Following Governor Bruce Rauner’s announcement of Executive Order 15-14 to help reduce Illinois’ overcrowded correctional facilities, State Sen. Michael Connelly (R-Wheaton) was named to a pair of select panels focusing on criminal justice reform.
“Governor Rauner called to ask me to be a member of his commission on reform the Illinois correctional system and our state’s criminal code,” Connelly said. “The Governor’s approach is the right one, to take a serious look at all aspects of our criminal justice system in order to find ways to reduce the number of inmates on a system that is more than 150 percent overcrowded. I look forward to working with my fellow commission members on this important subject.”
The Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform order was signed on Feb. 11 and the members are expected to begin their work shortly.
Senator Connelly was previously named as the bipartisan Senate co-chair of the Special Committee on Restorative Justice.
Governor Rauner’s administration has set a goal of trying to reduce Illinois’ prison population by 25 percent during the next ten years. The Commission has been asked to submit their initial findings by July 1 and have a final report completed by Dec. 31, 2015.