Statement from Governor Pat Quinn's Office Regarding the Suspension of the Meritorious Good Time Release Program

CHICAGO – December 14, 2009. Recent media accounts have inaccurately suggested the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) was secretly conducting aspects of its “Meritorious Good Time” Release program, which Governor Quinn suspended while that program undergoes a comprehensive review.

For the record: The “Meritorious Good Time” Release program and its related policies have never been conducted in secret. In fact, IDOC Director Michael Randle spoke in-depth about the program with the press earlier this year, including during an editorial board meeting with the State Journal-Register.

The attached PDF is an October 11, 2009 editorial from that newspaper under the headline: “New Corrections Chief Embraces Reforms.”

The Governor ordered the suspension of the program because some questions about the program have been raised and it is in the public’s interest to do a comprehensive review. Under Illinois law, the Department of Corrections can issue credit for meritorious good time served.

Governor Quinn has repeatedly stated his mandate to IDOC is the public’s safety always comes first.