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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Survivors Speak Illinois is organized by Crime | ||||||
| 3 | Survivors for Safety and Justice and the Alliance for Safety | ||||||
| 4 | and Justice; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Crime and violence can harm any individual and | ||||||
| 6 | community, regardless of age, national origin, race, creed, | ||||||
| 7 | religion, gender, sexual orientation, immigration, or economic | ||||||
| 8 | status; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, Most crime survivors do not receive the help they | ||||||
| 10 | need; and | ||||||
| 11 | WHEREAS, Only nine percent of all victims of violence | ||||||
| 12 | receive direct assistance from a victim service agency; this | ||||||
| 13 | drops further when the crime is unreported, which is the case | ||||||
| 14 | for more than half of all violent crimes; and | ||||||
| 15 | WHEREAS, Despite the fact that we have built our criminal | ||||||
| 16 | justice in the name of victims, it is simply not designed or | ||||||
| 17 | currently equipped to serve them or address most of their | ||||||
| 18 | needs; this experience compounds the trauma that comes with | ||||||
| 19 | victimization and is particularly severe for many victims of | ||||||
| 20 | color, particularly Black victims; and | ||||||
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Through their experiences, crime survivors are | ||||||
| 2 | uniquely qualified to provide essential input and influence in | ||||||
| 3 | discussions of public safety and criminal justice policy; and | ||||||
| 4 | WHEREAS, Illinois must address the immediate safety | ||||||
| 5 | concerns facing families and invest in a long-term, | ||||||
| 6 | comprehensive plan to address root causes of violence; and | ||||||
| 7 | WHEREAS, The voices and experiences of survivors are too | ||||||
| 8 | often ignored, leading to poor policy and justice system | ||||||
| 9 | decisions that fail to meet the needs of survivors or stop the | ||||||
| 10 | cycle of crime; and | ||||||
| 11 | WHEREAS, State support for trauma recovery centers that | ||||||
| 12 | play a critical role and provide critical resources for | ||||||
| 13 | survivors impacted by crime is necessary; and | ||||||
| 14 | WHEREAS, Crime survivors understand existing gaps to | ||||||
| 15 | recovery and how to bridge them; and
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| 16 | WHEREAS, Survivors want a system of justice and safety | ||||||
| 17 | that prioritizes prevention, rehabilitation, and trauma | ||||||
| 18 | recovery; and
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| 19 | WHEREAS, Illinois needs to invest in programs that provide | ||||||
| 20 | assistance to crime victims and their families to effectively | ||||||
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| 1 | deal with the inherent trauma and residual effects of | ||||||
| 2 | violence; therefore, be it
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| 3 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 4 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 5 | we declare April 20, 2023 as "Survivors Speak Illinois Day"; | ||||||
| 6 | and be it further | ||||||
| 7 | RESOLVED, That we commend the survivors and advocates of | ||||||
| 8 | Survivors Speak Illinois for their work to stop violence and | ||||||
| 9 | help those impacted by it; and be it further
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| 10 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 11 | presented to Survivors Speak Illinois as a symbol of our | ||||||
| 12 | respect and esteem.
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