The Illinois Department of Corrections was at the center of a recent newspaper investigation, that found gaps in the tracking of parolees. Now, the department hopes to cut down on recidivism by working with Rockford officials on a new system that shares parolee information.
The system was created by a local firm through a state grant. It will allow human service providers to combine information with records from the city's police force and the Illinois Corrections Department.
Jason Garnett is the department's deputy chief of parole. He says the goal is to make it easier for Rockford officials to track these individuals, and keep them from going back to prison.
"We want to get different case managers involved to help these individuals succeed," Garnett said.
It's optional for parolees to sign up for this database.
The announcement comes after the Rockford Register Star's report that focused on the case of Jerome Pruitt, who served half of his six-year sentence for a drug violation. He was paroled to Chicago, but somehow ended up in Rockford, even though he was denied a request to live there. Pruitt was later arrested on the attempted murder charge.