SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White says a pilot program that tried out giving people released from prison state identification cards worked, and is now being expanded.
White calls it the “State ID Program for Returning Residents” — and is expected to serve 27 state prison facilities. Up to now, it had been in 18 prisons.
“The State ID Program for Returning Residents gives people who have served their time in prison a necessary tool as they reenter their communities,” said White, in a news release. “A state ID card is essential to transition back into society.”
White’s office says it’s modeled after a similar program that started in Michigan. The applicant works with the Department of Corrections to gather the appropriate documents and photographs, which are then sent electronically to the Secretary of State’s office for processing.
The prisoner then gets their ID card upon their release if all requirements are met.
White’s office credits, among others, Illinois First Lady MK Pritzker for helping make the program possible.
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