It's no surprise that 48 out of 56 inmates released in a secret Illinois early release program are now back behind bars.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn stopped the program last week and it was revealed that 17 of those returned to jail had allegedly committed violent crimes such as attempted murder, armed robbery and domestic battery.

According to the Associated Press:

One offender who's back after he was released under the program known as "MGT Push" allegedly shot his victim in the leg. Victims of nine others who earned return trips to the penitentiary contend they were battered. Seven parolees are back in lockup for crimes involving guns or other weapons. Two who returned after arrests on domestic battery allegations could have been picked up by the Corrections Department earlier, following busts for less serious crimes, but were not. The cases represent new problems for Quinn, who already is facing intense criticism over MGT Push - so-named because it refers to giving prisoners "meritorious good time" credit.

The problem with corrections in this country is that we don't want to do the things that are necessary to ensure that the flow to the prison system stops and that those who are released are prepared to return to society. It doesn't make sense to release inmates without making sure they have received education, training or counseling such as drug treatment.

Here's how the Illinois program worked:

MGT Push involved secretly changing a Corrections policy that required inmates to stay a minimum of 61 days. Inmates also were given as much as six months' time off for good conduct as soon as they arrived, before they had a chance to display any conduct, good or bad.That made inmates - some of them violent - eligible for release in as little as three weeks, including county jail time. Quinn has stressed that even without MGT Push, discretionary awards of good-conduct credit would have qualified them for release in another month or two.

Nowhere in those policies are efforts to provide training or counseling. Why wasn't good behavior tied to the completion of certain programs? In today's prison system, I'm wondering how many of those programs were available?

Look at this list of obstacles the Urban Institute says those released to society face:

Housing: Many former prisoners are able to live, at least temporarily, with family members. But those who cannot report limited housing options and little help in finding a place to stay.
Employment: Low levels of education, work experience and vocational skills limit employment opportunities, and many employers are hesitant to hire former prisoners.
Health: Former prisoners are more likely to have major mental disorders and chronic and infectious disease, but many live in communities with insufficient health care facilities.
Substance use: A majority of prisoners have extensive substance abuse histories and most identified drug use as the primary cause of their problems, but fewer than one-third receive treatment after release.
Communities: A significant number of prisoners return to a small number of communities, many of which are facing high levels of social and economic disadvantage.

This issue is becoming even more important these days as governments seek to find ways to cut prison spending, not because it is the right thing to do, but because the economy is bad.

Maybe the lack of money for prison will finally make us reexamine our policies. In California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing to reduce the amount of money spent on prisons and use that cash for the state's higher education system.

However, that abrupt approach could lead to the same problems that Illinois is having. We need to spend money on the front end to improve our schools and target at-risk kids. We also have to help those who have paid their debts to society by making sure they re-enter it prepared for the challenges they will face.

One way or the other, we are going to pay for our decisions.