 McCotter, whose experience includes a number of high-ranking
positions in the Chicago Police Department, will evaluate and
oversee implementation of IDOC's statutorily sanctioned meritorious
good time and electronic home-detention programs.
"Mike McCotter is an experienced law enforcement professional and
public safety expert whose responsibilities will include reviewing
and improving implementation of the meritorious credit and
electronic home-detention programs. My mandate to the Illinois
Department of Corrections is and always has been that the public's
safety comes first, and that's also Mike McCotter's top priority,"
the governor said.
In addition, Quinn named Sean Vinck, chief of intergovernmental
affairs for the governor's office, as a special administrator for
IDOC and named Mark S. Prosperi, a former assistant United States
attorney, as public safety liaison officer for the governor's
office.
These appointments are part of Quinn's plan to overhaul IDOC's
meritorious credit program, which has been in existence since 1978
and is undergoing a comprehensive evaluation headed by criminal
justice expert Judge David A. Erickson. A review of IDOC's
electronic home-detention program is also under way.
A top-level executive with the Chicago Police Department,
McCotter brings nearly four decades of experience to his new
position. At the Chicago Police Department, McCotter served as a
chief of patrol, deputy chief of detectives, commander of special
events and as a district commander. He has also participated in
professional training sessions with the FBI, U.S. Secret Service,
Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies. (Background
information).
"I am happy to accept Gov. Quinn's appointment and look forward
to working at the Illinois Department of Corrections," said McCotter.
Quinn has designated Sean Vinck to be a special administrator for
IDOC, where his primary task will be to assist in the day-to-day
management of the agency. He will report to Quinn and Jerome Stermer,
chief of staff to the governor. Vinck will retain his position as
chief of intergovernmental affairs for the governor's office. (Background
information).
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As public safety liaison officer for the governor's office, Mark
Prosperi will also assist in the oversight, coordination and
implementation of the meritorious credit and electronic
home-detention programs. In this recently announced position,
Prosperi will work from the office of the governor's general
counsel.
A former assistant United States attorney in Chicago from 1991
through 2007, Prosperi was also a member of the Chicago Strike Force
for the U.S. Department of Justice. His former positions include
chief of the Narcotics and Gangs Section; deputy chief of Special
Prosecutions Section; deputy chief of the Organized Crime Section;
and a U.S.A. coordinator for Great Lakes Region, Organized Crime
Drug Enforcement Task Force. (Background
information).
The Illinois Department of Corrections was established in 1970.
When IDOC began, Illinois operated only seven adult facilities.
Since that time, stricter laws have resulted in increased sentencing
and longer terms. To address this steady increase in the inmate
population, the agency today operates 28 adult correctional centers
as well as various work camps, boot camps and eight adult transition
centers. IDOC's recommended budget is $1.28 billion for fiscal 2010.
The agency employs approximately 11,000 employees and is responsible
for the management of 45,000 adult inmates.
In Illinois the rate of recidivism, a tendency to relapse into
criminal behavior, was 51.3 percent in fiscal 2009, and 47 percent
of DOC inmates serve six months or less.
For more information on IDOC, visit
http://www.idoc.state.il.us/.
[Text from
news release from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information] |
