Two members of Illinois Prisoner Review Board resign

Danny Connolly
·2 min read
6

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Two members of an Illinois bipartisan independent board dealing with parole have resigned earlier this week.

The governor’s office announced Monday that two members of the Prisoner Review Board have stepped down after controversy, one of which used to be a police officer for the city of Champaign.

Corsetti Brand was granted parole March 12. Chicago Police believe Brand fatally stabbed 11-year-old Jayden Perkins and his pregnant mother Laterria Smith on March 13. WCIA’s sister station WGN reports Brand has been charged with Perkins’ murder.

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LeeAnn Miller ran the parole hearing for Brand. The governor said Miller made the right call to resign.

“It is clear that evidence in this case was not given the careful consideration that victims of domestic violence deserve and I am committed to ensuring additional safeguards and training are in place to prevent tragedies like this from happening again,” Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said. “My thoughts are with Laterria Smith as she recovers and with the entire family of Jayden Perkins as we mourn this tragic loss—may his memory be a blessing.”

Donald Shelton also stepped down later on Monday. Before joining the Board in Sept. 2012, Shelton worked as a Champaign police officer.

“Donald Shelton served the state of Illinois in his role with the PRB for over a decade, providing a model of dedication to public service,” Pritzker said. “During his time with the Champaign Police Department and with the PRB he worked diligently to keep Illinoisans safe and uphold our justice system, and I thank him for his service.”

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The governor said he will work with the Illinois General Assembly to fill the vacancies on the board in the coming weeks. Additionally, the governor has asked the current board members to talk to domestic violence prevention experts and advocates to expand for similar cases going forward.

In 2022, many cases of the Prisoner Review Board stalled due to a low number of members on the board, as senators blocked some of Pritzker’s nominations to the board. One advocate for the Illinois Prison Project described to WCIA that due to the vacancies the board could not properly function.

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Senate Minority spokesperson for the Executive Appointments Committee Sen. Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville) described Pritzker’s handling of the board as “reckless”.

“Public safety should be a bipartisan issue,” he wrote on social media. “It’s about common sense and Illinois families. The PRB under Pritzker simply started voting more wildly more often to release violent criminals compared to PRBs under previous admins.”

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