Hynes continues press on early prison release program

Pointing to "public outcries for more information," the Dan Hynes campaign has formally sent a second request for details about state prisoners who were released early under the Illinois' now-notorious "meritorious good time" program.

Records obtained by The Associated Press show that, under the "MGT Push," more than 850 prisoners — among them drunk drivers and batterers — left the big house earlier than they otherwise would have been let go.

Several have since returned to custody, charged with crimes committed after their release.

The AP reported the program last month, and the Hynes campaign has raised concerns about what Gov. Pat Quinn knew about it and why it was allowed to continue.

In his latest statement, Hynes campaign spokesman Matt McGrath asserts that Quinn "gives the appearance that there’s something to hide."

The request, filed through the state's Freedom of Information Act, calls for:

• the name of each individual released under the program,
• the original crime for which he or she was convicted,
• the amount of time spent by the individual in the correctional system for that conviction,
• any previous convictions associated with the inmate released early, and
• any instances where an individual was convicted of another crime following his or her release.

Gov. Pat Quinn's campaign spokeswoman says she is surprised by the request.

"All the information requested is easily available to the public on the Department of Corrections Web site," Elizabeth Austin says.

Indeed, a list of the inmates is available at the Web site, and a search tool on another page includes the criminal history, sentencing and served terms for released inmates. That information is searchable using an inmate's last name or Illinois D.O.C. number, both available on the MGT list.

However, without the information in spreadsheet form, it's tough to find out who got the biggest break on his or her sentence, and which were the most common crimes among inmates released early.

To its credit, the D.O.C. Web site does provide at least a couple of important figures.

According to the D.O.C., 1,718 offenders — more than the 850 initially reported by the AP — served an average of 37 days less in state prison than they would have served under the previous release process.