Parole delayed for library aide who had sex with students

Laurie Augustine paid her debt to society.

But the former Glenbard East High School library aide who went to prison six years ago for having sexual contact with three students remained behind bars Thursday, 24 hours after she was due to be paroled.

The Illinois Department of Corrections blocked Augustine's release after rejecting her housing plan. In Illinois, convicted sex offenders cannot live within 500 feet of a school, playground, or any facility providing programs primarily for children.

Augustine, 48, had planned to live with a relative in a Downers Grove condominium. Her mother, Linda Bade, said the location was rejected because a vacant grassy area that sits on private property between the condo building and a senior citizens' home was viewed as a possible park.

Bade said Augustine's family has come up with a dozen places for her to live, but state officials in the past six months found each one unacceptable. Bade said she and her husband stayed overnight Tuesday near the downstate prison where Augustine is housed, only to return that next morning without her.

Augustine can't live with them because their Aurora home is near park district property.

"This is very hard on our family," said Bade, fighting back tears. "I waited all these years for my daughter to come home. She doesn't belong there. She's not a threat to society. You have violent criminals being let out with less restrictions." Augustine is not alone. State prison officials said last year they blocked sex offenders from being released on parole more than 1,500 times because the inmates did not have authorized places to live. The housing problem has worsened in recent years as the number of beds for sex offenders at state licensed halfway houses dramatically dwindled, leading to long waiting lists.

Though proponents argue strict housing laws are needed to protect the public, a growing number of criminal justice experts contend society is safer in the long run when that offender is transitioned while still on parole where regular reporting, employment and treatment often is required.

In Augustine's case, state prison officials said, she may be kept in prison if she can't find an approved home for her entire four-year parole period. If so, Augustine would be released without oversight beyond registering her address with police.

Augustine was sentenced in summer 2004 to nine years and four months in prison. Her parole was set for Wednesday, following standard sentencing guidelines.

Prosecutors maintained the former Downers Grove woman used her authority to coerce three boys, ages 16 and 17, into sexual liaisons for about one month inside the high school, a parked car and area motels.

The conduct centered around her relationship with one particular student, who later brought along his two friends. Augustine wrote passes for him to be excused from study hall, and used master keys so they'd have access to restricted rooms in the high school. She also bought him alcohol.

The allegations arose in October 2002 after the boy's mother found the aide's sexually explicit letters in her son's backpack and contacted authorities. The teen cooperated with police and arranged a rendezvous with Augustine at Yorktown Shopping Center in Lombard, where he worked. Police arrested her after she arrived at the mall.

Augustine, then married with six sons, has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, severe depression and suffered childhood sexual abuse, according to court records.

Vilified in court as a child predator, Augustine characterized the boy as the aggressor and said he threatened to blackmail her if she didn't continue the relationship and allow his friends to participate. Two of the students sued Augustine and District 87, but the civil action was dismissed before ever getting before a jury.

Augustine, whose husband remarried, spent much of the past six years at Lincoln Correctional Center, a medium-security women's prison. Her mother said Augustine teaches aerobics and is mentoring other inmates. Now she wants to rebuild her life.

"She's devastated," Bade said. "She was guilty of her actions, no question. I'm not defending her conduct, but what more does she have to do? The state won't let her go anywhere. We just don't know what else we can do."