A new law to create a commission to develop a statewide system to track evidence in sexual assault cases could result in swifter justice for crime victims and increased accountability and transparency in the criminal justice system.
The new laws will make it easier for ex-offenders re-enter their communities.
House Bill 3803 changes Illinois’ criminal code so that people on parole and probation no longer have to fear arrest for merely having contact with gang members.
The Illinois Department of Corrections pays nearly $22,000 in direct costs per inmate.
The popular Chicago-based game company is helping efforts to legalize and regulate marijuana, which could extend to Illinois.
Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood will host a program that brings defendants in contact with their victims and allow the victims to set the compensation for the crime.
The reinstatement of a federal asset forfeiture program marks a step backward for civil asset forfeiture reform.
Reforms in Cook County and in Illinois make pretrial release possible for nondangerous defendants with little money for bail.
Senate Bill 1294 creates the Industrial Hemp Act, which would require licensing for “any person desiring to grow, process, cultivate, harvest, process, possess, sell, or purchase industrial hemp or industrial hemp related products must be licensed by the Department of Agriculture.”
Civil asset forfeiture reform has now cleared the Illinois General Assembly.
With the right liability reforms, Illinois can protect businesses and make them more likely to give ex-offenders a chance at employment. Unfortunately, a bill that would have made this reform a reality stalled in the Illinois House of Representatives this session.
Both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly have now passed a measure to enable more ex-offenders to petition a court to seal their criminal records. This will help former inmates gain access to employment – and stay out of prison.
This Memorial Day, we honor those who have fallen. Let’s not forget to extend a hand up to those who remain.
Reforms such as record sealing expansion make it likelier that ex-offenders will be able to find work – and stop cycling in and out of prison. That means they and their families will have a chance to succeed. And the more ex-offenders enter this virtuous cycle – instead of returning to prison – the better off the state and taxpayers will be, too.