093_HB2982

 
                                     LRB093 06858 JAM 07004 b

 1        AN ACT concerning capital sentencing.

 2        Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
 3    represented in the General Assembly:

 4        Section 5.  The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Act
 5    is amended by adding Section 9.3 as follows:

 6        (20 ILCS 3930/9.3 new)
 7        Sec. 9.3. Study of proportionality in capital sentencing.
 8        (a)  The  Authority  shall employ appropriately qualified
 9    experts to conduct a study of all cases in the State in which
10    a defendant was charged with  the  offense  of  first  degree
11    murder  committed  on  or after June 21, 1977 in violation of
12    Section 9-1 of the Criminal Code of 1961 to determine whether
13    the race, ethnicity, or gender of either the defendant or the
14    victim, the location of the offense, or some  combination  of
15    these  factors  has tended to influence whether the defendant
16    was sentenced to  death.  The  Authority  shall  provide  all
17    relevant  data in its possession to assist the experts in the
18    preparation of the study. This study shall employ appropriate
19    statistical techniques to take into account the nature of the
20    offense   and   all   other   aggravating   and    mitigating
21    circumstances.  The  study  shall be completed within 2 years
22    after the effective date of this Section.
23        (b)  There is  a  moratorium  on  the  execution  of  all
24    capital  sentences  in this State until the completion of the
25    study called for by subsection (a) of this Section.