Court Reverses Ban on Early Jail Releases

Eighteen prison inmates were freed after the Illinois Supreme Court declared unconstitutional a state law that extended the amount of time violent criminals spent behind bars. The decision could affect sentences of 2,570 prisoners in Illinois, about 6% of the state’s prisoners. The law was voided because of a state constitutional provision that prohibits the General Assembly from packaging unrelated issues into a single bill. The 1995 law required inmates convicted of violent crimes such as rape to serve 85% of their sentences, and murderers to serve 100% of their sentences, by eliminating time off for good behavior.