The Illinois Department of Corrections has freed 120 inmates as part of a new early-release program. But the director of the department says letting more inmates out is not the answer to overcrowding in prisons.
Illinois prisons are really crowded. They've got a rated capacity of about 34,000 inmates, but have routinely been housing more than 49,000. That's in part because of a scandal tied to an early-release program a few years ago. Now there's a new program in which inmates can earn time off their sentences based on their behavior and potential for rehabilitation.