Illinois Prisoner Review Board to receive stronger training on domestic violence after stabbing incident
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Major changes are coming to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, as Gov. JB Pritzker announced Monday that the state is making enhancements to the board members' domestic violence training.
The change comes weeks after an incident in Edgewater in which an 11-year-old boy was stabbed to death and his pregnant mother was also stabbed and seriously wounded. The alleged attacker had been released from prison just the day before.
"I think that the changes that are necessary here are evident in the fact that the panel didn't take into consideration enough the domestic violence history of this particular prisoner," Pritzker said, "and the fact that there were reports by the victim of that person knocking on her door, being around her apartment building, et cetera."
The boy, Jayden Perkins, was killed while trying to protect his pregnant mother, Laterria Smith, on the morning of Wednesday, March 13. Prosecutors say Smith's ex-boyfriend, Crosetti Brand, attacked her at her home in the 5900 block of North Ravenswood Avenue one day after he was released from custody.
Smith sought an order of protection against Brand in February, despite him going back to prison for violating his parole, including by trying to break into her home weeks before. The request for the order of protection was denied.
Meanwhile, Brand was granted parole on Tuesday, March 12. It was the very next day when he allegedly went to Smith's apartment and stabbed her and her son – just hours before a scheduled court hearing on her case.
Illinois Prisoner Review Board chair Donald Shelton and board member LeAnn Miller resigned a week ago after the board approved parole for Brand. It was Miller who wrote the report recommending Brand's release from prison.
