Chambana Sun

State Rep. Adam Niemerg (R- Dieterich) is strongly opposed to new legislation being pushed by Democrats that would allow prisoners in Illinois to be eligible for parole more easily, including those serving a life sentence.

“Despite rampant crime as a result of radical Democrat soft-on-crime policies and the people of Illinois understandably worried, Democrats now want to let criminals serving life sentences for violent crime out on parole,” Niemerg posted March 24 on Facebook. “Our top responsibility as elected officials is to work towards safer communities, not let violent criminals out.”

In Niemerg’s post he referenced a Center Square report in which state Rep. Justin Slaughter (D-Chicago) announced House Bill 2045, which amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Slaughter is a member of the Legislative Black Caucus, which created the SAFE-T Act, another controversial measure.

According to the Illinois General Assembly website, House Bill 2045 provides that a person serving a term of life in prison is eligible for parole and mandatory supervised release under various provisions. It deletes a provision that no person serving a term of life in prison may be paroled or released except through executive clemency. It also provides that a committed person who is 55 years old and served at least 25 consecutive years behind bars can be eligible to submit a petition for parole.

A similar measure, House Bill 3373, was sponsored by Carol Ammons (D-Urbana), which would permit someone serving a life sentence to be “eligible for earned re-entry” if they meet the following criteria: For the first year of the effective date, an individual must have served a term of at least 35 consecutive years; for the second year following the effective date, a person must have served a term of imprisonment of at least 25 consecutive years; for the third year and beyond, an individual must have served 20 consecutive years. 

"It saves money, it looks at people based on their merit and what they have done while they were incarcerated, and it gives them an opportunity to have some hope," Ammons said in the Center Square article.

Niemerg was elected to office in 2020. He is a fiscal conservative who is pro-life and pro-Second Amendment. Niemerg hails from Teutopolis and lives with his wife and two children in Dieterich.

In addition, the Center Square article quotes the Republican members of the Senate Executive Appointments Committee regarding the appointment of Donald Shelton to chair the Prisoner Review Board, which oversees bids for parole. “Over the last several years, [Gov. J.B. Pritzker] has transformed the Prisoner Review Board to fit his weak-on-crime agenda and has allowed several of his appointees to go unvetted and unconfirmed for multiple years," the group said in a recent statement.

"Fortunately, through persistent pressure by Senate Republicans, changes have started to take place following the bipartisan movement in the Senate to deny several controversial Pritzker appointees," according to the statement. "While there is still a long way to go to reform this vital agency, we are encouraged by the recent change and will continue to advocate for a Prisoner Review Board that is just, transparent, puts the victims and their families first, and above all, protects Illinois families and communities.”