Safely reducing Illinois' prison population

Over the past 40 years, crime in Illinois has declined 20 percent - but the prison population has ballooned 700 percent. In February, Governor Rauner created the Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice to study the criminal justice system and suggest laws, policies, and procedures to safely reduce the prison population by 25 percent by 2025. On July 1, the commission released its initial report. The Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council (SPAC) and Civic Consulting Alliance are working with the budget and capacity subcommittee to understand the financial impact of the commission's proposed changes and identify ways to use taxpayer dollars most effectively.