THE ILLINOIZE: Thursday Free for All...The Illinoize turns 3!...Why is state holding dying prisoners?...Pritzker and Johnson want more help for refugees...The end of cash bail nears
August 31, 2023
Good morning, Illinois.
Tomorrow marks our three year anniversary of this newsletter.
The journey of the past three years has been a lot different than I ever expected it to be. I thought I would tell some stories, weigh in on some issues, critique campaigns, and get some stuff off my chest.
It’s been a lot more newsy, a lot more time commitment, and has turned into a paid subscriber model we never really expected. That said, thank you. Your support and kindness have meant the world.
Here’s the very first edition, if you want to step back in time.
That said, I’m open to your critiques, criticism, and ideas. Drop me a note at patrick@theillinoize.com. I appreciate all of your input.
The General Assembly is out until October. Governor Pritzker is in south suburban Matteson this morning to open a STEM center at the local school district. He’ll also tour a U.S. Cellular tower site in Belvidere at 11:45. Petition circulation begins next week, so we think it will be a pretty quiet week, so we’re planning to take the week off.
We’d appreciate it if you’d consider joining us as a paid subscriber. In honor of our third year anniversary, you can get 30% off a year subscription today only. Just click below to get all of the good stuff.
Let’s get to it.
YOUR THURSDAY FREE FOR ALL
(note: we’re not responsible for paywalls and restrictions from other news outlets, because good journalism isn’t free)
Dying, disabled prisoners stay behind bars, die despite Illinois law calling for medical release (WBEZ)
Phillip Merritt’s dementia is so advanced he’s lost the ability to speak. But with the help of his cellmates at Western Illinois Correctional Center, the 71-year-old still manages to get on the phone with his brother every few weeks.
“He has to have someone call me, and then I don’t know what to say to him because he can’t understand anything, so I’ll just talk,” said Merritt’s brother, Michael, in an interview. “All he can say are two words. … I mean, he’s just gone.”
Merritt’s deteriorating condition makes him a prime candidate to get out of prison under the Joe Coleman Medical Release Act, a pivotal criminal justice reform bill touted by Gov. JB Pritzker and Illinois Democrats as an effective way to alleviate the state’s decrepit prison health care system, reduce the “staggering” costs of caring for ailing people in prison, and reunite families with frail loved ones.
Under the act — named after a decorated Army veteran who died of prostate cancer while incarcerated — Illinois prisoners can request early release if they’re terminally ill and expected to die within 18 months or if they’re medically incapacitated and need help with more than one activity of daily living, such as eating or using the bathroom.
But a year-and-a-half since the Coleman Act went into effect, an investigation by Injustice Watch and WBEZ found far fewer prisoners have been released under the law than expected, as the medical release process has become mired in the charged politics of criminal justice reform in the post-George Floyd era.
Behind the lower-than-expected numbers is the Prisoner Review Board, a state body appointed by Pritzker and confirmed by the Illinois Senate with final say on medical release requests.
As of mid-August, the board had denied nearly two-thirds of medical release requests from dying and disabled prisoners who met the medical criteria to get out of prison under the Coleman Act — including Merritt.
Donald Shelton, chair of the Prisoner Review Board, declined an interview request, but he defended the board’s record on medical release requests in an email sent through a spokesperson.
“Each case that comes before the board comes with its own set of circumstances to be studied and evaluated by members,” he wrote. “Due diligence is given by the board to every person who sets a petition before them.”
For an administration that doesn’t seem to want anyone in prison, they sure don’t mind keeping people in who shouldn’t be there.
Key biz groups, political leaders turn up heat on Biden over jobs for refugees (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Turning up the political heat another notch, Illinois’ leading Democratic officials and key business groups Wednesday publicly called for the Biden White House to issue rules allowing refugees from Central America that have been flooding Chicago to legally work in industries that face a labor shortage, such as hospitality and warehousing.
Attending a joint press conference were not only U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Mayor Brandon Johnson and several members of Congress, but also the heads of the Illinois Manufacturers Association, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and the Illinois Restaurant Association, among other groups.
The issue of helping both jobless immigrants who want to work and businesses that need them is not only bipartisan but “an American issue, and we need to solve it today,” said Illinois Manufacturers Association President Mark Denzler, noting that the labor-force participation rates among immigrants is 67%, higher than the 62% rate among native-born Americans.
But there was no immediate sign that the appeal — which follows an unusual letter sent to the Biden administration a couple of days ago by Pritzker and Johnson — will result in action.
With President Joe Biden running for re-election and many GOP rivals slamming him for what they say are weak efforts to secure the border, “it’s a very contentious issue,” Biden conceded.
“Immigrants and asylum-seekers want to work,” said U.S. Rep. Chuy “Jesus” Garcia of Chicago. He dubbed the proposal “a common-sense solution that will help grow our economy.”
Johnson, who is under political pressure from portions of his base to help needy Chicagoans first, said he will continue to lead what at times have been somewhat bumpy efforts to help migrants. Johnson said he had “a good conversation” with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas earlier in the week and has another one scheduled for tomorrow, but provided no details.
Johnson left by a side door in the middle of the press conference, apparently not wanting to answer questions.
Turns out when the great Mary Ann Ahern of NBC 5 asked Johnson about the whole White Sox shooting situation an aide shouted they weren’t going to take any off-topic questions, then he snuck out.
Cowardly.
Related: Mayor Brandon Johnson warns city would be unable to support more migrants without federal help (Chicago Tribune)
Pritzker, state leaders call on Biden to allow Illinois to sponsor work permits for migrants (Capitol News Illinois)
Illinois courts get flexibility on remote detention hearings as state prepares for end of cash bail (Chicago Sun-Times)
The Illinois Supreme Court issued an order Wednesday granting courts in the state greater flexibility to conduct detention hearings remotely as they brace for bail reform next month.
The announcement comes weeks before the state will eliminate cash bail under the Pretrial Fairness Act, which mandated that detention hearings be held in person within 48 hours of an arrest with few exceptions.
In announcing the order, Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis said the high court made the decision due to “the anticipated volume of investigations and hearings on pretrial detention” when the act goes into effect on Sept. 18.
“The courts will be conducting initial hearings not only for newly arrested individuals but also for the over 9,000 individuals who are currently in pretrial detention, resulting in a temporary but significant influx of these types of hearings,” the order states.
The order is likely a response to concerns raised by circuit courts in jurisdictions covering large geographic areas with lower population levels.
Criminal justice advocates who supported the reforms, including Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell, have pushed for detention hearings to be held in person, arguing that clients who appear remotely before judges can face worse outcomes in their cases.
“The Supreme Court’s order should not change plans for implementation in Cook County, where we have had in-person bond hearings 365 days per year for decades,” Mitchell said in a statement. “Having our clients in court, in person for Pretrial Fairness Act hearings is an essential component of how the new law creates processes that reflect the seriousness of deciding whether someone who is presumed innocent is released or jailed while awaiting trial.”
More on preparations for implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act for paid subscribers tomorrow.
THIS WEEK ON THEILLINOIZE.COM
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
Pritzker highlights expansion of mental health services for farmers (Bloomington Pantagraph)
First lady Jill Biden seeks to leverage union support in Chicago for husband’s reelection and ‘Bidenomics’ (Chicago Tribune)
Groups rally at Federal Plaza to end overdose deaths in Illinois (Chicago Sun-Times)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker appoints former state senator and longtime Mike Madigan ally to state board (Chicago Tribune)
Raoul says Joliet inspector general has no power to file a lawsuit (Shaw Media)
Illinois GOP funding pitch takes a turn for the red-meat right (Crain’s Chicago Business)
State treasurer urges residents to claim unclaimed cash (Shaw Media)
Editorial: Americans should shout out opposition to needless gun deaths (Chicago Sun-Times)
Opinion: Our larcenous pols just doing what comes naturally (Champaign News-Gazette)
Opinion: Mapes verdict unlikely to dissuade already crooked lawmakers (Shaw Media)
Opinion: The simplest fix for Illinois' Tier 2 pensions is the best one (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Opinion: Projects earmarked all around Illinois, but not in Miller's district (Champaign News-Gazette)
Opinion: Failures in Thomson should inform future IDOC strategies (Shaw Media)
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