Former governor headed to work release
Updated: January 29, 2013
CHICAGO -- George Ryan is spending his final hours in a federal prison. The former governor is expected to be released to a halfway house Wednesday. As WCIA-3's Steve Staeger explains, he isn't home free just yet.
George Ryan hasn't had a room to himself for the last five years. Starting Wednesday, he'll get a little privacy in a room like this. It's the halfway house in Chicago where the former governor will call home for awhile. It's unclear how long he might be there. It could be as little as a few weeks.
Even though there won't be any more prison bars, the former governor will still be confined. He'll leave at a certain time each morning for work, and as soon as he gets there, he'll have to report back to the halfway house. He'll have to return home at the same time each night by curfew. And, he can't leave these walls unless he gets permission.
Randy Cox is a defense attorney in Springfield. Some of his clients have transitioned through homes like this.
"They are used to having a very, very structured life, and they don't anymore. That's really part of it, is learning that they are much more responsible now for their own life and for getting from point a to point b."
So, the man who used to work here, will have to find a new job and he may have to relearn a few skills as he re-enters society.
George Ryan hasn't had a room to himself for the last five years. Starting Wednesday, he'll get a little privacy in a room like this. It's the halfway house in Chicago where the former governor will call home for awhile. It's unclear how long he might be there. It could be as little as a few weeks.
Even though there won't be any more prison bars, the former governor will still be confined. He'll leave at a certain time each morning for work, and as soon as he gets there, he'll have to report back to the halfway house. He'll have to return home at the same time each night by curfew. And, he can't leave these walls unless he gets permission.
Randy Cox is a defense attorney in Springfield. Some of his clients have transitioned through homes like this.
"They are used to having a very, very structured life, and they don't anymore. That's really part of it, is learning that they are much more responsible now for their own life and for getting from point a to point b."
So, the man who used to work here, will have to find a new job and he may have to relearn a few skills as he re-enters society.
