BY FRANK FORRESTAL

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - On May 28 a panel of three representatives of the Illinois Department of Corrections met here to rule on the application of political and union activist Mark Curtis to be granted parole in Chicago and took his case under advisement.

Curtis, who is imprisoned in the Iowa State Penitentiary on frame-up charges of attempted rape and burglary, was granted parole by the Iowa Parole Board last December. He remains in jail while his application is being processed to come to Illinois, where his wife, Kate Kaku, lives.

Two weeks earlier, Curtis was informed by prison officials that his application had been rejected by Illinois. Curtis was told later that Iowa corrections officials had requested Illinois state authorities reconsider and they had agreed to do so.

Kaku then called Vivian Sneed, the Illinois corrections official responsible for handling out-of-state parole applications. Sneed said Curtis's application had been rejected because he did not appear to have a "support network" in Illinois. In addition, she said, there are few sexual offender treatment programs in Cook County, and the ones that exist have long waiting lists, so it did not appear that Curtis would be able to get enrolled in one as part of his parole plan.

Over the next week more than 40 people in the Chicago area wrote letters to Sneed stating their willingness and determination to provide Curtis whatever support he needs if he wins release here. Two of the letters, from Dr. Bruce Scheff, a dentist, and William Taylor, president of Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers union Local 7-507, offered Curtis jobs.

Among the letters were support from Jennifer Bubala, a co- worker of Kaku's at LTV Steel; Rev. Charles Dahm, Pastor of St. Pius V Parish; Stacy Gordon, a senior physician at Children's Memorial Hospital and Steve Eckhardt, a Chicago Transit Authority worker.

Héctor Marroquín, a steelworker and the victim of a decade-long effort by government officials to deport him for his political views, also sent a letter of support along with Frankie Travis, a veteran of a lock-out by A.E. Staley in Decatur; Luis Galarza, an activist in the Chicago Cuba Solidarity Committee; and Stephen Frum, a nurse at Children's Memorial Medical Center.

An aide to Congressman Luis Gutiérrez, the congressman in Kaku's district, called the office of the director of the Department of Corrections to indicate their support for Curtis' release.

When Sneed's office in Springfield, the state capitol, opened May 28, Kaku delivered the letters and job offers, as well as a letter from herself explaining her ability to provide a home for Curtis while he got a job and began functioning again outside prison walls.

`No psychological issues'
Kaku also explained that Curtis' situation does not call for sex offender therapy. She noted that Curtis served out the sex offense charge over two years ago, was interviewed by a prison psychologist at the request of the parole board who found that there were "no psychological issues" in his case, and that his parole papers from Iowa stated "Sex Abuse Terms and Conditions: No special terms and conditions imposed."

She indicated that if Curtis did experience any difficulties with his adjustment, they had arranged the services of a psychiatrist to counsel him, whose letter was enclosed.

When Kaku delivered this packet of materials to Sneed, the state official told her that in April the state corrections department had adopted new guidelines, "Special Illinois Conditions for Sex Offenders," for dealing with applications for out-of-state parole. At the end of the day, Sneed informed Kaku on the phone that their decision would be sent to Iowa authorities for delivery to Curtis.  
 
 
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