State’s Attorney Jason Chambers said he appreciates mandatory minimums. (WJBC file photo)
By Adam Studzinski
BLOOMINGTON – Illinois should be careful when looking at ways to reduce the prison population, according to State’s Attorney Jason Chambers.
Chambers spoke in Springfield this week with the governor’s office and other state’s attorneys about ways to lower the amount of people in prison.
“Our prisons and jails are a glass of water – it’s full, and if you pour water in, water’s coming out,” said Chambers. “So we’ve got to decide, which water do we want in the glass? I think it’s important that we make sure that we keep that focus on it.”
Chambers said they discussed mandatory minimums and which types of cases they think could be given more lenience. Chambers added mandatory minimums have been under attack, but he actually appreciates them in most cases.
“Out of 10,000 cases, you know, maybe there’s a sentence where you can say, ‘all right, with that spin that sentence seems harsh.’ But most of the time there’s a lot of back-story with these defendants,” he said.
Illinois has set of goal of reducing the prison population by 25 percent in the next 10 years.
Adam Studzinski can be reached at adam.studzinski@cumulus.com.
