DENIAL OF GOOD TIME
Update (December 28, 2001)
Appellate Court Adopts MJC Argument that the Illinois Department of Corrections' Good Time Policy is Unlawful
On December 28, 2001, the Third Judicial District of the Illinois Appellate Court, in Guzzo v. Snyder, adopted the MacArthur Justice Center's argument in upholding a trial court's decision releasing a man from prison. Agreeing with the MacArthur Justice Center's amicus brief, the court said that the man was held unlawfully because of the Illinois Department of Corrections' illegal policy of denying meritorious good time to inmates with incidents of domestic violence in their background.
Download Guzzo Brief (pdf)
MJC Wins Lawsuit Challenging Arbitrary and Unauthorized Denials of Prisoners' Good Time
On October 1, 2001, a class of Illinois Department of Corrections inmates represented by the MacArthur Justice Center won a lawsuit challenging the prison's non-public policy of denying meritorious good time to inmates because of incidents of domestic violence in their backgrounds. In granting summary judgment for the plaintiffs (in the lawsuit Cogdill v. Snyder), Judge Thomas R. Appleton ruled that the good time policy exceeded the prison's authority under state statutes and violated the requirement that those affected by rules have a right to know what the rules are. Defendant Donald Snyder, head of the Department of Corrections, has appealed the trial court's decision to the Fourth Judicial District of the Illinois Appellate Court.
Download Cogdill Complaint (pdf)
Download court opinion (pdf)
