Illinois' high court says it needs more money to make sure criminals on probation are being properly monitored.
Governor Pat Quinn's budget proposal would more-than double probation funding, from 47-million dollars to more than 100-million. Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Kilbride says investments in probation officers would help the state save money in the long run: "They take people who are not paying taxes and get them back into our communities as productive citizens and start paying money into the system."
But when Kilbride pleaded his case to lawmakers some were more concerned about the salaries of he and the other Supreme Court justices. They currently make more than state judges everywhere but California.
But the Illinois Supreme Court has ruled its annual salary increases are protected by the state Constitution.