CHICAGO • Illinois' prison chief, who became a political liability to Gov. Pat Quinn during an election year because of a secret prisoner release program he oversaw, is stepping down, the governor said Thursday.

Corrections Director Michael Randle is resigning as of Sept. 17. He will return to Ohio, where he had been assistant director of the state prison system, to run a community correctional facility in Cleveland for a nonprofit agency. He will be taking a huge pay cut.

Randle's departure comes after a review last month of the early release program that found the Corrections department didn't consider possible dangers to the public when it tried to save money by letting prisoners out early, including some who were violent.

Quinn canceled MGT Push — named for the "meritorious good time" that was granted to prisoners — after The Associated Press revealed the program's existence last fall. By then, some 1,700 inmates had been granted early release, including hundreds of prisoners with records of violence.

Quinn, a Democrat who is running for his first full term as governor, heaped most of the blame on Randle, and Randle confirmed that Quinn had ordered that violent offenders not be part of the program.

"He did some good things here in Illinois. I honor those. You know, we had a big mistake that was made and was corrected," Quinn told reporters Thursday.

Quinn said a new director will be announced soon. "And we will march on. This happens in government, private life. People come, they go," Quinn said.

Some Republicans said Quinn should have fired Randle last year.