Too few dying and disabled inmates being released? Victims’ families might disagree.

A file photo of the Pontiac Correctional Center. Advocates of the Joe Coleman Medical Release Act want to amend the law to require prison review board members to visit the prison infirmaries housing these inmates and to explain their vote in opposition to a release. (AP file)

The goal of the Joe Coleman Medical Release Act, as once stated by its main Illinois House sponsor, is to allow families of terminally ill convicts to “properly say goodbye” to their loved ones outside the prison setting.

But since the bill went into effect in January 2022, thoughtful issues have been raised that are ripe for intelligent discussion, as a recent investigation by Injustice Watch and WBEZ that was published by the Sun-Times shows.