A lot can happen in three months – especially if you only count the last three days.

My Jan. 14 column addressed the ongoing debate over access to original pieces of mail for people in Department of Corrections custody.

Even that piece was backward-looking, going all the way back to Aug. 14 when the DOC filed an emergency rule allowing it to intercept personal mail to be opened, scanned and provided as a photocopy or on a digital tablet. Books, magazines and newspapers could be accepted, but only if directly from the publisher or retailer.

(I must again thank a reader from Bristol, whose child receives Shaw Local News Network’s Kendall County Record each week in prison and praised the work of MidwestBookstoPrisoners.org.)

In September, the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules formally objected to the rule. After DOC announced changes, committee members in January agreed the updates warranted a new permanent framework.

The issue resurfaced on my radar on April 6 via mail from another reader: a Menard Correctional Center inmate who reads Shaw Local’s Northwest Herald. His March 31 letter said the facility went on lockdown so the state police could bring in dogs to search for prohibited items.

“Where are the drugs coming from?” he asked. “IDOC blamed our incoming mail because it’s a convenient target.”

He further alleged prison staff caught with contraband can resign rather than face criminal charges, then lamented, “It has been over six months since I’ve been able to touch mail that has been handled by my loved ones. And this facility does not provide physical copies despite multiple requests [and a grievance] to do so.”

On April 7, DOC announced Journey to Success, a unique portal within the Edovo software, through which more than 31,000 Illinois inmates have completed 352,000 free educational courses since July.

On April 9, the House voted 101-0 to approve House Bill 4235. In addition to a provision ensuring there can’t be additional fees for sending items into or out of prison, the bill also would bar DOC itself from generating any revenue on communications services, according to Restore Justice, which notes other states charge printing fees.

The bill doesn’t address the barrier between inmates and the original mail, nor does it resolve all questions about the vendor supplying tablets – free to the state but prisoners pay to access entertainment and communication services. DOC’s glowing education release stands in stark contrast to inmates who just want to hold a birthday card from a child or parent, but along with HB 4235’s broad support, it does foster optimism for commitments to prepare inmates for healthy returns to society.

If Illinois wants prison to be truly corrective, further people-first reforms are well worth pursuing.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.