Forty-Five Years Without Parole Is Too Long
In 1978, Illinois joined a small group of states and ended discretionary parole, eliminating a crucial tool proven to incentivize rehabilitation and improve public safety.
Ending parole was part of the failed “tough on crime” movement that left Illinois with rigid and excessive sentencing laws, bulging prisons, and thousands of people being ordered to spend the rest of their lives behind bars, with no mechanism to review whether their continued incarceration serves any purpose.
As a consequence, Illinois’ positive rehabilitation and release efforts suffered. The vast majority of people incarcerated in Illinois over the past 45 years have no opportunity for parole review. Illinois needs to rejoin the majority of the US and provide a path for sentence review and re-entry.