A federal judge gave final approval Wednesday to a settlement between the State of Illinois and attorneys representing 28,000 parolees.
It requires the state to provide attorneys and hold evidentiary hearings before sending a person back to prison for allegedly violating parole.
Attorney Sheila Bedi says the current revocation system is a “huge reason” why Illinois prisons are overcrowded.
"The process does not respect people’s rights," she said. "People don’t have an opportunity to explain if the revocation actually happened, and so we’re imprisoning people without the due process of law."
The agreement gives the state nine months to implement the reforms.