Illinois Republicans Demand FOIA: Learn That 4,000 Inmates Silently Commuted Or Released From Conservative Daily Press: Frustrated with secrecy, republicans in Illinois were finally forced to file a Freedom of Information Act concerning how many inmates had been released from prison since March 1. The count is stunning. Over 4,000 criminals have had their sentences commuted by Governor Pritzker, or were simply released by the Department of Corrections… and many of them were violent offenders who are now free to roam the United States, thanks to this liberal state government. WREX reported: On that list are almost 4,000 inmates that had their sentence commuted by either Gov. JB Pritzker, or were released by the Illinois Department of Corrections. According to court records, some of those released were convicted of violent crimes — 64 of them for murder, four of them convicted here in the Stateline. It is the most expansive list of inmates released from Illinois prisons since the pandemic started. Last week, 13 WREX reported on 16 offenders that were commuted by Pritzker after documents were sent to us. This new list released by IDOC shows a much larger number of inmates and violent crimes. Pritzker has defended his move to commute sentences multiple times at his afternoon press conferences. He continuously says most inmates were near the end of their sentences. “I think some of you may know and understand, because I’ve said it many times from this podium. I want to keep the risk to people across the state as low as possible,” Governor Pritzker said at the podium on Tuesday, April 21. “The risk of COVID-19 and the risk from somebody who has done something wrong in their past.” What is not clear is why these inmates are being released and if it is related to COVID-19. “Please note that neither the Governor nor the Prisoner Review Board have commented upon the reasons why any individual has been granted or denied a request for Commutation of Sentence,” Jason Sweat, Chief Legal Counsel for the Illinois Prisoner Review Board said in an email to 13 WREX. Nonetheless, some local lawmakers, Rockford Police Chief Dan O’Shea and Winnebago County State’s Attorney Marilyn Hite Ross have all spoken against the move to release inmates. “It is very concerning that we would allow violent felons and murderers who have committed heinous crimes back out in the public, and early from sentences,” Chief O’Shea said in a phone interview on April 21. https://conservativedailypost.com/illinois-republicans-demand-foia-learn-that-4000-inmates-silently-commuted-or-released/?utm_source=Push&utm_campaign=OneSignal&utm_term=3_May-3