House Bill Would Make Murderers Serving Life Eligible for Parole

Written by: Dimitrios Kalantzis
August 25, 2008 – Convicted murderers serving a life sentence would have a chance at parole under the terms of a bill now under consideration by a State House committee. H.B.4154 would overturn a 1978 court ruling in Illinois that eliminated parole hearings for prisoners serving life. The bill would also give prisoners over 50 who have completed at least 25 years of their sentence an elderly sentence adjustment. Inmates on death row would not be eligible.

The House Committee on Prison Reform reviewed the bill for the first time last week just blocks away from an exhibit featuring the artwork of maximum-security prisoners, many who could benefit from the bill. Light from Inside, an exhibit of over 150 art pieces from 51 Illinois inmates, opened two weeks ago at the Chicago Cultural Center and runs through Sept. 28.

The John Howard Association of Illinois , a prisoner advocacy group, organized the exhibit and strongly supports the elderly sentencing reform bill. “The value we see is in rehabilitation,” said Malcolm C. Young, executive director of John Howard.

“Criminals have problems and one of these problems is the inability to communicate,” Young said.

Eleen R. Arnswald, a 44 year old inmate of Dwight Correctional Facility and artist featured in Light from Inside, wrote in the description of her paintings: “I am beginning to understand the therapeutic effects of my artwork.”

But a local victims advocacy group is skeptical. “What about the victims?” asked Jennifer Bishop, founder of IllinoisVictims.org, a Web resource for victims and families of crime.

Bishop, 50, whose pregnant sister and brother-in-law were shot and killed in 1990 said she supports much of the John Howard prison reform effort, but objects to what she sees as a recent shift from prisoner’s rights to sentence reduction.

If the bill would pass, the man convicted of murdering Bishop’s family members would be eligible for parole in as little as 15 years. “It’s not fair. I would have to attend parole hearings every two years,” Bishop said.

Janie Edwards, 62, is in a similar situation. Sixteen years ago her son Jarrell was killed in a brutal attack in her home. The convicted killer was sentenced to life. His artwork appears in the exhibit. H.B.4154 would make Jarrell’s killer eligible for parole in the next 20 years.

When asked about this possibility, Edwards became silent before saying: “I would fight it tooth and nail.”

Though it may be years before the bill comes to a vote in the General Assembly, the wheels are in motion: “Someone’s got to start it,” Young said.