In Springfield this session, the General Assembly is busy taking up legislation related to the criminal justice system. It's just not the type of reform legislation longtime prison reformers have championed.

Following the public controversy over the Department of Corrections' "MGT Push" early release program earlier this year, legislators passed a bill (SB 3411) requiring the state to post online the personal information of any inmates released under the program. In January, the House also approved a measure mandating that inmates to serve at least 61 days before their sentences are reduced for good behavior.

Left unaddressed, however, is the central problem facing the Illinois' prison system: We house far too many low-level offenders at too high of a cost.

This is not a new development, of course. For years, reformers have watched as the Illinois prison population has exploded (from 18,000 in fiscal year 1986 to nearly 46,000 in fiscal year 2009), putting an immense burden on the state budget. But more humane and cost-effective solutions do exist and have worked in other parts of the country

This was the point that witnesses attempted to drive home at crowded joint hearing of three Illinois House committees in Chicago this morning. Now it's up to Illinois politicians to step up to the plate.

Testifying before State Reps. Karen Yarbrough (D-Broadview), Connie Howard (D-Chicago), Eddie Washington (D-Waukegan), Marlow Colvin (D-Chicago) -- as well as Department of Corrections Director Michael Randle -- a series of academics and advocates pushed proposals to cut down Illinois' prison population and lower the sky-high recidivism rate, estimated to be about 50 percent.

Northwestern University's Malcolm Young submitted the multi-state comparative report he penned last year, which included 24 recommendations designed to expand upon proven crime- and cost-reduction strategies. He also reminded lawmakers to heed the words of Gov. Pat Quinn's Taxpayer Action Board, which suggested in its report last year that Illinois could "dramatically reduce" its population in the short-term by reforming sentencing guidelines and reviewing individual prisoners’ cases for parole and early release consideration.

The John Howard Association's John Maki proposed a reform of Illinois' step-down policy, in which long-term inmates -- regardless of behavior -- are kept in maximum-security prisons with no access to education or jobs training programs. Dropping one individual inmate from a Level 1 to a Level 2 security facility saves roughly $12,000 annually. According to Maki, if just five percent of the 10,000 inmates currently in Level 1 lock-up were transferred because of good behavior (a decision that would be reversible), Illinois could save approximately $6 million per year.

Malcolm Rich of the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice pointed to his organization's 2009 proposal, which lays out a plan to implement systemic reform in the Cook County felony court system by diverting low-level offenders into drug treatment programs.

Finally, Mark Heyrman, a University of Chicago law professor and a facilitator of the Mental Health Summit, called on the state to expand current pilot programs in Cook County that offer mental health services to inmates upon release. This is crucial component when you consider that 16 percent of the state's prison population has been diagnosed with some form of mental illness.

The lawmakers in attendance were enthused by many of the proposals but concerned that their "tough-on-crime" colleagues in Springfield would be uncomfortable voting in favor of them. In the aftermath of the early release controversy, that skepticism is warranted. Young says it's up to reformers both in and out of government to explain how addressing the root causes of high incarceration rates and recidivism -- reforming sentencing laws and plowing more money into education and treatment programs -- will both make the state safer and save taxpayers money in the long-run. "Some in office capitalize off of crime for their own political benefit," he said. "But people do appreciate what DOC can do if it's explained in a way that's helpful and allays fears."

As we grapple with how to address Illinois' astronomical budget deficit, now would be a good time to kick-start this debate.