(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Kane County residents who serve time in state prisons may one day end up finishing their sentences in their county jail to tap social services, under a plan pushed by Sheriff Ron Hain.
He said he reached out to a state lawmaker about the idea after talks with the Illinois Department of Corrections stalled.
A pilot program would provide drug addiction counseling, job training and other support services to people up for parole. The Illinois House has sent the measure to the Senate.
Hain estimates 10 to 20 inmates return to Kane from state prison each month. The Democrat said the idea of locking people up and throwing away the key is impractical.
The pilot program would be for non-violent offenders.
Hain said he knows a parolee who had been arrested several times who is doing well after getting treatment for meth addiction and other services.
“He went from being an extreme antagonist toward law enforcement to an extreme fan of law enforcement and literally working side by side with them as a maintenance worker,” the sheriff said.
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