A new law capping the cost of prison phone calls is one way Illinois can take on criminal justice reform, according to State Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Champaign.
She sponsored the measure signed Monday by Gov. Bruce Rauner, capping the charge for calls to inmates at 7 cents per minute -- less than half the current average rate.
Ammons’ bill is one of five Rauner signed Monday at an adult transition center in Chicago. There, she told the story of a woman who couldn’t call her parents while they were incarcerated.
“And during that stay, she was unable to connect with them, because her grandmother -- who struggled to raise the two children who were left behind -- could not afford the phone call that cost them an enormous amount," she said. "The choice was food or phone.
"We know that, in order for people to truly gain their lives back and contribute to society, they have to have certain things when they get out," Ammons said. "They have to have family connections that keep them connected to family that will be their support system when they get home."
The governor said Illinois needs to approach the criminal justice system with more compassion. “I want those who did something wrong to face punishment,” Rauner said. “but we must make sure that the punishment fits the crime. We need to explore new avenues so that we’re balancing punishment with rehabilitation and not needlessly tearing families and lives apart.”
Ammons says the measure took more than a decade to achieve, crediting family advocates who work with prison reform groups as well as national advocates at the Center for Media Justice. The law takes effect in January.
Other bills Rauner signed Monday are:
- SB 3164 -- requires review of a pre-sentencing report as well as an explanation of why incarceration is appropriate for offenders with no prior probation sentences or prison convictions.
- HB 6291 -- amends the Juvenile Court Act to change the minimum probation period for a youth who is adjudicated delinquent.
- HB 5017 -- allows a juvenile charged with an offense that is dismissed without a finding of delinquency to petition the court for expungement immediately. Under current law, a petition of expungement is allowed only when the youth has reached the age of 18.
- SB 3005 -- amends the Park District Code to provide that a park district shall not knowingly employ a person who has been convicted of specified drug offenses until seven years following the end of an imposed sentence, including periods of supervision or probation.
Meanwhile, sponsors of a plan to end the state suing inmates to recoup the costs of their prison room and board say they don't have votes for an override after Rauner used his amendatory veto power to make changes.
The governor rewrote the bill Friday, saying there are violent offenders with "significant assets" who should compensate victims and the state. He proposed an added financial threshold, among other things.
However, Democratic sponsors Sen. Daniel Biss and Rep. Kelly Cassidy told the Chicago Tribune that the changes effectively killed the bill because there aren't enough votes to override the veto.
They sponsors called the practice unfair and overly punitive and said Illinois collects less from the lawsuits than it costs to pursue them.