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Bill Would Give Ex-cons State ID Card

Victor
/
Flickr

Illinois lawmakers are seeking to give every person leaving prison a state ID.

It took Deangelo Hampton two months to get an ID after he was released from prison.

"They talking about you can use your jail stuff to get state IDs, that’s just a lie. We went through a lot."

The state doesn’t allow prisoners to use their release papers to prove their identity - and many former prisoners don’t have their birth certificate or social security card. Without an ID it is next to impossible to get a job or housing. And without a job or housing, it becomes much more likely that a former prisoner will end up getting arrested again.

A new bill would require the state to give prisoners a state ID when they are released from the Department of Corrections.