SPRINGFIELD — A bill that would reform the Prisoner Review Board passed the Illinois Senate on Thursday, aiming to protect victims and increase transparency about prisoner releases following years of controversy surrounding the board’s decisions.
Championed by Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, Senate Bill 19 would give victims the ability to file victim impact statements ahead of hearings, provide them with additional notice when their offender is granted early release, and allow them to seek an order of protection against an offender who is incarcerated.
The bill passed on a 33-22 vote, with some Democrat senators opposing the legislation.
It would also create the Office of the Director of Victim and Witness Services, which would ensure the board complies with victims’ rights, and mandates victims are provided with contact information for the State Victim Assistance Hotline
The reforms come after Crosetti Brand allegedly murdered an 11-year-old Chicago boy in 2024. That February, the board voted to release Brand, finding there was not enough evidence he had violated his conditions of release. His ex-girlfriend, Laterria Smith, was denied an emergency order of protection by a Cook County judge while Brand was imprisoned at Stateville in Crest Hill.
A day after he was released, Brand attacked Smith and murdered her 11-year-old son, Jayden Perkins, who attempted to protect his mother. The murder caused two PRB members, including the board chair, to resign.
Read more: Prisoner Review Board sued for negligence a year after released prisoner killed Chicago boy
Brand’s history of domestic violence against women prompted both advocates and lawmakers to call for stricter review of prisoners’ backgrounds before their release.
During last year’s legislative session, Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, championed a PRB reform bill that that had bipartisan support, but was never called for a vote in the House on the final day of session.
That bill would have made changes that included requiring the board to notify victims within 24 hours if an offender, whom they had an order of protection against, was released early.
In a news conference held the day after the session ended, Gov. JB Pritzker expressed his concerns with parts of the bill regarding the live stream of certain PRB meetings and the lack of funding for other requirements.
Read more: Stalled bills: ‘Dignity in Pay Act,’ Prisoner Review Board changes fail to move
Harmon described this year’s reform bill as a “similar to, but improved upon” version of Cassidy’s bill that “expands the rights of victims to be heard and to be notified.”
The bill would change qualifications for board members, requiring seven out of the 15 board members to have at least five years of experience as a law enforcement officer, parole officer, prosecutor, criminal defense attorney or judge.
It would also change the term limits of any new board members elected from six to eight years, something Harmon said would allow board members to be less concerned about their reappointment and more focused on making “good decisions.”
Sen. Steve McClure, R-Springfield, voiced his disagreement on the Senate floor Thursday. He asked Harmon how he thought it was a “great idea” to lengthen terms for members, who he said are vetted by the governor.
“The Senate can’t pass a law by itself. The bill before us, I believe, will be well-received and passed by the House and signed by the governor,” Harmon said in response. “It is the best bill we are able to pass into law at the present time.”
Republicans have spent years criticizing Pritzker’s appointments to the board following several controversial nominations in recent years.
The bill now awaits action in the House.
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