Does anyone know what bills are being considered at this time by Blagoyevic? My husband was saying that there are several on the tables to be watching for, but I am not sure where exactly to be looking:confused:

Don't know if this may help but there's a site that all Bills and resolutions before the House can be found. Probably not what you're looking for but you never know, it may help.

www.legis.state.il.us

Thank you very much for this info, I am no my way to check out the site as well.

There is a persistent rumor that a bill is before the Illinois House to do away with the Natural Life Without Parole sentence. And while I believe there is a bill, and the bill may have even been passed into law, in Missouri, so far nothing like that has been brought to Blagojevich. Another suggestion is to go the Illinois Courts website and sign up to be emailed all the Illinois Appellate and Supreme Court decisions. Any one of the cases decided there could impact your guy's case.

J

That's a good tip, I'm going straight into the Courts website and get signed up. I should be able to learn a lot more from that. Thanks.

Rose

I know I had a friend who was just re-sentenced in Illinois who had natural life because they found his sentence unconstitutional.

I did not find a bill of anything about prison sentencing If you find it will you please post it or tell me exactly where to go so that I can see it. let's just keep on praying I feel like something good is going to happen.

Myers,

I would be interested in reading the particulars of your friend who had his sentence vacated. It wasn't an Apprendi issue, was it? Can you pm me the details? Thank you.

J

Myers and Jimsenglishgeek:
Could you also forward that info on to me as well please? I would be very interested in learning more!

My mom said she saw on the news where they were suppose to be reducing the truth-in sentencing laws because they were not prepared for the impact that it would have on the state budgets but from what I have found and read, it seems that all new laws will only apply to non-violent offenders. If you hear anything else, please let me know. My husband's sentence is already at 50% and he has 7 1/2 years to go maybe less with good time credit and if this is the case we're hoping he would be home earlier.

Please also keep me in the loop. I was just told in a recent letter from Roger that there is alot of guys about to make noise about the Illinois parole system. The rumor he is hearing is that they could find it unconstituional. I will ask him more questions if anyone is interested. As far as the Apprendi Issue, I know of two cases from Illinois that were turned down by the US Supreme Court. We thought Apprendi would help us, but in the long run it hasnt.

Apprendi SHOULD help lots of cases, but it won't until the USSC rules in favor of applying it retroactively. Illinois has ruled against retroactivity, therefore it's pretty much a dead issue in this case until the US accepts a case for cert and rules on the retroactivity issue.

Please also keep me in the loop. I was just told in a recent letter from Roger that there is alot of guys about to make noise about the Illinois parole system. The rumor he is hearing is that they could find it unconstituional. I will ask him more questions if anyone is interested. As far as the Apprendi Issue, I know of two cases from Illinois that were turned down by the US Supreme Court. We thought Apprendi would help us, but in the long run it hasnt.
What is Apprendi?

BG799 - Hope this helps:

any fact used by a sentencing court to increase a sentence beyond what otherwise would be the statutory maximum must be alleged in the indictment and proved beyond a reasonable doubt to the jury as fact finder.

Apprendi applies to both state and federal criminal charges. Its most dramatic effect may be on federal drug cases in which a defendant received a sentence based on a minimum mandatory drug quantity. Depending on the circumstances of the case, such sentences may now be subject to reversal. Any person who received a mandatory life sentence based on prior convictions in a federal drug case may also be entitled to have the sentence set aside.

However, in Illinois, retroactivity was shot down so it depends on where you are in your appeals process.

jims...