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1 | AN ACT concerning juvenile justice.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Gang | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | and Youth Violence Policy Act. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | Section 5. Intent. It is the intent of the General Assembly | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 | to do all of the following: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | (1) Address the conditions in neighborhoods and the unmet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | needs of children that allow gangs to take root, thrive, and | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | expand. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | (2) Stop focusing on isolated incidents and instead | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | confront the size and scope of the problems surrounding violent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | behavior and gang activity, and to do so with a strong, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | committed, and sustained political mandate to eradicate the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | root causes and conditions that trigger street gang activity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | and support entrenched neighborhood violence. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | (3) Commit to sustained and balanced prevention, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | intervention, and suppression strategies.
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19 | (4) Offer programs and expand services to adult gang | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | members and parolees that provide a way out of gangs and afford | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | former gang members a chance for a different life.
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22 | Section 10. Office of Gang and Youth Violence Policy. |
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1 | (a) The Office of Gang and Youth Violence Policy (the | ||||||
2 | "Office") is created within the Department of Juvenile Justice | ||||||
3 | (the "Department").
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4 | (b) The Office is responsible for identifying and | ||||||
5 | evaluating State, local, and federal gang and youth violence | ||||||
6 | suppression, intervention, and prevention programs and | ||||||
7 | strategies, along with funding for those efforts. The Director | ||||||
8 | of Juvenile Justice (the "Director") is responsible for | ||||||
9 | monitoring, assessing, and coordinating the State's programs, | ||||||
10 | strategies, and funding that address gang and youth violence in | ||||||
11 | a manner that maximizes the effectiveness and coordination of | ||||||
12 | those programs, strategies, and resources. The Director shall | ||||||
13 | communicate with local agencies and programs in an effort to | ||||||
14 | promote the best practices for addressing gang and youth | ||||||
15 | violence through suppression, intervention, and prevention.
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16 | (c) The Office shall develop a comprehensive set of | ||||||
17 | recommendations to define its mission, role, and | ||||||
18 | responsibilities as a statewide entity dedicated to reducing | ||||||
19 | violence and the proliferation of gangs and gang violence in | ||||||
20 | Illinois communities. | ||||||
21 | (d) In developing this set of recommendations, the Office | ||||||
22 | shall collaborate with a wide range of State and local | ||||||
23 | stakeholders, including, but not limited to, community-based | ||||||
24 | organizations serving at-risk populations and neighborhoods, | ||||||
25 | law enforcement, educators, the courts, policy experts and | ||||||
26 | scholars with expertise in the area of criminal street gangs, |
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1 | and local policymakers. | ||||||
2 | (e) The Office, in collaboration with the stakeholders, | ||||||
3 | shall include in its deliberations the most effective role for | ||||||
4 | the Office with respect to the following:
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5 | (1) The collection and analysis of data on gang | ||||||
6 | membership statewide and the effectiveness of various gang | ||||||
7 | prevention efforts.
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8 | (2) The development of reliable and accurate sources of | ||||||
9 | data to measure the scale and characteristics of Illinois' | ||||||
10 | gang problems.
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11 | (3) The development of a clearinghouse for research on | ||||||
12 | gangs, at-risk youth, and prevention and intervention | ||||||
13 | programs in order to identify best practices and | ||||||
14 | evidence-based programming, as well as unsuccessful | ||||||
15 | practices, and in order to promote effective strategies for | ||||||
16 | reducing gang involvement and gang violence.
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17 | (4) Assisting State and local governmental and | ||||||
18 | nongovernmental entities in developing violence and gang | ||||||
19 | prevention strategies, including built-in evaluation | ||||||
20 | components.
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21 | (5) The development of sustained coordination | ||||||
22 | mechanisms among State, local, and regional entities.
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23 | (6) The identification of available or needed federal, | ||||||
24 | State, regional, local, and private funding resources.
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25 | (7) Providing or otherwise promoting public education | ||||||
26 | on effective programs, models, and strategies for the |
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1 | control of violence and serving as a clearinghouse for | ||||||
2 | information on gang violence prevention issues, programs, | ||||||
3 | resources, and research.
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4 | (8) Providing or otherwise promoting training and | ||||||
5 | technical assistance to help build the capacity of | ||||||
6 | organizations, communities, and local government to | ||||||
7 | develop, implement, and evaluate gang violence prevention | ||||||
8 | programs.
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9 | (9) Providing information and guidance to State and | ||||||
10 | local governmental and nongovernmental entities on | ||||||
11 | accessing State and federal resources to prevent gang | ||||||
12 | violence.
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13 | (10) Facilitating greater integration between existing | ||||||
14 | entities with respect to gang prevention efforts.
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15 | Section 15. The following offices are created within the | ||||||
16 | Department of Juvenile Justice: | ||||||
17 | (1) Director of the Office of Gang and Youth Violence | ||||||
18 | Policy.
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19 | (2) Chief Deputy Director of Gang and Youth Violence | ||||||
20 | Policy.
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21 | Section 20. Internet website. The Office shall establish an | ||||||
22 | Internet website that provides Internet hyperlinks to | ||||||
23 | information concerning the various grants related to | ||||||
24 | preventing gang violence that are administered by the |
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1 | Department, the Office, or other State agencies and information | ||||||
2 | concerning technical assistance on the process of applying for | ||||||
3 | grants. | ||||||
4 | Section 25. Report. | ||||||
5 | (a) On or before March 1, 2010, the Office shall submit to | ||||||
6 | the General Assembly and the Governor a report of its | ||||||
7 | recommendations developed under Section 10.
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8 | (b) The report shall include, but not be limited to, the | ||||||
9 | following:
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10 | (1) A thorough description of the process employed by | ||||||
11 | the Office to develop the recommendations, including, but | ||||||
12 | not limited to, meetings and hearings, use of ad hoc | ||||||
13 | committees or working groups, and any other methods used | ||||||
14 | for receiving public and expert input and facilitating | ||||||
15 | deliberations.
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16 | (2) A list of the stakeholders involved in the | ||||||
17 | development of the recommendations.
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18 | (3) The set of recommendations developed by the Office | ||||||
19 | to define its mission, role, and responsibilities as a | ||||||
20 | statewide entity dedicated to reducing violence and the | ||||||
21 | proliferation of gangs and gang violence in Illinois | ||||||
22 | communities.
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23 | (4) Any additional information, data, and | ||||||
24 | recommendations that may further inform the General | ||||||
25 | Assembly and the Governor on making the operation of the |
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1 | Office a successful endeavor.
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2 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
3 | becoming law.
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