SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mike Halpin has been appointed to the Community Based Corrections Task Force by Senate President Don Harmon.

“I am excited to work with community members and experts to create a justice system that fairly treats people with mental illness, addiction and other vulnerable folks while making our community safer,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “This task force will enable us to create a holistic analysis and response to cracks in our justice system.”

The task force was created by legislation from Halpin, which was signed into law by the governor in 2024. The task force’s goals are to assess detention, rehabilitation alternatives and specialty courts in Illinois’ correctional system. Following these assessments, the task force will make recommendations and suggestions to the General Assembly based on their findings.

Inspiration for the task force came from Andy Boswell, a probation officer in Rock Island, who has also been assigned to the task force.

"We, as a community, are looking at improving the way we treat justice-involved individuals,” said Boswell. “Rather than simply putting someone in jail or releasing them to await trial, we need to be recognizing their issues and struggles right away and helping our people by connecting them to resources and working on actually healing, restoring and improving them into their full potential as members of society.  This task force will work on ways that people can be directed into resources immediately rather than delaying it 1-2 years as cases normally progress so that restoration and justice can be implemented swiftly.  I already know people in the community who have recovered, been restored and are now homeowners, taxpayers, business owners and managers.  We need them and we can do a lot more to solve this problem."

The task force will meet throughout the year and release its finding by Dec. 31.