AP: Quinn’s explanation false
Monday, May 17, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I knew if I waited long enough, John O’Connor with the AP would get to the bottom of this story…
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn says the Prisoner Review Board let a man later charged with murder go too early when he was released after a parole violation.
Quinn says the board should have held the parolee for six months when he was sent back in January for the violation.
But records reviewed by The Associated Press show Quinn’s own Corrections Department recommended Edjuan Payne only serve two months for violating parole by drinking alcohol. He served more than that before the prisoner board set him free.
Wow. Bad, bad news for Quinn and his embattled Department of Corrections.
Here’s the back story from the Peoria Pundit…
In 1988, Payne was convicted of murder and was incarcerated by the DOC. He was paroled and 2003 and completed his parole in 2006.
In 2009, Payne was arrested and convicted of criminal damage to property. He was sentenced to two years is prison. But by the time he was sent to the DOC, he had already served six months and four days in county jail. The standard “day for day” credit means his sentence knocked one year off his sentence.
He was also eligible for “meritorious good time credit,” Elman said. Appellate court decisions state the DOC cannot take into account an inmate’s previous convictions when determining meritorious good time credit, therefore Payne qualified even though he was a previously convicted murderer, she added.
Payne was paroled from the DOC on Oct. 1, 2009, after serving only 14 days in the state prison system and slightly more then six months in a county jail.
Payne violated his parole in January. The Prisoner Review Board, which did not return my calls today, released him in March. Last week, Payne allegedly murdered a woman…
Orvette Davis would have left Peoria this weekend after a couple of hopeful weeks in town trying to land a job at the Caterpillar Inc. plant in Mossville.
Instead, a woman with no enemies - as her children described her Friday - traded her life for that of her granddaughter in a North Valley alley, where Davis’ body was found beaten and strangled Thursday morning by a child walking to school.
Lying in a puddle next to Davis with a fractured skull was the infant, 8-month-old Aaliyah Gaston. The baby had spent hours there in intermittent rain and survived.
“She put her life on the line to save my baby,” said Terrell Gaston, Davis’ son and the father of Aaliyah. “And my mom is going to live through my baby.”
The day after her murder, the governor was in Peoria and blamed the whole thing on the Prisoner Review Board…
The Illinois Prison Review Board made the wrong decision this year when it granted accused killer Edjuan Payne an early release, Gov. Pat Quinn said Saturday at an appearance at the Peoria YWCA.
The Illinois Department of Corrections believed Payne should have remained incarcerated until July 22, but he was paroled March 29 from a southern Illinois correctional center.
“The tragedy here is a separate state agency gave him an early release,” Quinn said, siding with the IDOC. “He should have been in jail.”
But now, according to the AP, we find out that the Prisoner Review Board actually held Payne longer than the Department of Corrections recommended. Quinn will either have to backtrack, go to ground, or fight back. Tossing Director Randle overboard has long been ruled out.
- Ashamed to be from Illinois - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 2:09 pm:
Way past time for Randle to go. Quinn will be the next release if he doesn’t do something fast.
- fact check, please - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 2:17 pm:
He only served 14 days of a two-year sentence? Did he not serve any time in county detention? And was that credited as time served?
- Hoping for Rational Thought - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 2:17 pm:
Was Quinn lying in Peoria or is he really that out of touch? Why do people have to die or get seriously injured before things change?
- Rich Miller - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 2:20 pm:
That sound you hear is Ben Nuckels screaming after realizing what he’s gotten himself into.
- Pot calling kettle - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 2:24 pm:
The explanation that Quinn should be giving (because it’s the truth) is that these prisoners are being released because we cannot afford to keep them locked up. There is not enough money in the budget to adequately staff the prisons. With the huge deficit and promises of more cuts to make ends meet, expect to see more of this in the future.
- Tiny - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 2:25 pm:
Randle will be gone now. Watch.
- John Bambenek - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 2:27 pm:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“SPRINGFIELD- Illinois’ State Board of Elections has announced the theme of the gubernatorial election cycle of 2010: Race to the Bottom…”
- Lake Watcher - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 2:28 pm:
Question, would you rather be Brady’s campaign manager and having to deal with the issue of putting puppies in a gas chamber your first week or Quinn’s campaign manager and having to deal with a murderer that was released early because of a program that your new boss authorized?
I think Quinn’s campaign manager wins one that he would rather lose.
Ouch!
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 2:28 pm:
I agree with Pot.
What Quinn thinks he’s gaining by pointing the finger at the Prison Review Board, I don’t know.
He’s running against Bill Brady, who wants to cut prison, police, and other public safety programs by 10%.
Knuckels: call me.
- cassandra - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 3:08 pm:
This is another example of Quinn’s inability to hire competent fact checkers (or maybe he doesn’t care if they are competent, thinking he can always keep saying “I’m honest” and we’ll vote for him anyway).
Anyway, it’s difficult for those not in the cj field to know if this decision was a bad one, because now we know it turned out poorly, so we are biased by knowing the outcome. The violation was drinking alcohol—doesn’t seem that horredous to me. It’s wasn’t assault, robbery, etc. Was this alleged murder totally predictable. Was there a research-based protocol followed in letting him out. Whose research? I’d hate to think after the billions of dollars we have poured into Illinois’ prison system, that these decision are being made by civil servants utilizing their instincts.
I’ve said before, DOC seems to have some problems right now but they aren’t outliers—prison systems across the country are looking at ways to reduce incarcertaion costs.
I suppose we could have a system where nobody every gets out early, ever. But it’s gonna be expensive.
- Lester Holt's Mustache - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 3:12 pm:
Quinn says he should have still been in jail. The guy got out March 29th instead of July 22nd. I would say even if this guy stayed in until July 22nd, he would have done this (or worse) to some other poor soul by September 1st.
Seriously, how f***ed up do you have to be to commit murder with an 8 month old in the way?
- "and justice for all" - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 3:14 pm:
Quinn needs to bringback Sergio Molina as director of Corrections…at least as Chairman of the Prison review board…Yeah thats the ticket..let’s all rally behind behind Sergio Molina. Never haveI seen so many goofy and dangerous moves with DOC.
- VanillaMan - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 3:31 pm:
I remember when Quinn used to be considered somewhat honest. Goofy, but honest.
- The Truth - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 3:42 pm:
They need to fire Randle. It is the truth we have no money to keep these people in jail but let’s release the non-violent offenders not rapist and murderers. And Quinn is goofy and nobody in Illinois politics is honest. That is a stupid notion.
- unspun - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 4:02 pm:
A couple of points on the parole of the inmate:
1) He would have been released (by statute) within a couple of months anyway
2) It is not IDOC that makes the “recommendation” that is being referenced; rather, it is the individual parole agent, and it is only a recommendation
3) The Prisoner Review Board makes the final decision, not IDOC.
While this incident is tragic, the truth is that neither IDOC, the Prisoner Review Board, Pat Quinn, Bill Brady, nor any of their uncles could have predicted this murder; it was a spontaneous crime. The accused was first paroled in 2003, and according to the article, spent 3 years (through 2006) under the supervision of a parole agent. He is clearly a deplorable human being, but making the IDOC the bogeyman is a stretch at best.
- Bubs - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 4:08 pm:
Quin is creating a real opening for “Willie Horton” fear tactics by Brady, but I hope he will be above that.
I think he will.
- CircularFiringSquad - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 4:10 pm:
OK. Quick have NoTaxBill run out an announce he has bought box seats for 2011 SOX and CUBS Spring Training in AR to support what DTDK nominee Carol Marin describes as somewhat Draconian “Papers Please” atrocity.
Way to steal the Thunder willy
- Walter - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 4:12 pm:
He wasn’t released under MGT, right? Then I don’t think it’s really Quinn’s fault he got out early.
Parolees commit crimes all the time, including murder. If Quinn’s gonna catch heat every time someone on parole kills someone he’s in for a long summer.
If a release is a result of MGT, fine, blame Quinn. But if we’re talking about regular parolees then Quinn is being held to a standard no other governor has been held to.
- Rich Miller - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 4:13 pm:
Walter, the problem is that Quinn told a story that wasn’t true. He was either lied to by DoC… AGAIN, or the PRB is lying.
- jonbtuba - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 4:17 pm:
Vanilla Man, I don’t see how this makes Quinn dishonest. His statements seem to suggest he just didn’t know the specifics. Being inaccurate is not the same as lying.
- sal-says - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 4:18 pm:
Quinn, or any so-called ‘manager’ is still responsible for the ‘underlings’. Who picked and kept the Corr Dir? Oh, yeah, Quinn. Look no further?
- downstater - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 4:19 pm:
Bottom Line Quinn needs to fire Randle. Quinn has appointed 5 peoople to monitor Randle in his current capacity. Look at all the tax payers money going to these extra people’s salary. We are paying 6 people to do one person’s job. Fire Randle and hire a qualified person to do the job.
- phocion - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 4:20 pm:
Agree with Rich. The issue isn’t the release in this case. It’s the lying. And like VM, I too remember when Quinn was thought to be honest. He’s been building up quite the reputation to the contrary since he was sworn in. I’m thinking Harold Washington really, really nailed what this guy is all about.
- Rubbernecker - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 4:29 pm:
Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer’s gone, and all the flowers are dying
‘Tis you, ’tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer’s in the meadow
Or when the valley’s hushed and white with snow
‘Tis I’ll be here in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.
- Conservative Republican - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 4:32 pm:
Guess this pushes the Bill Brady “10%” story off to the side. LOL
- Anonymous - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 4:44 pm:
@Walter yes he was an MGT Pusher, secretly released early after just 14 days in prison. After he was MGT-Pushed out of IDOC in Oct, he was only violated in Jan as part of a CYA parole round-up: Drinking alcohol didn’t get anybody violated in recent memory - heck, domestic battery wasn’t even an automatic technical violation before the Hudson family murders led to a statute change. Then suddenly in Jan, hundreds of the Pushers were brought back on trumped-up pretexts like this one.)
- Anon - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 4:46 pm:
==Quinn says he should have still been in jail. The guy got out March 29th instead of July 22nd. I would say even if this guy stayed in until July 22nd, he would have done this (or worse) to some other poor soul by September 1st. ==
That’s an impossible question to answer. What is for certain, however, is that if he was kept in prison until July 22, this lady would still be alive and that baby would still have a mother to take care of it. This is not a good picture in the minds of voters for Quinn.
- Streeterville - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 4:48 pm:
If I was an agency director, I would watch my back because it looks like Quinn will throw you under the bus to make himself look good…Also, where are Stermer and Lavin? What do they do all day?
- Vole - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 4:58 pm:
If candidates for governor had a three strike rule, would both Quinn and Brady be out by now? Or just another notch up on the Cap Fax’ goofball scale?
Do lousy government officials make lousy states and/or do lousy states make lousy government officials? Kind of like the old saying about “poor land makes poor farmers and poor farmers make poor land”?
- Anonymous - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 6:12 pm:
Quinn still can’t fire Randle over early relase because he defended him. Quinn will probably find and some charges to trump against Randle.
This prison stuff almost cost Quinn the primary. He won’t hesitate to throw Randle overboard if he thinks it will save his behind come November.
Quinn is as dishonest and lacking in integrity as they come.
Brady should DEFINITELY use all of this against Quinn. It seems people here who are trying to scare Brady are all too aware of how effectively Hynes used Quinn’s early release fiasco against Quinn.
How would Brady be resorting to Willie Hortonism? This guy in Illinois actually KILLED someone upon being released early. Brady would only be telling the truth, albeit ugly. Quinn ill-adivsedly released prison inmates early—it was his call, and he made it. The buck stops with him. Period!
Brady should pull no punches in letting Quinn have it. The same people who would have Brady not use early prison release against Quinn are the same people who supported Quinn’s use of Burr Oaks against Hynes. While Burr Oaks wasn’t really Hynes’ fault, early release, or PUSH for early release, for sure is all Quinn’s fault.
What’s good for the goose?
- Moving to Oklahoma - Monday, May 17, 10 @ 7:22 pm:
Brady’s lead just went back to 10 points. The specifics of this will get lost once the first Brady for governor ad ties Patt Quinn off to a murder.