103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB3416

 

Introduced 2/8/2024, by Sen. Javier L. Cervantes

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
730 ILCS 5/5-5-3.1  from Ch. 38, par. 1005-5-3.1
730 ILCS 167/31 new

    Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that it is a mitigating factor in sentencing that the defendant is convicted of a felony and is a combat veteran who is a qualified service-disabled veteran who has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Amends the Veterans and Servicemembers Court Treatment Act. Provides that if a combat veteran who is a resident of Illinois is a qualified service-disabled veteran and is believed to have committed an offense or is in need of assistance as a result of a suspected incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder, a peace officer or an ambulance service shall transport the veteran to a Department of Veterans Affairs' hospital to be evaluated by a physician, psychiatrist, or clinical psychologist, or other medical professional that the hospital deems qualified to determine whether the veteran is a danger to himself, herself, herself, or others. Provides that if it is determined by the hospital staff who evaluated the veteran that the veteran is not a danger to himself or others, the person shall be released unless that person is subject to law enforcement agency custody for commission of an offense that requires pretrial detention under the Pretrial Release Article of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. If the veteran requires detention, the veteran shall be released to law enforcement agency custody. Provides that if a combat veteran who is a qualified service-disabled veteran is charged with a criminal offense, the case shall be tried by a veterans and servicemembers court located in the veteran's county of residence, or if the veteran's county of residence does not have a veterans and servicemembers court located in that county, the case shall be tried in a veterans and servicemembers court located in the nearest county of the veteran's residence.


LRB103 39005 RLC 69142 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB3416LRB103 39005 RLC 69142 b

1    AN ACT concerning criminal law.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Unified Code of Corrections is amended by
5changing Section 5-5-3.1 as follows:
 
6    (730 ILCS 5/5-5-3.1)  (from Ch. 38, par. 1005-5-3.1)
7    Sec. 5-5-3.1. Factors in mitigation.
8    (a) The following grounds shall be accorded weight in
9favor of withholding or minimizing a sentence of imprisonment:
10        (1) The defendant's criminal conduct neither caused
11    nor threatened serious physical harm to another.
12        (2) The defendant did not contemplate that his
13    criminal conduct would cause or threaten serious physical
14    harm to another.
15        (3) The defendant acted under a strong provocation.
16        (4) There were substantial grounds tending to excuse
17    or justify the defendant's criminal conduct, though
18    failing to establish a defense.
19        (5) The defendant's criminal conduct was induced or
20    facilitated by someone other than the defendant.
21        (6) The defendant has compensated or will compensate
22    the victim of his criminal conduct for the damage or
23    injury that he sustained.

 

 

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1        (7) The defendant has no history of prior delinquency
2    or criminal activity or has led a law-abiding life for a
3    substantial period of time before the commission of the
4    present crime.
5        (8) The defendant's criminal conduct was the result of
6    circumstances unlikely to recur.
7        (9) The character and attitudes of the defendant
8    indicate that he is unlikely to commit another crime.
9        (10) The defendant is particularly likely to comply
10    with the terms of a period of probation.
11        (11) (Blank).
12        (12) The imprisonment of the defendant would endanger
13    his or her medical condition.
14        (13) The defendant was a person with an intellectual
15    disability as defined in Section 5-1-13 of this Code.
16        (14) The defendant sought or obtained emergency
17    medical assistance for an overdose and was convicted of a
18    Class 3 felony or higher possession, manufacture, or
19    delivery of a controlled, counterfeit, or look-alike
20    substance or a controlled substance analog under the
21    Illinois Controlled Substances Act or a Class 2 felony or
22    higher possession, manufacture or delivery of
23    methamphetamine under the Methamphetamine Control and
24    Community Protection Act.
25        (15) At the time of the offense, the defendant is or
26    had been the victim of domestic violence and the effects

 

 

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1    of the domestic violence tended to excuse or justify the
2    defendant's criminal conduct. As used in this paragraph
3    (15), "domestic violence" means abuse as defined in
4    Section 103 of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986.
5        (16) At the time of the offense, the defendant was
6    suffering from a serious mental illness which, though
7    insufficient to establish the defense of insanity,
8    substantially affected his or her ability to understand
9    the nature of his or her acts or to conform his or her
10    conduct to the requirements of the law.
11        (17) At the time of the offense, the defendant was
12    suffering from post-partum depression or post-partum
13    psychosis which was either undiagnosed or untreated, or
14    both, and this temporary mental illness tended to excuse
15    or justify the defendant's criminal conduct and the
16    defendant has been diagnosed as suffering from post-partum
17    depression or post-partum psychosis, or both, by a
18    qualified medical person and the diagnoses or testimony,
19    or both, was not used at trial. In this paragraph (17):
20            "Post-partum depression" means a mood disorder
21        which strikes many women during and after pregnancy
22        which usually occurs during pregnancy and up to 12
23        months after delivery. This depression can include
24        anxiety disorders.
25            "Post-partum psychosis" means an extreme form of
26        post-partum depression which can occur during

 

 

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1        pregnancy and up to 12 months after delivery. This can
2        include losing touch with reality, distorted thinking,
3        delusions, auditory and visual hallucinations,
4        paranoia, hyperactivity and rapid speech, or mania.
5        (18) The defendant is pregnant or is the parent of a
6    child or infant whose well-being will be negatively
7    affected by the parent's absence. Circumstances to be
8    considered in assessing this factor in mitigation include:
9            (A) that the parent is breastfeeding the child;
10            (B) the age of the child, with strong
11        consideration given to avoid disruption of the
12        caregiving of an infant, pre-school or school-age
13        child by a parent;
14            (C) the role of the parent in the day-to-day
15        educational and medical needs of the child;
16            (D) the relationship of the parent and the child;
17            (E) any special medical, educational, or
18        psychological needs of the child;
19            (F) the role of the parent in the financial
20        support of the child;
21            (G) the likelihood that the child will be adjudged
22        a dependent minor under Section 2-4 and declared a
23        ward of the court under Section 2-22 of the Juvenile
24        Court Act of 1987;
25            (H) the best interest of the child.
26        Under this Section, the defendant shall have the right

 

 

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1    to present a Family Impact Statement at sentencing, which
2    the court shall consider in favor of withholding or
3    minimizing a sentence of imprisonment prior to imposing
4    any sentence and may include testimony from family and
5    community members, written statements, video, and
6    documentation. Unless the court finds that the parent
7    poses a significant risk to the community that outweighs
8    the risk of harm from the parent's removal from the
9    family, the court shall impose a sentence in accordance
10    with subsection (b) that allows the parent to continue to
11    care for the child or children.
12        (19) The defendant serves as the caregiver for a
13    relative who is ill, disabled, or elderly.
14    (b) If the court, having due regard for the character of
15the offender, the nature and circumstances of the offense and
16the public interest finds that a sentence of imprisonment is
17the most appropriate disposition of the offender, or where
18other provisions of this Code mandate the imprisonment of the
19offender, the grounds listed in paragraph (a) of this
20subsection shall be considered as factors in mitigation of the
21term imposed.
22        (20) The defendant is convicted of a felony and is a
23    combat veteran who is a qualified service-disabled veteran
24    who has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress
25    disorder.
26(Source: P.A. 101-471, eff. 1-1-20; 102-211, eff. 1-1-22.)
 

 

 

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1    Section 10. The Veterans and Servicemembers Court
2Treatment Act is amended by adding Section 31 as follows:
 
3    (730 ILCS 167/31 new)
4    Sec. 31. Combat veterans; post-traumatic stress disorder.
5    (a) In this Section:
6    "Ambulance services" includes medical transportation
7services provided by means of an ambulance, helicopter,
8medi-car, service car, or taxi.
9    "Combat veteran" means an Illinois resident who is, or who
10was honorably discharged as, a member of the Armed Forces of
11the United States, a member of the Illinois National Guard, or
12a member of any reserve component of the Armed Forces of the
13United States and who served on active duty in connection with
14World War II, the Korean War, Southeast Asia War, Persian Gulf
15War, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom,
16Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom, or any
17other foreign military action authorized by the President of
18the United States, or in which a declaration of war was
19declared by the Congress of the United States and enacted into
20law.
21    "Law enforcement agency" means an agency of the State or
22of a unit of local government charged with enforcement of
23State, county, or municipal laws or with managing custody of
24detained persons in the State.

 

 

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1    "Peace officer" has the meaning ascribed to the term in
2Section 2-13 of the Criminal Code of 2012.
3    "Post-traumatic stress disorder" means a condition of
4persistent mental and emotional stress occurring as a result
5of injury or severe psychological shock, typically involving
6disturbance of sleep and constant vivid recall of the
7experience, with dulled responses to others and to the outside
8world.
9    "Qualified service-disabled veteran" means a veteran who
10has been found to have 10% or more service-connected
11disability by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
12or the United States Department of Defense.
13    (b) If a combat veteran who is a qualified
14service-disabled veteran is believed to have committed an
15offense or is in need of assistance as a result of a suspected
16incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder, a peace officer
17or an ambulance service shall transport the veteran to a
18Department of Veterans Affairs' hospital to be evaluated by a
19physician, psychiatrist, or clinical psychologist, or other
20medical professional that the hospital deems qualified to
21determine whether the veteran is a danger to himself, herself,
22or others.
23    (c) If it is determined by the hospital staff who
24evaluated the veteran that the veteran is not a danger to
25himself, herself, or others, the person shall be released
26unless that person is subject to law enforcement agency

 

 

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1custody for commission of an offense that requires pretrial
2detention under Article 110 of the Code of Criminal Procedure
3of 1963. If the veteran requires detention, the veteran shall
4be released to law enforcement agency custody.
5    (d) If a combat veteran who is a qualified
6service-disabled veteran resides in this State and is charged
7with a criminal offense, regardless of the severity of the
8offense and regardless whether the veteran was in active
9military service at the time of the commission of the offense,
10the case shall be tried by a veterans and servicemembers court
11located in the veteran's county of residence, or if the
12veteran's county of residence does not have a veterans and
13servicemembers court located in that county, the case shall be
14tried in a veterans and servicemembers court located in the
15nearest county of the veteran's residence.
16    (e) A diagnosis for post-traumatic stress disorder of the
17combat veteran who is a qualified service-disabled veteran and
18who is charged with a felony shall be taken into consideration
19by the State's Attorney and the court trying the veteran and
20shall be considered by the court as a mitigating factor in
21sentencing.