Leadership changes could be coming to Illinois Prisoner Review Board

Gov. JB Pritzker made the first steps in addressing the embattled Illinois Prisoner Review Board on Monday, announcing the appointment of James Montgomery to serve as executive director — a newly created position.

His approval is now pending confirmation in the Illinois Senate. Montgomery would serve in the leadership role after chair Donald Shelton and board member LeAnn Miller resigned late last month.

According to a news release from the governor’s office, the new leadership position is seen as a way to alleviate some of the workload placed on the board’s chair and would oversee “administrative board operations, including the facilitation of additional domestic violence prevention training and other important equity-based trainings for board members.” Montgomery would receive $160,000 in the new role.

Shake-up to the state agency comes following a controversial decision to grant parole to a Chicago man with a history of domestic violence.

Crosetti Brand, released by the review board from Stateville Correctional Center last month, is now facing charges for allegedly stabbing his pregnant ex-girlfriend and killing her 11year-old son. The Chicago Sun-Times reports Brand, 37, plans to represent himself in court.

Pritzker and Senate Republicans called for changes in the fallout, the governor calling for buttressed domestic violence training for board members while Republicans announced a slate of reform measures.

Senate Republican Leader John Curran has been constantly critical of the governor’s handling of the board and instead calls for a higher qualifications standard to be installed. Much of what Republicans have promoted as change is already in place, a Pritzker spokesperson previously told The State JournalRegister.

“We welcome any addition that will help make the board more effective at improving public safety, but a new staff position is not going to make up for an activist Governor appointing unqualified board members who operate with little to no transparency,” Curran, RDowners Grove, said in a statement.

Montgomery comes to the role after most recently serving as the Director of Administrative Services with the Suffolk County Sheriff ’s Department in Massachusetts. He does have ties in Illinois, however, elected as mayor of Taylorville in 1997.

Contact Patrick M. Keck: 312-5499340, pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter.