Will County Gazette

Republican House Leader Jim Durkin (R-Burr Ridge) is introducing legislation to reform the governor's Prisoner Review Board.

“The bad policies put in place by the governor and his Democratic allies in the General Assembly and a passive Cook County State's Attorney have created a consequence-free Illinois which has only emboldened criminals,” Durkin said during a recent news conference. “In Illinois and specifically Chicago, we are witnessing an unprecedented crime wave, carjackings, smash-and- grabs, armed robberies and murders are all reaching new highs.”

Durkin is holding out House Bill 5126 as a means to enact tougher standards for violent offenders seeking to be released from prison.

The bill would require that roughly half of the 12-person Prisoner Review Board be individuals with police or prosecutor experience. In addition, the proposal seeks to establish that a person convicted of first-degree murder must have the approval of two thirds of the board before they can be paroled.

Another bill seeks to make the governor’s parole case decisions more transparent and open to the public.

“Myself and my Republican colleagues have repeatedly discussed the anti-police and anti-victim legislation signed into law by Gov. Pritzker and his legislative cohorts,” Durkin said. “It has broken our criminal justice system. And while many of the perpetrators of violent crime are no longer being held accountable, there is a horrific consequence to each and every one of the victims. We must return to supporting the victims of crime, rather than expanding the rights of criminals as the governor has done in his failed progressive public safety agenda.”

Durkin said Pritzker's policies have failed.

“JB Pritzker and his administration have failed, which is why I have filed this morning House Bill 5126, which I hope will help fix this tragedy,” he said. “The governor's Prisoner Review Board needs reform and this is how I propose to do it. The administration is placing criminals above victims and they are trying to silence the voices of victims across the state.”