]

Well said Danica. Your well written letter says it all.
 I hope Art Turner hears it loud and clear because something has to give within the prison system and soon.
As you are well aware ,your husband is one of many and surely deserves a chance to be a productive citizen.

[DANICABCOLLUM]

Thanks very much.  This topic is very close to my heart, and I want to get as many people involved as possible.  Nothing will change if we don't let our voices be heard.  My husband is a prime example of how much someone can change.  He went from being involved in things as a teenager that cost him his freedom, to now a determined and driven man of God.  His passion is to be an advocate for the C#'s now and once he is released.  We are also very concerned about the youth and our mission is to start a youth program soon.  Keep us in you prayers as we go before the board in June 2007.
Thanks to everyone out there.

[Jims]

When was your husband sentenced?

[DANICABCOLLUM]

he was sentenced in 1979

[sherbear]

Danica, I suggest you also send your letter to Craig Findley, the chair of the HJR80 Subcommittee on Indeterminate Sentences. You can mail it to him at 319 E. Madison, Suite A, Springfield, IL 62701.

Well said!

[DANICABCOLLUM]

THANKS I WILL DO THAT 

[karen]

Danica, I suggest you also send your letter to Craig Findley, the chair of the HJR80 Subcommittee on Indeterminate Sentences. You can mail it to him at 319 E. Madison, Suite A, Springfield, IL 62701.

Well said!

I have a question how many years do you have to be in prison before you and go in front of the PRB? Can someone answer this for me?

[Scout]

It's only the C#'s that go before the PRB now, and all of those have been in since before 1978.  Anyone sentenced after 1978 gets a term of Mandatory Supervised Release, no parole hearings.

[Lissa]

Can someone explain to me what the differences?

[Jims]

I'm not sure what you're asking about? The differences between parole and MSR? MSR comes at the end of a determinate sentence. If an inmate is given ten years and has to do 8.5 years, then in 8.5 years he just gets out but is under a term of Mandatory Supervised Release. I think that what happens if he screws up and commits a violation of his MSR, he could get sent back to prison for the rest of his full sentence, in this case, 1.5 more years.

Parole is not an automatic release. Before determinate sentencing laws (DSL), inmates might be given outrageously high sentences, but in a fairly short amount of time, could apply for parole and come before the parole board for assessment to be released. It was not unusual for convicted murderers sentenced to 100 years or more to be released after only serving 7 or 10 years. Prior to 1978.

The C# inmates are the remaining inmates who were sentenced before DSL. Had the new laws not gone into effect, most of them would have been released long ago. Also, most of them were given the option of signing up for a determinate sentence when the new laws went into place. For instance, Bill Heirens could have taken a deal that would have released him, if I remember correctly, in 2003 or so. He declined because he couldn't imagine that his chances for release wouldn't be better going before the parole board. Unfortunately, he (like all the other remaining C#'s) have spent more time than they originally would have AND more time than they would have had they signed up for DSL in 1978.

So a new system of Earned Release would be better than either the old system of parole OR the new system of MSR. Now, an inmate gets out at the end of his sentence (minus his good time credits). There is no one to assess his behavior, his adjustment, his readiness, his psychological state, etc. What ILCER is proposing is a system of Earned Release that allows inmates to work hard to follow stringent guidelines and earn their release back to society. No guarantees. Inmates who exhibit anti-social behavior, no remorse, no willingness to change would NOT be released. There is no such guarantee, no such checks and balances per se under the current system.

[Still love my son]

Jims I am still learning

My son has been questioning some of this lately....
He has an 85% sentence, with determined release date showing he will serve 3 yrs...
Original sentence was 3 1/2 yrs, so i am assuming those next six moths will be his MSR????  (his 15% that does NOT have to be served?)
If this is correct, then why will he be on PAROLE for 2 more years...that is past his sentence.

He has told me if he gets released, and returns to serve his 6 months due to problems...(just an example not an intent or expectation)
That if he understands it correctly then he would have NO parole........

Does any of this sound right?
Am I understanding this any clearer or am I STILL CONFUSED........as I was when I was born to this IPT family?
Thnx
SLMS   *=

[Jims]

Well - it's confusing!! And I'm no expert but here's what I think happens.

Your son has to serve his 85%. If he served county jail time, that, too, would be deducted from his sentence. If his original sentence was 3-1/2 years, I would think that with additional good time earned, plus county jail time if he served any, he would be below 3 years. But let's just say he does have the 3 years.

Once he's released, he's not really on "parole" but mandatory supervised release. Same difference, really, and everyone refers to it as parole and to the offender as a parolee. It is my understanding that the period of MSR he has to serve is told to him at his sentencing. Typically, 1-3 years. If he violates the condition of his MSR, then he would have to go back and max out his time. Actually, he could get sent back for less than his max-out time, but CHOOSE to stay in and max out in order to get a full release and not have to serve his MSR. But that, too, could vary depending on his sentence.

As people on this site can attest to, the conditions of MSR are pretty restrictive. If it were me, and if the extra 15% only meant 6 more months in prison but then a full release with no MSR, I'd prefer that to 1-3 years of MSR.