Investigation as propaganda

PEORIA -- Here's a terrific post from Burt Raabe:

I attended the performance of the Illinois Joint Investigatory Panel on Early Release which was held in Peoria at ICC North and originally consisted of only Republican members.  They declared their purpose to be to resolve unanswered questions about the “details and community impact" of Gov. Pat Quinn’s MGT Push and early release programs.

Because the panel was exclusively Republican, it was basically a bash Quinn political stunt.  They called on relatives of victims who told compelling stories of family members who had been murdered.  Sheriffs McCoy and Huston also testified.  These witnesses made the point that many people come out of prison as bad or worse than they came in and they can be dangerous.

Also testifying was a lawyer from Uptown Legal Services, a volunteer teacher from Joliet, and myself.  I have been volunteering with John Howard Association this year visiting prisons in Illinois.

David Koehler, Jehan Gordon, and Mike Smith were in the audience and were invited to join the panel which worked to dampen the purely partisan tone.  However, the temptation to turn the session into a political battle was too much for Dennis Reboletti (R – Elmhurst), and Jim Durkin (R – Countryside). 

The prisons in Illinois are woefully overcrowded and underfunded.  Several were built in the 19^th century.  Medical services, educational, vocational, and counseling programs have been cut to the bone or eliminated entirely.  The solution is not to look at the last and most superficial symptom of the problem, but to inquire into the sources of the issue. -30-