Jesse Jackson Jr. To Be Released From Prison In Alabama And Sent To Halfway House In Washington, D.C.

Jesse Jackson Jr., who just turned 50 on March 11, is set to be released from a federal prison camp in Montgomery, Alabama, much earlier than expected. While this seems to be good news, the former Illinois Democratic congressman is not gaining his freedom to go back home to Chicago to do as he pleases. Instead, he is being transferred to a halfway house in Washington, D.C., according to CNN.

For more than a year, Jackson has been serving a 30-month prison sentence after he pleaded guilty for using about $750,000 in campaign funds for personal use. His wife, a former Chicago city council member, also pleaded guilty to federal charges for filing false tax returns related to her husband’s personal spending of campaign money. The courts allowed Jackson’s wife to serve her one-year term after her husband is released so that one parent could be home with their two young children. Sandi Jackson is to report to federal prison 30 days after her husband is released in an effort to reduce the impact on their school-age children.

The timeline of Jackson’s trouble includes being investigated for misuse of campaign funds in October, 2012. He resigned from Congress on November 21, 2012. At the time, he stated he had health problems that were both mental and physical, including clinical depression, bipolar disorder, and gastrointestinal problems. Jackson pleaded guilty to federal charges for misusing campaign funds on February 8, 2013. Jackson pleaded guilty to one count of wire and mail fraud on February 20, 2013. On August 14, 2013, Jackson was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison in Alabama. Jackson began his sentence on November 1, 2013, and has been in federal prison since then. His term is not officially up until September 20, 2015. On March 26, 2015, at 5 a.m., Jackson will be transferred from the federal prison in Montgomery, Alabama, to a Washington, D.C., halfway house.

ABC News reported that the former U. S. Representative will serve the remainder of his sentence in a halfway house. He is scheduled to be picked up and taken to the halfway house by his wife, Sandra; his two children, Jessica and Jesse III; his father, civil rights activist, the Rev. Jesse Jackson; and his mother, Jacqueline Jackson.

While at the halfway house in Washington, he will have to report to his probation officer and get a job to begin putting his life back together during the last leg of his confinement.

After Jackson is released from the halfway house, he still has to be supervised for three years and perform 500 hours of community service. After his wife serves one year in federal prison, she will be supervised for one year and will have to perform 200 hours of community service.