Inmates should have fewer troubles returning to their lives thanks to a new program intended to hand them an ID as they leave Illinois prisons.

Even a small decrease in the recidivism rate can yield millions of dollars in taxpayer savings while improving public safety.

Reforms such as record sealing expansion make it likelier that ex-offenders will be able to find work – and stop cycling in and out of prison. That means they and their families will have a chance to succeed. And the more ex-offenders enter this virtuous cycle – instead of returning to prison – the better off the state and taxpayers will be, too.

Alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenders

Repeat offenses cost Illinois taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year; removing obstacles to work would help combat this problem.