Melissa McClure, Public Policy Liaison

Current work for the Institute: Our initiative “Changing the Rhetoric of Felony,” and our Income Study

Contact: mcClure@thepcrinstitute.org

Raised in Minnesota, Melissa came to Chicago to attend Loyola University Chicago in 2003, where she earned her bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Criminal Justice Research. There she found balance between the realities of public policy and its interaction with the individuals whom the policies affect directly. While at Loyola, Melissa was involved in several research initiatives, including a project funded by the Illinois Department of Corrections. The product of this research, “The Impact of Illinois’ Truth-in-Sentencing Law on Sentence Lengths, Time to Serve and Disciplinary Incidents of Convicted Murderers and Sex Offenders”, was later published by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.

After graduation, Melissa was fortunate to volunteer at Chicago-based Safer Foundation, where she met and worked directly with Michael Sweig. There she was involved in more policy research focusing specifically on people with criminal records. She is co-author with Michael Sweig on “‘Moving the Box’ by Executive Order in Illinois” (published by DePaul Journal for Social Justice, 2010) and gained invaluable experience by helping with various projects such as “Blueprint for Progress: How Illinois Empowers Rehabilitated People with Criminal Records”, published by the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education.

Melissa has been a resident of Chicago for almost eight years.

Highlights

February, 2012: Colorado Attorney, Professor Rhonda Ntepp has joined the Institute for People with Criminal Records as General Counsel-Legal Clinic Director. Beginning in the Denver Five Points neighborhood, the Institute will be opening legal clinics to serve the needs of people with criminal records, exclusively, and to train felons and other probationers as paralegals. Professor Ntepp teaches in the Criminal Justice and Criminology Department in the Metropolitan State College of Denver School of Professional Studies.

June 16, 2011:The Illinois Supreme Court ruled unanimously in People v. Hawkins that it was an “absurd” and “unjust” reading of applicable law for the Department of Corrections to claim the right to garnish inmate work assignment wages at 100%, and not what the legislature intended. The Institute for People with Criminal Records had filed an Amicus Curiae brief in the case. You can watch the oral argument here.

June, 2011. In "Looking for a job? Hope you don’t have any prior convictions," Medill Reports: Chicago discusses the role of the Institute for People with Criminal Records in the Move-the-Box by Executive Order initiative.

June, 2011. Great Books in Prison. The Institute for People with Criminal Records begins partnering with the Illinois Department of Corrections to bring Great Books Foundation programming and discussion groups, beginning in July 2011, at Dwight Correctional Facility for Women.

March, 2011. Jeffrey Pinzino, Development Director for National People's Action, joins the Board of Directors of the Institute for People with Criminal Records.

March, 2011. Mark Whitacre, PhD, COO & President of Operations for Fresno-based Cypress Systems, Inc., joins the Board of Directors of the Institute for People with Criminal Records.

March, 2011. Michael Sweig is featured on Reentry Success Stories.

December 2010 The Journal for Social Justice at De PaulCollege of Law published “Moving the Box by Executive Order in Illinois,” by Michael Sweig and Melissa McClure.The article advocates the use of an executive order to remove the criminal background inquiry box from State of Illinois employment applications.

October 20, 2010. Michael Sweig moderated an esteemed panel at The California Wellness Foundation Violence Prevention Conference in Los Angeles: "Safe and Successful Reentry Strategies." Focus: When the prison doors open, and incarcerated young people return to their homes and communities, are we ready to provide alternatives to a violence-based lifestyle? Panelists discussed promising reentry strategies, shared lessons and learned and proposed ways for communities to work together to address this issue.

October 2010 The Institute for People with Criminal Records and Community Outreach Service Center, Inc., Denver, form a Consortium Partnership and sign a fiscal agency agreement.

October 2010 Pastor Robert Woolfolk of Denver’s Agape Church joins the Board of Directors of the Institute for People with Criminal Records.

September 2010 Mr. Sweig was appointed by Illinois Senate President John J. Cullerton, to serve as one of twelve members from outside the Governor's cabinet on the Criminal Justice Information Authority Task Force to Inventory Employment Barriers.

August 2010 “From Practicing Law to Changing it,” by Dawn Turner Trice (Chicago Tribune, August 1, 2010)
“Michael Sweig, a convicted felon and former high-powered attorney, helped shepherd legislation last year that gives ex-offenders an opportunity to apply for jobs previously off-limits.”