Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx has ordered her office to stop providing recommendations about whether convicted killers should be released from prison on parole, the Sun-Times reports.
Foxx put an end to the long-standing practice after being criticized for not opposing parole for two convicted cop killers over the past year. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office previously took positions against releasing the men.
According to the newspaper’s report, she sent a letter to Illinois Parole Board Chairman Craig Findley on Wednesday in which “Foxx said prosecutors aren’t in the best position to judge inmates’ fitness for parole.”
Prosecutors typically offer the board information about inmates’ crimes from the state and victims’ perspectives.
Foxx said the idea that prosecutors should make parole recommendations is a “relic,” the Sun-Times reports.
You can read the full Sun-Times report here.