Zelma King News Today

Ronnie Carrasquillo has been locked up for more than four decades for the 1976 murder of a Chicago police officer. Now 65, he’s come close to freedom on three occasions in recent years. Carrasquillo went before the Illinois Prisoner Review Board in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Each time, he was narrowly denied parole by a vote of 7 to 6. In two of those cases, the seven votes were in favor of parole ...

Ronnie Carrasquillo has been locked up for more than four decades for the 1976 murder of a Chicago police officer. Now 65, he’s come close to freedom on three occasions in recent years. Carrasquillo went before the Illinois Prisoner Review Board in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Each time, he was narrowly denied parole by a vote of 7 to 6. In two of those cases, the seven votes were in favor of parole ...

CHICAGO — When a group of Democratic state senators joined Republicans in rejecting two of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s nominees to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board last month, it became clear

For the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, often nuanced decisions are caught in the world of politics.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers rejected two of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s nominees to the state’s Prisoner Review Board last month, highlighting how crime and politics have changed over the last several years.

Two Illinois state boards that deal with issues of crime and law enforcement are facing vacancy problems.

Two state boards that deal with the politically charged issues of crime and law enforcement are facing vacancy problems.

Both Eleanor Wilson, whose appointment was voted down by the state Senate, and Oreal James, who resigned, drew sharp criticism for their votes last year to grant parole to Joseph Hurst and Johnny Veal, two men accused of killing police officers.

Delivering a sharp rebuke to Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, the state Senate on Monday rejected one of his nominees to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, a longtime consultant who is also a godmother to former President Barack Obama’s daughters.

The Illinois Senate on Tuesday took the rare step of rejecting one of Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s appointments to a state agency, in this case the Prisoner Review Board.