By AP/St. Louis Public Radio
Chicago – Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn said a secret policy change that freed some inmates early was "a very big mistake" on the part of his corrections director.
Quinn said Wednesday he is reinstating a policy that requires all inmates to serve 61 days before becoming eligible for good-conduct time off.
The governor said Corrections Director Michael Randle made the decision to accelerate early releases counter to Quinn's guideline that none be violent offenders. However Quinn said he will keep Randle on the job.
Quinn said he first learned of the releases when The Associated Press reported that hundreds of inmates were sent home after fewer than three weeks behind bars, and some had been convicted of violent offenses.