Illinois governors don’t just pass on debt to their successors – they also leave behind a backlog of petitions for clemency.

The state initiative has both saved taxpayer money and given offenders the opportunity to break the cycle of incarceration.

Although a new study by Northwestern University researchers shows ex-offenders can make good hires, obstacles such as negligent-hiring liability hinder employers willing to give ex-offenders a chance.

Gov. Bruce Rauner and a bipartisan group of lawmakers are supporting SB 3368, which would issue IDs to ex-offenders immediately upon release from prison, easing their transition to post-prison life and employment.

Pete Leonard has employed 35 ex-offenders since 2009 at Second Chance Coffee Company in Wheaton.

A majority of Illinois voters surveyed in a recent poll back record sealing for nonviolent offenders. Here’s how policymakers should make this happen.

New law reduces the rate for which Illinois’ adult and juvenile corrections facilities can contract for inmate telephone service.

Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed a bill allowing ex-offenders with certain drug convictions to apply for jobs with Illinois park districts within seven years of completing a prison sentence or probation.

According to a ruling from Illinois’ attorney general, government employees cannot conceal work-related communication on private email, despite the Chicago Police Department’s arguments for it.

Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed into law Senate Bill 3164, which requires a court to review a presentencing report and explain why incarceration is appropriate prior to imposing a prison sentence on a Class 3 or Class 4 felony offender with no prior violent convictions.