Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. left an Alabama federal prison early Thursday bound for a halfway house, where he begins his transition back into society two years after pleading guilty to spending roughly $750,000 in campaign money on personal items.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, speaking by phone shortly after picking up his 50-year-old son, described the release from the minimum-security federal prison camp at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala., as a “joyous reunion.” He said his son was doing “very well.”
Rev. jackson later said his son will be living at the halfway house for six months. Federal officials have not confirmed that. Another possibility under U.S. Bureau of Prisons policy is for Jackson to serve the remainder of his 2 1/2-year term under home confinement.
“He is respecting the rules and the process,” the Rev. Jackson said. “He is not asking for any special privileges.”
Jackson would not say which halfway house his son was headed for. Bureau of Prisons spokesman Edmond Ross declined to provide any details about the next step for Jackson, including the location of the halfway house.
Former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who visited Jackson on Monday, said Jackson’s halfway house is in Washington, D.C.
Jackson, who represented the 2nd Congressional District on Chicago’s South Side and south suburbs, began his sentence on Nov. 1, 2013. His release date is Sept. 20, after which he must spend three years on supervised release under jurisdiction of the U.S. Probation Office and complete 500 hours of community service.
At some point, it will be his wife’s turn to serve her sentence on a related conviction. Sandra Jackson, Chicago’s former 7th Ward alderman, was sentenced to a year in prison for filing false joint federal income tax returns that knowingly understated the income the couple received.
In a concession to the couple’s two children, a federal judge allowed the Jacksons to stagger their sentences, with the husband going first.
Jackson served in Congress from 1995 until he resigned in November 2012. In June 2012, he took medical leave for treatment of bipolar disorder and other issues.
The Jacksons spent campaign money on a wide variety of personal expenses — including fur capes, mounted elk heads, a $43,350 gold-plated men’s Rolex watch, Bruce Lee memorabilia and $9,588 on children’s furniture, according to court filings.
Jackson’s resignation ended a once-promising political career that was previously tarnished by unproven allegations that he was involved in discussions to raise campaign funds for imprisoned former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich in exchange for an appointment to President Barack Obama’s vacated U.S. Senate seat. Jackson has denied the allegations.
Jackson may spend little time at the halfway house. Speaking generally about prison policy, Ross said home confinement — even within hours or days of release from prison — is a possibility for some inmates, especially those who have stable home environments to which they can return.
For example, after his release from the federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind., in 2013, former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, who served five years on corruption charges, reported to a halfway house in Chicago. Later that same day, Ryan was allowed to go home.
