HJ0021eng 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0021 Engrossed LRB095 09784 RLC 29994 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 21

WHEREAS, Article I, Section 11 of the Illinois Constitution states "All penalties shall be determined both according to the seriousness of the offense AND WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF RESTORING THE OFFENDER TO USEFUL CITIZENSHIP" (emphasis added); and

WHEREAS, Illinois is one of only 11 states that has life without parole sentences and one of only 6 states where all life sentences are without parole; and

WHEREAS, Thirty years ago only a handful of prisoners in Illinois served sentences longer than 30 years; this year approximately 4,000 Illinois prisoners have sentences of 30 years or more, including C number prisoners, amounting to about 10% of all Illinois prisoners; and

WHEREAS, In Illinois at least 500 people each year are sentenced as lifers or long-term prisoners; and

WHEREAS, With the growth of truth in sentencing laws and increased use of life without parole sentences, the number of long-term prisoners will grow exponentially; and

WHEREAS, It costs at least one million dollars to confine a person in prison for 30 years; and

WHEREAS, It is estimated that close to half of those lifers and long-term prisoners will never be released from prison if current policies stay in place; and

WHEREAS, The recidivism rate for long-termers is the lowest of any group of prisoners; and

WHEREAS, A large number of lifers and long-term prisoners are sentenced under the accountability theory and not for the actual commission of the crime, and some are first time offenders; and

WHEREAS, Community crime prevention programs, not harsher prison sentences are responsible for the decline in crime rates; and

WHEREAS, Numerous innocent people have been wrongly convicted in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Many countries no longer impose sentences of life without parole; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created the Long-Term Prisoners Study Committee, hereinafter referred to as the Committee, consisting of 17 members appointed as follows:

(1) Three members appointed by the President of the Senate;

(2) Two members appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate;

(3) Three members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

(4) Two members appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives;

(5) One member appointed by the Attorney General;

(6) One member appointed by the Governor;

(7) One member appointed by the Cook County State's Attorney;

(8) One member appointed by the Office of the Cook County Public Defender;

(9) One member appointed by the Office of the State Appellate Defender;

(10) One member appointed by the Office of the State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor; and

(11) One member appointed by the Director of Corrections; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Department of Corrections shall provide staff and administrative support to the Committee; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Committee shall study and examine issues related to prisoners sentenced to life without parole and prisoners sentenced to terms in excess of 30 years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Committee in its deliberations shall always give priority to public safety and the best use of State funds; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Committee shall hold public hearings and present a report of its findings and recommendations to the 95th General Assembly before December 31, 2007.