Latest news with #IllinoisPrisonerReviewBoard
CBS News
22-05-2025
- CBS News
Illinois bill would strengthen protections for domestic violence survivors after murder of Jayden Perkins, 11
A measure just passed by Illinois state lawmakers could better protect domestic violence survivors in Illinois. The Illinois Prisoner Review Board, which is responsible for letting prisoners out on parole, may soon have to undergo mandatory training on domestic violence. This is in response to the murder of 11-year-old Jayden Perkins, who was stabbed to death while trying to protect his pregnant mother from an attack — allegedly by her ex-boyfriend who was just let out of jail. After Jayden died, two members resigned by the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. His death is the reason why the board now has an executive director, but lawmakers and domestic violence victims knew they needed to fight for so much more. Jayden died a hero — trying to save his mom, Laterria Smith, from her ex-boyfriend, Crosetti Brand, on March 13, 2024. Prosecutors and police say Brand, who is now on trial in the case, went to Smith and her son's home and stabbed her in the neck. When Jayden tried to intervene and protect his mother, Brand allegedly stabbed him in the chest. Jayden's death at his and his mom's Edgewater neighborhood apartment should never have happened in the first place. "It was really a failure in every part of the system in this case," said Amanda Pyron, chief executive officer of The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence. Pyron worked with the office of Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Prisoner Review Board to the legislation. Smith feared for her life and filed an order of protection against Brand. But the CBS News Chicago Investigators found critical information was not communicated to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, so Brand was let out on parole. The next day, Jayden was murdered. "It doesn't appear that they were checking for active orders of protection," Pyron said. "It doesn't appear that they were checking for pending orders of protection." The bill now on its way to Gov. Pritzker's desk would: Require the Illinois Prisoner Review Board to run a "leads" report on someone up for parole, which contains criminal history, active orders of protection, and any such orders pending. Require the board to publish names of people who violate release terms within 60 days. Require the board to complete 20 hours of training for topics like domestic violence. Require seven board members to have at least five years' experience in fields like law enforcement. "It speaks to the need of appropriate procedures that include those voices, that respect those voices, that ensure the safety of survivors who are involved in the system," said Illinois state Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago). Cassidy worked months with lawmakers and other activists to pass the bill. While there is some relief, Cassidy said there is more work to be done for victims like Jayden and his family, with whom she plans to speak soon. "I very much am looking forward to be getting a second to be able to share this good news," Cassidy said. Brand's trial is ongoing, and he is representing himself. Gov. Pritzker's office said he is planning to sign the bill into law.
Online Citizen
20-05-2025
- Online Citizen
Amos Yee to remain in US prison until November, faces lifetime monitoring for parole breach
UNITED STATES: Amos Yee, a former Singaporean YouTuber convicted of sex offences in the United States, will remain behind bars until 7 November 2025 after breaching parole conditions. The Illinois Department of Corrections listed the 26-year-old's new projected parole date as two years after his re-arrest in November 2023. His projected discharge date now ranges from three years to life, meaning he may remain under US authorities' supervision indefinitely. Originally, Yee was expected to be released on 24 April 2025. However, due to a ruling by the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, he was deemed to have violated parole conditions and is no longer eligible for mandatory supervised release until November. A spokesperson from the Illinois Department of Corrections confirmed the parole breach but did not provide further details, as reported by Singapore state media The Straits Times. Yee is currently held at Danville Correctional Centre, a medium-security male prison located approximately two hours and forty minutes from Chicago. He was initially released on parole on 7 October 2023, three years before the end of his original six-year sentence. Amos Yee sentenced in 2021 following his guilty plea to charges of grooming and possessing child pornography His early release followed a guilty plea in December 2021 to charges of grooming a minor and possessing child pornography. Sixteen additional charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement. The court retroactively applied his sentence to his October 2020 arrest. US marshals arrested Yee at his residence in Chicago's Norwood Park East in 2020 after it was discovered that he had engaged in a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl via WhatsApp. Despite the victim repeatedly stating her age, Yee persisted in soliciting nude photos and reciprocated with explicit images. He also distributed the images online. The crimes occurred between February and July 2019, and Yee's communications with the girl spanned thousands of messages. Yee fled to the US in December 2016, the day before he was scheduled to report for his national service medical examination in Singapore. He was granted political asylum in March 2017 by a Chicago immigration judge, who ruled he had been persecuted in Singapore for his political views. The US Department of Homeland Security's appeal against the ruling was dismissed in September 2017. Prior to his relocation, Yee was jailed twice in Singapore. In 2015, at age 16, he was arrested after posting a video criticising the late Lee Kuan Yew shortly after the former prime minister's death. The video and an obscene image led to his conviction for wounding religious feelings and obscenity. He was released in May 2015, having served more time in custody than the sentence required. In 2017, Yee was jailed again after pleading guilty to six charges of wounding religious feelings of Christians and Muslims in his blog and video posts. His re-incarceration in the US is believed to be linked to new online activity while on parole, which violated conditions barring internet use by sex offenders. According to the US Courts' guidelines, individuals on sex offender parole are prohibited from internet access. Yee allegedly breached this by posting on his blog. In a controversial post titled 'Amos Yee's Update after 3 Years in American Prison', Yee denied manipulating his victim and expressed continued support for paedophilia. He wrote that if he again formed a relationship with a minor he was attracted to, he would 'break the law again'. Yee also discussed returning to Singapore, acknowledging the possibility of losing his asylum status, facing charges for evading national service, and risking further prosecution for criticising the government. Despite these threats, he said he remained committed to political activism and believed he could still contribute to society. In another blog entry dated 5 November 2023, Yee outlined provocative goals, including creating a popular platform to defend paedophilia and promoting illegal protests in Singapore. These posts, deemed a breach of parole conditions, likely prompted US authorities to revoke his early release. Yee remains listed on the US sex offender registry, with his offence details and residential information publicly accessible.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Yahoo
Editorial: Chicago has a domestic violence crisis hiding in plain sight
Chicagoans got a taste of the macabre when a story broke last November of the discovery of the dead body of a woman found next to her own severed foot at the bottom of a South Loop stairwell. But the story behind the grisly finding was all too familiar a tragedy. The dead woman was Caitlin Tracey, 36, who had reported multiple incidents of abuse against her husband. Though she lived in New Buffalo, Michigan, her body was found in the Chicago building where her husband lived. He was named as a suspect in Tracey's death, according to reports. Domestic violence in and around Chicago began climbing in 2019, and incidents have spiked yet again to start 2025. In January, 41-year-old Tanisha Weeks was shot and killed in front of her 7-year-old daughter in the North Lawndale neighborhood on Chicago's West Side. The shooter, who also killed himself, was her 35-year-old ex-boyfriend, who had been served orders of protection not long before the killing. Also in January, mother of three Edith Castrejon was shot and killed in her Portage Park home. She was five months' pregnant. Doctors tried to save her infant son, but the child died a week later. Robert Pasco III, the father of Castrejon's children, has been charged in connection with the deaths. Later in January, a judge granted Castrejon's mother — the guardian of the couple's surviving children — an order of protection against Pasco, according to Tribune reporting. In an affidavit supporting the petition for the order, Castrejon's mother said her oldest grandson had 'informed (her) that he had seen mommy on the floor and that daddy is bad.' Abusers don't just stop at their partner — often they attack others in the family, as was the case when 11-year-old Jayden Perkins was slain in March 2024 trying to defend his pregnant mother in their Edgewater home against an abusive ex-partner against whom she'd filed for an order of protection. The case brought to light major issues with the state's parole system and led to resignations from the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. Recently, Jayden's mother, Laterria Smith, who was injured in the attack, sued the board and other agencies in the tragedy. As Chicago Police Department Superintendent Larry Snelling said after Jayden's death, 'We cannot wait until tragedy happens to decide we're going to do something about it.' We agree. These victims and others who have lost their lives to domestic violence deserve our attention as this problem grows. Of course, this isn't just a Chicago problem. The Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence reported a 110% increase in deaths caused by domestic violence across Illinois from 2022 to 2023. One of the methods of protection for women who fear physical harm from an abuser is to file for an order of protection. But that doesn't help much if abusers aren't served with the papers. Reporting from CBS-Ch. 2 Chicago showed that in situations where women had obtained protective orders between 2021 and 2023, the Cook County sheriff's office actually served the alleged abusers in only 25% of the cases. Improving enforcement of orders of protection is an important step, but more is needed — and it won't be an easy or quick fix. Beyond law enforcement, victims of abuse need physical sanctuary. 'Victims and survivors need access to emergency services and shelter,' Amanda Pyron, executive director of The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, told us. 'When people have the resources to flee, they can flee. When they have shelter beds, they go there.' Right now, the city partners with providers to offer support services and shelter, but the city has far fewer beds than other major cities — and not enough space to meet the needs of people at risk. For roughly half of last year, Pyron, whose organization operates the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline, said the city had to turn away requests for shelter because they had no available beds in Cook County. They had to send people as far as Aurora and Kankakee for shelter. Chicago has 185 shelter beds. New York has 3,000. Harris County, Texas, which includes Houston, has 336 beds. While Chicago experienced 59 domestic-violence homicides in 2023, New York had 23 and Harris County had 38. Pyron points to these numbers as evidence that providing sanctuary for victims works. 'If you look at neighborhoods where domestic violence homicides are highest, you'll see a lack of visible domestic violence services,' she said. 'These incidents are lowest where people have physical, accessible services.' More shelter and services for victims is a priority. Failure to invest in protecting the vulnerable likely means the current awful trends will continue. Let's commit to better safeguarding our vulnerable mothers, sisters, daughters, friends and neighbors and the people who love them. If you or a loved one is suffering from domestic abuse, you can get help by calling the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline at 877-863-6338. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@
Chicago Tribune
02-04-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: Chicago has a domestic violence crisis hiding in plain sight
Chicagoans got a taste of the macabre when a story broke last November of the discovery of the dead body of a woman found next to her own severed foot at the bottom of a South Loop stairwell. But the story behind the grisly finding was all too familiar a tragedy. The dead woman was Caitlin Tracey, 36, who had reported multiple incidents of abuse against her husband. Though she lived in New Buffalo, Michigan, her body was found in the Chicago building where her husband lived. He was named as a suspect in Tracey's death, according to reports. Domestic violence in and around Chicago began climbing in 2019, and incidents have spiked yet again to start 2025. In January, 41-year-old Tanisha Weeks was shot and killed in front of her 7-year-old daughter in the North Lawndale neighborhood on Chicago's West Side. The shooter, who also killed himself, was her 35-year-old ex-boyfriend, who had been served orders of protection not long before the killing. Also in January, mother of three Edith Castrejon was shot and killed in her Portage Park home. She was five months' pregnant. Doctors tried to save her infant son, but the child died a week later. Robert Pasco III, the father of Castrejon's children, has been charged in connection with the deaths. Later in January, a judge granted Castrejon's mother — the guardian of the couple's surviving children — an order of protection against Pasco, according to Tribune reporting. In an affidavit supporting the petition for the order, Castrejon's mother said her oldest grandson had 'informed (her) that he had seen mommy on the floor and that daddy is bad.' Abusers don't just stop at their partner — often they attack others in the family, as was the case when 11-year-old Jayden Perkins was slain in March 2024 trying to defend his pregnant mother in their Edgewater home against an abusive ex-partner against whom she'd filed for an order of protection. The case brought to light major issues with the state's parole system and led to resignations from the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. Recently, Jayden's mother, Laterria Smith, who was injured in the attack, sued the board and other agencies in the tragedy. As Chicago Police Department Superintendent Larry Snelling said after Jayden's death, 'We cannot wait until tragedy happens to decide we're going to do something about it.' We agree. These victims and others who have lost their lives to domestic violence deserve our attention as this problem grows. Of course, this isn't just a Chicago problem. The Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence reported a 110% increase in deaths caused by domestic violence across Illinois from 2022 to 2023. One of the methods of protection for women who fear physical harm from an abuser is to file for an order of protection. But that doesn't help much if abusers aren't served with the papers. Reporting from CBS-Ch. 2 Chicago showed that in situations where women had obtained protective orders between 2021 and 2023, the Cook County sheriff's office actually served the alleged abusers in only 25% of the cases. Improving enforcement of orders of protection is an important step, but more is needed — and it won't be an easy or quick fix. Beyond law enforcement, victims of abuse need physical sanctuary. 'Victims and survivors need access to emergency services and shelter,' Amanda Pyron, executive director of The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, told us. 'When people have the resources to flee, they can flee. When they have shelter beds, they go there.' Right now, the city partners with providers to offer support services and shelter, but the city has far fewer beds than other major cities — and not enough space to meet the needs of people at risk. For roughly half of last year, Pyron, whose organization operates the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline, said the city had to turn away requests for shelter because they had no available beds in Cook County. They had to send people as far as Aurora and Kankakee for shelter. Chicago has 185 shelter beds. New York has 3,000. Harris County, Texas, which includes Houston, has 336 beds. While Chicago experienced 59 domestic-violence homicides in 2023, New York had 23 and Harris County had 38. Pyron points to these numbers as evidence that providing sanctuary for victims works. 'If you look at neighborhoods where domestic violence homicides are highest, you'll see a lack of visible domestic violence services,' she said. 'These incidents are lowest where people have physical, accessible services.' More shelter and services for victims is a priority. Failure to invest in protecting the vulnerable likely means the current awful trends will continue. Let's commit to better safeguarding our vulnerable mothers, sisters, daughters, friends and neighbors and the people who love them. If you or a loved one is suffering from domestic abuse, you can get help by calling the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline at 877-863-6338.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Yahoo
Family of slain boy accuses state prisoner review board of negligence in lawsuit
SPRINGFIELD — The family of an 11-year-old boy fatally stabbed by the ex-boyfriend of the child's mother has sued the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, alleging the panel was negligent when it released the man from prison despite his history of domestic violence. The lawsuit was filed with the Illinois Court of Claims almost one year to the day after authorities say Crosetti Brand broke into his ex-girlfriend's apartment on Chicago's North Side and attacked her before fatally stabbing her son Jayden Perkins when the boy tried to come to her rescue. Brand, 38, is in custody awaiting trial for murder in the attack on March 13, 2024. 'This horrific crime was entirely preventable — had IPRB fulfilled its duty to properly assess Brand's parole eligibility, taken into account his history of violence, and imposed adequate restrictions, this tragedy would not have occurred,' says the lawsuit, filed Wednesday. 'Jayden Perkins, just 11 years old, endured an unimaginable and violent death. He was forced to confront the very monster whom the legal system had already identified as a danger. He suffered the terror of an unprovoked, merciless attack, dying from grievous stab wounds that could and should have been prevented had the IPRB fulfilled its duty.' The case became a political challenge for Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker as his Prisoner Review Board had come under scrutiny a couple years before the attack from state legislative Republicans for authorizing the early release of people convicted of killing police officers, children and committing mass murder. Two review board members, including the chairman, resigned in light of Jayden's case. The crime also led to the appointment of an executive director for the board and efforts by the legislature to revamp the panel's operations. A spokesperson for the review board declined to comment Friday on the lawsuit. The lawsuit accuses the board of 'gross negligence' and 'wanton misconduct,' a legal definition referring to actions considered reckless, in its decision to release Brand just prior to Jayden's death. 'Respondent IPRB has a legal duty to the public, including Plaintiffs, to conduct a thorough and competent risk assessment before granting parole to violent offenders, particularly those with an extensive and documented history of domestic violence, aggravated battery, and repeated parole violations,' the lawsuit says, alleging that 'IPRB ignored its own protocols, disregarded critical risk indicators, and knowingly allowed Brand to return to the same community as his previous victims, without implementing necessary parole restrictions or protective measures.' The lawsuit contends that Jayden's family is entitled to compensation for funeral and burial expenses for the boy, medical expenses incurred by his mother, who was injured during the attack, psychological counseling for the mother and her other young son who witnessed the attack and loss of out-of-pocket expenses 'directly resulting from IPRB's gross negligence.' Brand was granted mandatory supervised release — Illinois' version of parole — in October 2023. He was placed on GPS monitoring and ordered not to contact Jayden's mother as well as another woman he attacked in 2015, according to review board records obtained through an open-records request. The parole release was for the 2015 case in which Brand was originally sentenced to 16 years in prison. Cook County prosecutors have said Brand sent Jayden's mother a text message on Jan. 30, 2024, threatening her and her family. He then showed up at her apartment two days later. Brand repeatedly rang the doorbell and pulled on the door handle in an apparent attempt to break in, according to the lawsuit, which alleges that action was a direct violation of a protective order Jayden's mother had against Brand. She immediately contacted Chicago police to report Brand's presence and his violation of the order. But the officers wouldn't formally document the incident and Jayden's mother's concerns were dismissed, according to the lawsuit, which does not name the Chicago Police Department as a defendant. A parole official later followed up with Brand, who claimed he was merely looking for an apartment, the suit alleges, though Jayden's mother informed the official he had been ringing her doorbell and pulling on the handle to force his way into her apartment. Brand surrendered to authorities on Feb. 2, 2024, and was sent to Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, cited for multiple parole violations, including contacting Jayden's mother while her protective order was still in effect, the suit says. 'However, this brief incarceration did not result in any meaningful consequences, as Brand was subsequently released within weeks due to the systemic failures of the IPRB,' the lawsuit alleges. On Feb. 26, 2024, the review board held a hearing at which Brand changed his story and denied visiting Jayden's mother's apartment, the lawsuit says, falsely claiming that GPS monitoring data did not place him there. 'And without calling Jayden's mother to testify to corroborate her story, the Board accepted his version of events and released him from custody on March 12, 2024 — just one day before the attack,' according to the suit. On March 13 of last year, Brand forced his way into Jayden's mother's apartment and stabbed her multiple times in the back, chest, neck, shoulders and head while Jayden tried to protect her, the suit alleges. The lawsuit says Brand fatally stabbed Jayden while the woman's 6-year-old son witnessed the attack. 'The IPRB's failure was a direct and substantial factor in this tragedy, as it ignored credible evidence of Brand's continued dangerousness,' according to the suit. After the attack, Pritzker said there could be changes to the board's practices. Within days, the review board's chairman, Donald Shelton, and board member LeAnn Miller, who drafted the order authorizing Brand's release, resigned. '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,' the governor said last March. Since then, Pritzker has appointed an executive director for the review board, James Montgomery, who was formerly mayor of the central Illinois town of Taylorville. Lawmakers have offered proposals ranging from making more board hearings available to the public via live broadcast to codifying provisions about training for board members —- especially in the area of domestic violence —- along with changes related to factors to be considered by the panel in deciding whether to grant early release. None of the proposals has passed through the General Assembly. On Thursday night, about 100 people gathered outside the low-slung brick apartment building in the Edgewater community where Jayden lived with his mom and brother. Jayden was described by friends as a talented dancer, and he had just been chosen to play the lead role of Nemo in his school musical when he was killed. Many dancers from the Gus Giordano Dance School, where Jayden had been part of a performing troupe, wore their stage makeup and sweats as they clustered around large white lanterns waiting to be lit. Dozens of electric candles spelled out 'Jay' and a number 11 on the grass. Earlier that night, the school held a memorial event for Jayden that showcased a newly choreographed dance in his honor, titled 'Superhero.' The piece is hip-hop, his favorite style of dance, and set in part to music by one of his favorite artists, Bruno Mars. Jayden's parents lit the first lantern, which had a message written on it: 'Superstar, may your light continue to shine bright. We love you.' Other groups — students from Peirce Elementary, from the dance school, friends and family — waited for their turns to light lanterns. Many wore black sweatshirts with Jayden's name printed on them. Jayden received his first dance scholarship in 2021 and impressed his teachers from his first class, said Amy Giordano, the dance school's executive director. 'He just wanted to learn, and the energy and the enthusiasm and the joy… just radiated to every person,' she said. 'I envisioned that we would give him every bit of training he needed.' He'd learn new skills in class and go home to practice, Giordano said. When he came back, 'he would bring that energy into the room — not 'Oh, look what I can do,'' she said. 'It was like, 'We can all do this.'' Jayden's dance school has started a scholarship program in his honor; Giordano said at least 10 have been awarded so far. The web page for the scholarships reads 'our superhero.' Kubzansky reported from Chicago.
