SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Nearly six weeks after Gov. Pat Quinn halted an early prisoner release program that set free hundreds of potentially violent inmates, his administration is still struggling to identify which criminals — or even how many &md
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Nearly six weeks after Gov. Pat Quinn halted an early prisoner release program that set free hundreds of potentially violent inmates, his administration is still struggling to identify which criminals — or even how many — got out. Corrections Department records released after inquiries from The Associated Press indicate the agency misidentified more than 200 inmates set free under the program called "MGT Push." The agency released a corrected index Thursday night of 1,745 offenders. That’s an increase of 27 convicts from the 1,718 Quinn said were sent home when he halted the practice and announced prison reforms, responding to reports about what had been a secret program. An AP review of the two lists further shows that the names of 250 offenders were added and 223 removed — for a net increase of 27 — numbers Corrections confirmed Friday. Corrections officials have not responded to requests to detail the reasons why inmates were added or deleted. They updated the list after the AP questioned why 101 inmates serving short terms last fall were not included on the first log. MGT Push, which got its name from accelerating inmate awards of good-conduct credit, or "meritorious good time," continues to cause problems for Quinn, who is up against state Comptroller Dan Hynes in the Feb. 2 Democratic primary for governor. Hynes has made the botched program the center of his attacks on the incumbent. Quinn has been seemingly inconsistent in his explanations of the program and what he knew about it. Omitting 250 inmates who should have been included means nearly 15 percent of the first list Quinn released was incorrect. Smith could not immediately identify the added inmates but acknowledged that there were more newly found offenders than the 27. Most had replaced other criminals who shouldn’t have been part of the group in the first place, she said. They were misidentified by a faulty search of an archaic computer system, Smith said. The administration also acknowledged MGT Push started earlier than Quinn had previously stated. The AP reviewed a dozen MGT Push inmates released Sept. 11, five days earlier than the announced date of Sept. 16. MGT Push involved giving up to six months of good-conduct credit to prisoners as soon as they entered the gates and before they had time to show they deserved any good-behavior time off. Corrections also dropped a 61-day minimum stay for all inmates, meaning scores of prisoners spent a total of less than three weeks behind bars, including county jail time. They served, on average, 26 days in the state pen, from as few as seven to 60, just below the old minimum. At least 240 were convicted of violent crimes or those that involved weapons. Officials kept no separate list of MGT Push parolees. Smith could not immediately explain why. After questions from the AP about 101 inmates locked up last fall for an average 16 days but not on the MGT Push list, Corrections revisited the computer program it used to pluck out offenders in question. Smith blamed the gross error on an ancient computer system that doesn’t easily yield information. "DOC is dealing with an antiquated information technology system that is over two decades old," Smith said. "We have asked for additional funding to upgrade that system." Convicts added to or removed from the index were discovered because information about their custody had been updated and the first computer search did not identify them, Smith said. The administration has not explained how it concluded anyone was improperly included in the initial round. Of the 223 that were removed, existing records show only 47 served 61 or more days, so didn’t benefit from MGT Push and shouldn’t have been part of that group. After shutting down the practice, Quinn reinstated the 61-day minimum sentence and signed it into law last week. Upon recommendations from a former appellate justice who continues to study the issue, Quinn’s recommended other reforms. But he’s been hurt by seemingly changing positions on what he knew. When the AP first asked about MGT Push in mid-December, his staff defended it, saying no one had been released early. After the AP report, Quinn halted the practice but claimed he knew about it and it was well-publicized. On Dec. 30, the governor said he wasn’t aware violent offenders were included and blamed his Corrections director, Michael Randle, for not following instructions to prohibit aggressive criminals from early release. Corrections agents started "intensive compliance checks" early this month on the MGT Push parolees. They forced them to abide by strict new rules — right down to abstaining from alcohol — or be returned to prison to finish their terms. In just three weeks, they’ve picked up 250 and sent them back — combined with earlier returns, more than 300 are again behind bars. Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.
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