Late last week, in the lull between Christmas and New Years, Gov. Pat Quinn announced a complete overhaul of the state's unpublicized "meritorious good time" early release program, known in the Corrections Department as MGT Push. The program -- and the administrators in charge of it -- had come under fire for immediately awarding about 1,700 inmates discretionary good-conduct credit, which shortened sentences and sometimes undercut a DOC policy requiring inmates to serve at least 61 days. Of those inmates who benefited, the AP found that more than 100 had past convictions for battery, weapons, and drunken driving violations. In fact, the state hauled 18 DUI offenders back into prison just before Christmas.  Eight others have returned to jail for new offenses.

How is the Quinn administration planning to correct what the governor himself called "a big mistake"? First, they are reinstating -- and making formal -- the 61-day custody requirement. Quinn is also ordering the DoC to provide local prosecutors with at least 14-days advance notice before an inmate is released into mandatory supervision and will appoint a public safety officer to determine "good-time eligibility." And he has promised to work with the General Assembly to update the system. Director Michael Randle, who took responsibility for the lax oversight, will keep his job.

These changes aren't quelling concerns of some reporters, editorial boards, and political rivals. As expected, Comptroller Dan Hynes went on the attack over the weekend, challenging his gubernatorial rival to issue a full accounting of the inmates who took advantage of the program. In a story this morning, the AP also said Quinn has not adequately addressed the DoC's policy of granting prisoners credit at the outset of their sentences, the primary reason some of the stays were so short:

Such short periods in prison raise complex questions. Does a brief prison stint, whether it’s two weeks or 61 days, have any impact on offenders? Should Illinois stop issuing such light sentences or, if they’re going to be issued, should it make prisoners serve the full sentence instead of getting time off for good behavior?

The Champaign News-Gazette, meanwhile, focused its anger at Quinn's inconsistent statements regarding his knowledge of MGT Push:

Now with about a month to go before the state's gubernatorial primary election, Quinn should expect to face unrelenting questions about his own role in the controversial program: How could he not know that more than 1,700 inmates were being released early, being given credit for "meritorious good time" before they even had a chance to display any good behavior? Who authorized the program? If Quinn wasn't aware of such a potentially problematic policy shift, what other policy changes have been made without the knowledge, or approval, of the governor?

The criticism Quinn has received for the implementation of the early release plan is certainly deserved. But in correcting legitimate flaws in how the system operates, we now run the risk of throwing the baby out with the bath water. Shelving the entire initiative, established over 30 years ago, is not in the best interest of the state either.

Similar programs are in place in 40 other states, a fact Quinn pointed out in his press conference last week.  Moreover, there is a ton of fat that can be trimmed from the corrections system here; over 46,000 inmates are incarcerated or monitored by DoC, a population which has almost tripled since 1978, when the initial version of MGT Push was created.

Letting well-behaving inmates return early to their homes (often under state supervision) is humane and cost-effective.  But it should be part of a comprehensive reform plan that also includes better criteria for evaluating offenders, as well as substantive sentencing and anti-recidivism reforms (including reductions in mandatory minimum sentences, which aren't subject to early release).

When lawmakers convene a hearing on the early release program, the state's larger incarceration dependence deserves equal scrutiny.

Image courtesy of The Chicago Reporter (PDF).