Pritzker OKs changes to Prisoner Review Board following years of controversy

Gov. JB Pritzker signed a new law Friday to make a series of changes to the Prisoner Review Board after it released a man who would go on to commit murder, leading to intense scrutiny in Springfield.

Pritzker signed Senate Bill 19, which contains changes designed to include victims’ participation in Prisoner Review Board decisions and ensure more board members have relevant law enforcement or judicial experience.

The law gives victims the right to file impact statements ahead of hearings, provides them with additional notice when their offender is granted early release, and allows them to seek an order of protection against an offender who is incarcerated.

It also creates the Office of the Director of Victim and Witness Services within the PRB, which would ensure the board complies with victims’ rights. The measure also mandates the board provide victims with contact information for the State Victim Assistance Hotline.

“The bulk of this bill is focused on … making sure that victims, survivors, are more engaged in the process at PRB because unfortunately, too often, we’ve heard from victims and family members that they simply haven’t been given a voice in this process,” bill sponsor state Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, said when the bill passed the House last month.

[ Read more: Prisoner Review Board reform bill clears Senate ]

The bill was approved by the Senate in April on a 33-22 vote, with some Democrats opposing it. The House voted 74-37 along party lines to send the bill to Pritzker’s desk in May. Republicans, who had for months been calling for broader reforms, criticized the bill.

Pritzker’s signature comes just two weeks after a man released by the PRB was found guilty of murdering 11-year-old Jayden Perkins at his Chicago home in March 2024.

Crosetti Brand was released from prison in 2023 after serving a sentence for a domestic violence conviction. After his release, Brand began threatening a former partner, Laterria Smith, and showed up to her home in February 2024, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Brand was sent back to prison for violating the conditions of his release, and Smith filed for an order of protection. But a Cook County judge denied the order because Brand was behind bars.

On March 12, 2024, the PRB voted to release Brand citing a lack of evidence to keep him behind bars, the Sun-Times reported. The next day, Brand confronted Smith at her home and stabbed her and her son, Perkins, multiple times. Smith survived but Perkins did not. Brand was found guilty of first-degree murder and 16 other counts earlier this month.

Two board members, including the chair, resigned after Perkins’ death. Smith sued the board for negligence in March.

The case put even more scrutiny on the board, which was already in the spotlight over other controversial decisions to release people from prison.

In May 2024, the Senate unanimously passed a bill that would have made a series of reforms to the board, including requiring that certain meetings be livestreamed and board members receive additional training. The bill appeared ready to pass the House with 76 members signing on as cosponsors. But the bill was never called for a vote in the final hours of session after Pritzker had concerns about the feasibility of the livestreaming requirements and lack of funding for the board.

Instead, lawmakers moved forward with the legislation signed by Pritzker on Friday, which Republicans opposed saying it doesn’t go far enough to meaningfully reform the board.

“After the Governor ignored our consistent and clear warnings, a horrible murder was triggered by a terrible decision by the Prisoner Review Board,” state Sens. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, and Steve McClure, R-Springfield, said in a statement. “Now, instead of listening to a bipartisan coalition at the capitol, he and his far-left allies pushed through a bill that makes it more difficult for the PRB to keep violent criminals off the streets.”

The new law also attempts to make the board more professional, Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, the Senate sponsor of the bill, said in April. It gives board members eight-year terms instead of six so they can be more focused on their decisions rather than their reappointment, he said. It also changes qualifications for board members, requiring seven out of the 15 board members have at least five years of experience as a law enforcement officer, parole officer, prosecutor, criminal defense attorney or judge.

Republicans opposed creating longer terms for board members, saying it reduces Senate oversight of the board and fails to hold board members accountable for decisions. The Senate is responsible for confirming the governor’s appointments to the board.

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