SPRINGFIELD – In response to a deadly stabbing that occurred earlier this year, Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) joined with Senate Minority Leader John Curran to advance legislation improving training and transparency for the Illinois Prisoner Review Board (PRB).

The legislation comes after Crosetti Brand was charged with murder for allegedly stabbing 11-year-old Jayden Perkins and his pregnant mother. Perkins died while attempting to protect his mother. The attack came one day after the PRB voted to grant Perkins release.  

“It is clear that gaps existed in Prisoner Review Board rules and training that, tragically, contributed to a child losing his life,” Harmon said. “This is an attempt to strengthen the review process so that something like this hopefully never happens again.”  

In an effort to prevent future tragedies, the measure:

• Requires additional training for PRB members to be completed annually and before their first vote as a member of the board;
• Requires the PRB to provide victims notice of hearings and notice of revocation of mandatory supervised release;
• Increases transparency by requiring certain PRB hearings to be broadcast live and mandating the minutes from hearings be posted online; and
• Allows crime victims abused by incarcerated individuals to petition for orders of protection.

“These bipartisan, victim-focused reforms are a strong first step in increasing accountability and transparency in how the Prisoner Review Board operates,” Curran said.  

The PRB conducts hearings to determine whether individuals are eligible for parole or mandatory supervised release. Its members are appointed by the governor and approved by the Senate.

In the aftermath of Perkins’ death, two members of the PRB resigned.

Gov. JB Pritzker also announced additional training and screening requirements for PRB members.

HB 681 passed the Senate without opposition and heads to the House for concurrence.