Jesse Jackson Jr. to be freed from prison Thursday

CHICAGO—Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. will be released from a federal prison camp on Thursday and serve the final months of his sentence in a Washington, D.C. halfway house, according to a former House colleague.

Former Rep. Patrick Kennedy, a Rhode Island Democrat and longtime mental health advocate, told USA TODAY that he spoke with Jackson while visiting him on Monday at a minimum security federal prison camp in Montgomery, Ala.

"I went in there to say hello and catch up and tell him that I wanted to be there for him when he came out," said Kennedy, who stopped to see Jackson while travelling in the area. "And he told me, 'Guess what? I'm going to be out in almost 48 hours.'"

The news of Jackson's pending release was first reported by the Associated Press. A federal official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the AP that Jackson would be released on Thursday.

Jackson, a Democrat who represented the Illinois' 2nd congressional district from 1995 to 2012, pleaded guilty in February 2013 to using campaign money to buy more than $750,000 worth of luxury items, collectibles and clothes — marking the fall of a man once heralded as one of Illinois' most promising politicians. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison and began serving his sentence in October 2013.

The former congressman used donors' money as his own, spending lavishly on luxury goods and services, including a $43,350 gold-plated men's Rolex watch, $5,687 for a "holistic retreat" in Martha's Vineyard and more than $5,000 on capes and fur parkas. He also used campaign funds for more commonplace expenses, such as dry cleaning and toothpaste purchased from Costco.

Jackson's wife, Sandi, a former Chicago alderman, also pleaded guilty to a separate felony charge of filing false tax returns over six years. She is set to begin a one-year prison sentence a month after Jackson completes his sentence.

The former congressman is the son of civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson.

He sought treatment for bipolar disorder at the Mayo Clinic in 2012, while he was still serving in the House. His attorney, Reid Weingarten, had said at the time of sentencing that Jackson's misconduct was connected to his mental health issues.

Kennedy said that Jackson was astounded by the prevalence of mental health issues among fellow inmates that he's met while incarcerated. He said the former congressman wants to dedicate himself to helping ex-convicts deal with mental health issues and reintegrate into the general population once they are released.

"He talked about the problems caused by the 'felonization' of black men—a word that I hadn't heard used before," said Kennedy, who had last met with Jackson while he was being treated at the Mayo Clinic. "He had a very hopeful spirit about him and he looked healthy. He told me 'I made mistakes and I was wrong …I have had a lot of time to think about it and I know I did wrong.'"

Kennedy said Jackson told him his father, mother, wife and children were set to pick him upon his release on Thursday morning in Alabama and take him to the halfway house in Washington.