The General Assembly left Springfield for the summer without changing the way Illinois imprisons its low-level criminals. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle support reforming Illinois mandatory sentencing laws for low-level, nonviolent drug possession and theft crimes, but a bill that would have given judges more discretion to sentence perpetrators of these minor crimes to probation instead of jail stalled in the House. Ed Yohnka, director of communications and public policy for the ACLU of Illinois, said overcrowded prisons leave offenders with little chance at reform. Yohnka said probation in lieu of prison means the offenders can still support themselves and their families. Class 4 felony offenders make up the largest portion of Illinois’ prison population.