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HJ0021HAM001 |
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LRB095 09784 RLC 33794 a |
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| AMENDMENT TO HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 21
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| AMENDMENT NO. ___. Amend House Joint Resolution 21 by |
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| replacing lines 2 through 21 on page 1, and all of pages 2, 3, |
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| and 4 with the following:
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| "WHEREAS, Article I, Section 11 of the Illinois |
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| Constitution states "All penalties shall be determined both |
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| according to the seriousness of the offense AND WITH THE |
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| OBJECTIVE OF RESTORING THE OFFENDER TO USEFUL CITIZENSHIP" |
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| (emphasis added); and |
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| WHEREAS, Illinois is one of only 11 states that has life |
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| without parole sentences and one of only 6 states where all |
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| life sentences are without parole; and
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| WHEREAS, Thirty years ago only a handful of prisoners in |
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| Illinois served sentences longer than 30 years; this year |
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| approximately 4,000 Illinois prisoners have sentences of 30 |
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| years or more, including C number prisoners, amounting to about |
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LRB095 09784 RLC 33794 a |
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| 10% of all Illinois prisoners; and |
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| WHEREAS, In Illinois at least 500 people each year are |
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| sentenced as lifers or long-term prisoners; and |
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| WHEREAS, With the growth of truth in sentencing laws and |
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| increased use of life without parole sentences, the number of |
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| long-term prisoners will grow exponentially; and
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| WHEREAS, It costs at least one million dollars to confine a |
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| person in prison for 30 years; and
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| WHEREAS, It is estimated that close to half of those lifers |
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| and long-term prisoners will never be released from prison if |
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| current policies stay in place; and
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| WHEREAS, The recidivism rate for long termers is the lowest |
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| of any group of prisoners; and |
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| WHEREAS, A large number of lifers and long-term prisoners |
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| are sentenced under the accountability theory and not for the |
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| actual commission of the crime, and some are first time |
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| offenders; and |
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| WHEREAS, Community crime prevention programs, not harsher |
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| prison sentences are responsible for the decline in crime |
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LRB095 09784 RLC 33794 a |
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| rates; and |
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| WHEREAS, Numerous innocent people have been wrongly |
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| convicted in Illinois; and |
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| WHEREAS, Many countries no longer impose sentences of life |
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| without parole; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
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| NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE |
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| SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created the Long-Term |
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| Prisoners Study Committee, hereinafter referred to as the |
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| Committee, consisting of 17 members appointed as follows:
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| (1) Three members appointed by the President of the Senate;
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| (2) Two members appointed by the Minority Leader of the |
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| Senate;
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| (3) Three members appointed by the Speaker of the House of
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| Representatives;
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| (4) Two members appointed by the Minority Leader of the |
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| House of
Representatives;
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| (5) One member appointed by the Attorney General;
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| (6) One member appointed by the Governor;
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| (7) One member appointed by the Cook County State's |
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| Attorney;
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| (8) One member appointed by the Office of the Cook County |
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| Public
Defender;
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LRB095 09784 RLC 33794 a |
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| (9) One member appointed by the Office of the State |
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| Appellate
Defender;
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| (10) One member appointed by the Office of the State's |
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| Attorneys Appellate
Prosecutor; and |
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| (11) One member appointed by the Director of Corrections; |
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| and be it further |
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| RESOLVED, That the Department of Corrections shall provide |
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| staff and administrative support to the Committee; and be it |
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| further
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| RESOLVED, That the Committee shall study and examine issues |
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| related to prisoners sentenced to life without parole and |
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| prisoners sentenced to terms in excess of 30 years; and be it |
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| further |
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| RESOLVED, That the Committee in its deliberations shall |
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| always give priority to public safety and the best use of State |
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| funds; and be it further |
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| RESOLVED, That the Committee shall hold public hearings and |
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| present a report of its findings and recommendations to the |
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| 95th General Assembly before December 31, 2007.". |