Press Releases

Freed and exonerated Illinoisans joined State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. and State Representative Justin Slaughter at a press conference Tuesday to celebrate a newly signed law creating a clearer path to financial relief for people who have been wrongfully incarcerated in Illinois.

“Today marks a change in how the state of Illinois sees and responds to the injustice of a wrongful incarceration,” said Sims (D-Chicago). “When the system gets it wrong, it’s on us as leaders to step up and make it right. This law goes beyond compensation to provide a path toward justice.”

Since 1989, there have been nearly 600 exonerations in Illinois, with individual compensation often inadequate and awarded inconsistently. The average award for exonerated Illinoisans has been $11,190 per year of wrongful imprisonment, according to the Illinois Innocence Project, located at the University of Illinois Springfield.

A measure led by State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. that was signed into law Friday creates financial guardrails to ensure the criminal justice system supports family connections instead of restricting them.

“Mail correspondence is a vital – and often cost-effective – lifeline,” said Sims (D-Chicago). “When families already spend thousands just to stay in touch with an incarcerated loved one, they shouldn’t face yet another cost barrier to staying connected.”

Under a rule that took effect last year, correctional facilities in Illinois can withhold physical mail and instead provide incarcerated individuals with electronically scanned copies of their mail. In other states that have implemented electronic mail scanning, incarcerated individuals have faced additional charges just to send and receive mail and photographs. Under Sims’ new law, incarcerated individuals cannot be charged any fee for incoming mail nor can they be charged more than regular U.S. postal rates for mail delivery. This fee prohibition also applies to any contracts with the state where a profit could be made from the electronic scanning of incarcerated people’s mail.

Decades of research has shown that regular contact with family members and loved ones – whether in person, by phone or via mail – is one of the strongest predictors of successful rehabilitation and reduced recidivism. Mail is particularly vital, as it is often the most cost-effective and reliable way to stay connected. A study of incarcerated parents in Arizona found that parents cited mail as the most common way they communicated with their children, and those who corresponded via mail reported better relationships with their children as compared to the year before their incarceration.

Majority Caucus Appropriations Leader Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (D-Chicago) released the following statement Tuesday after the Fiscal Year 2027 budget was signed into law:

“Through our unwavering commitment to fiscal responsibility, Illinois has engineered a remarkable financial turnaround over recent years. Our principled approach has kept our fiscal house in order, allowing us to invest in and uplift communities across the state despite the uncertainty looming from the Oval Office.

“We’re building on that foundation with investments we can be proud of as Illinoisans – educating our young people, enhancing good-paying job opportunities, keeping our communities safe and growing the economy. Illinois will continue to step up where the federal government has stepped away, investing in the whole person, no matter the color of their skin, their education level or their ZIP code.

“Simply put: this budget not only responds to the crisis we face now – it builds up our social safety net for the future. It is a budget that makes Illinois a better place to live, work and raise a family.”

Majority Caucus Appropriations Leader Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (D-Chicago) released the following statement after the Senate voted to pass the Fiscal Year 2027 budget:

“Despite the reality that the federal government is abandoning its partnership with Illinois and its local partners, this balanced budget reflects the kind of disciplined choices the people we represent expect: preparing for uncertainty, restoring property tax relief and continuing to fund the programs people rely on.

“As chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I knew we couldn’t sit by while children in our state go hungry because of the cruel actions of the federal administration. That’s why we worked to make sure this budget not only strengthens vital safety net programs – but also lays a foundation for Illinois to step up where the federal government has stepped away.