HR0233 LRB094 11747 CSA 43804 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The adult female population in prisons in the
3 State of Illinois was 2,806 in 2004, a 154 percent increase
4 over the past ten years; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Of this population, less than 30 percent of these
6 female prisoners were incarcerated for committing violent
7 crimes; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Cook County Jail currently houses over 1,300 women
9 on any given day and, of this population, approximately 90
10 percent are charged with non-violent crimes; and
 
11     WHEREAS, In prisons in the State of Illinois, 82 percent of
12 women are mothers and almost 50 percent have children under
13 five years of age; and
 
14     WHEREAS, Each year at least 25,000 children in the State of
15 Illinois are impacted by maternal incarceration; and
 
16     WHEREAS, In the State of Illinois, at least 60,000 minor
17 children will have their mothers spend time in a State prison
18 while they are children; and
 
19     WHEREAS, An estimated 80 percent of all incarcerated women
20 in the State of Illinois suffer from substance abuse problems;
21 the State of Illinois can place fewer than 20 percent of all
22 incarcerated women into its substance abuse programs; and
 
23     WHEREAS, It is a known fact that drug addiction causes
24 crime, destroys the family structure, creates havoc in
25 neighborhoods, and leaves paths of destruction in its wake;
26 individuals convicted of crimes who have not received
27 meaningful treatment while incarcerated continue to commit
28 crimes; and
 

 

 

HR0233 - 2 - LRB094 11747 CSA 43804 r

1     WHEREAS, In the United States, by mid-year of 2003, the
2 number of adult female inmates rose 6.3 percent over the
3 previous year; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Community-based alternatives to incarceration for
5 women convicted of non-violent offenses would allow children to
6 stay with their mothers while their mothers receive appropriate
7 treatment; with the appropriate treatment, the mothers would be
8 less likely to commit additional offenses and would be able to
9 re-enter society as tax-paying citizens; in addition, their
10 children would be less likely to become the next generation of
11 incarcerated individuals; therefore, be it
 
12     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
13 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
14 we recognize May 6, 2005, as Mothers in Prison, Children in
15 Crisis Day in the State of Illinois; and be it further
 
16     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
17 presented to Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers
18 (CLAIM).