Soon after Governor Bruce Rauner took office last winter, he sat down for a meeting with state rep Kelly Cassidy. She says Rauner asked if she would support his “turnaround agenda,” a series of probusiness proposals that would, among other things, restrict union organizing and worker’s compensation. Cassidy is one of the most liberal members of the General Assembly, and she says she explained to the Republican governor that her far-north-side district wouldn’t support his “turnaround” plans.
Since then, the push for rightsizing the justice system in Illinois has itself been held captive.
Reshaping the criminal justice system has become a goal of both the left and the right around the country. Several of the GOP candidates for president, starting with Rand Paul, have spoken of the need to reduce the country’s incarcerated population, which has grown 500 percent over the last 40 years, to about 2.2 million, according to the Sentencing Project, a reform group. And this week President Obama made his strongest appeal yet for changing the system, from the way police interact in the community to the opportunities ex-offenders get after serving their time.
The push for reforms in Illinois gained momentum with the election of Rauner, who took up the cause despite having financial investments in regressive justice systems in other states.
Garnering the most attention was house bill 218, which would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana: getting caught with as much as half an ounce would be a petty offense punishable with a ticket. The measure, which Cassidy worked on for more than a year, could keep thousands of possessors out of jail.
Legislators say it’s clear that Rauner is taking his time and trying to avoid anything that could distract attention from his turnaround agenda and showdown with Madigan.
