Public Act 102-0374
 
SB2116 EnrolledLRB102 11674 KMF 17008 b

    AN ACT concerning criminal law.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Re-Entering Citizens Civics Education Act
is amended by changing Sections 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35
and by adding Section 21 as follows:
 
    (730 ILCS 200/5)
    Sec. 5. Definitions. In this Act:
    "Co-facilitators" means a committed person at the
Department of Juvenile Justice who is specifically trained in
voting rights education, who shall assist in conducting voting
and civics education workshops for committed persons at the
Department of Juvenile Justice who are scheduled for discharge
within 12 months.
    "Committed person" means a person committed and confined
to and in the physical custody of the Department of
Corrections or the Department of Juvenile Justice.
    "Commitment" means a judicially determined placement in
the physical custody of the Department of Corrections or the
Department of Juvenile Justice on the basis of conviction or
delinquency.
    "Correctional institution or facility" means a Department
of Corrections or Department of Juvenile Justice building or
part of a Department of Corrections or Department of Juvenile
Justice building where committed persons are detained in a
secure manner.
    "Department" includes the Department of Corrections and
the Department of Juvenile Justice, unless the text solely
specifies a particular Department.
    "Detainee" means a committed person in the physical
custody of the Department of Corrections or the Department of
Juvenile Justice.
    "Director" includes the Directors Director of the
Department of Corrections and the Department of Juvenile
Justice unless the text solely specifies a particular
Director.
    "Discharge" means the end of a sentence or the final
termination of a committed person's detainee's physical
commitment to and confinement in the Department of
Corrections. Discharge means the end of a sentence or the
final termination of a committed person's physical commitment
to and confinement in the or Department of Juvenile Justice.
    "Peer educator" means an incarcerated citizen at the
Department of Corrections who is specifically trained in
voting rights education, who shall conduct voting and civics
education workshops for committed persons at the Department of
Corrections who are detainees scheduled for discharge within
12 months.
    "Program" means the nonpartisan peer education and
information instruction established by this Act.
    "Re-entering citizen" means any United States citizen who
is: 17 years of age or older; in the physical custody of the
Department of Corrections or Department of Juvenile Justice;
and scheduled to be re-entering society within 12 months.
(Source: P.A. 101-441, eff. 1-1-20; revised 8-19-20.)
 
    (730 ILCS 200/10)
    Sec. 10. Purpose; program. The Department of Corrections
and the Department of Juvenile Justice shall provide a
nonpartisan peer-led civics program throughout the
correctional institutions of this State to teach civics to
soon-to-be released citizens who will be re-entering society.
The goal of the program is to promote the successful
integration of re-entering citizens, promote democracy, and
reduce rates of recidivism within this State. For young people
in particular, the study of civics helps people acquire and
learn to use the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that will
prepare them to be engaged citizens throughout their lives.
This program shall coincide with and enhance existing laws to
ensure that re-entering citizens understand their civic
responsibility and know how to secure or, if applicable,
regain their right to vote as part of the exit process.
(Source: P.A. 101-441, eff. 1-1-20.)
 
    (730 ILCS 200/15)
    Sec. 15. Curriculum and eligibility. The civics peer
education program shall consist of a rigorous curriculum, and
participants shall be instructed on subjects including, but
not limited to, voting rights, governmental institutions,
current affairs, and simulations of voter registration,
election, and democratic processes. Each workshop held at the
Department of Corrections shall consist of 3 sessions that are
90 minutes each and that do not need to be taken consecutively.
The workshops held at the Department of Juvenile Justice shall
consist of 270 minutes of instruction. The Department of
Corrections and the Department of Juvenile Justice The
Department must offer re-entering citizens scheduled to be
discharged within 12 months with the civics peer education
program, and each re-entering citizen must enroll in the
program one to 12 months prior to his or her expected date of
release. This workshop must be included in the standard exit
process. The Department of Corrections and the Department of
Juvenile Justice The Department should aim to include this
workshop in conjunction with other pre-release procedures and
movements. Delays in a workshop being provided shall not cause
delays in discharge. Committed persons Detainees may not be
prevented from attending workshops due to staffing shortages,
lockdowns, or to conflicts with family or legal visits, court
dates, medical appointments, commissary visits, recreational
sessions, dining, work, class, or bathing schedules. In case
of conflict or staffing shortages, re-entering citizens must
be given full opportunity to attend a workshop at a later time.
(Source: P.A. 101-441, eff. 1-1-20.)
 
    (730 ILCS 200/20)
    Sec. 20. Peer educator training. The civics peer
education program shall be taught by peer educators who are
citizens incarcerated in Department of Corrections and
Department of Juvenile Justice facilities and specially
trained by experienced peer educators and established
nonpartisan civic organizations. Established nonpartisan civic
organizations may be assisted by area political science or
civics educators at colleges, universities, and high schools
and by nonpartisan organizations providing re-entry services.
The nonpartisan civic organizations shall provide adequate
training to peer educators on matters including, but not
limited to, voting rights, governmental institutions, current
affairs, and simulations of voter registration, election, and
democratic processes, and shall provide periodic updates to
program content and to peer educators.
(Source: P.A. 101-441, eff. 1-1-20.)
 
    (730 ILCS 200/21 new)
    Sec. 21. Co-facilitator training. The civics education
program in the Department of Juvenile Justice shall be taught
using 2 co-facilitators. One of the co-facilitators shall be a
member of an established nonpartisan civic organization and
the other co-facilitator shall be a committed person at the
Department of Juvenile Justice who is specifically trained in
voting rights education and who has been trained by an
established nonpartisan civic organization. The organization
providing training may be assisted by area political science
or civics educators at colleges, universities, and high
schools and by nonpartisan organizations providing re-entry
services. The nonpartisan civic organizations shall provide
adequate training to both co-facilitators on the civics and
voting rights curriculum.
 
    (730 ILCS 200/25)
    Sec. 25. Voter and civic education program; content.
    (a) Program content shall provide the following:
        (1) nonpartisan information on voting history
    procedures;
        (2) nonpartisan definitions of local, State, and
    federal governmental institutions and offices; and
        (3) examples and simulations of registration and
    voting processes, and access to voter registration and
    voting processes for those individuals who are eligible to
    vote.
    (b) Established nonpartisan civic organizations shall
provide periodic updates to program content and, if
applicable, peer educators and co-facilitators. Updates shall
reflect major relevant changes to election laws and processes
in Illinois.
    (c) Program content shall be delivered in the following
manners:
        (1) verbally via peer educators and co-facilitators;
        (2) broadcasts via Department of Corrections and
    Department of Juvenile Justice internal television
    channels; or
        (3) printed information packets.
    (d) Peer educators and co-facilitators shall disseminate
printed information for voting in the releasee's county,
including, but not limited to, election authorities'
addresses, all applicable Internet websites, and public
contact information for all election authorities. This
information shall be compiled into a civics handbook. The
handbook shall also include key information condensed into a
pocket information card.
    (e) This information shall also be compiled electronically
and posted on Department of Corrections' and Department of
Juvenile Justice's website along with the Department of
Corrections' Community Support Advisory Councils websites.
    (f) Department Directors shall ensure that the wardens or
superintendents of all correctional institutions and
facilities visibly post this information on all common areas
of their respective institutions, and shall broadcast the same
via in-house institutional information television channels.
Directors shall ensure that updated information is distributed
in a timely, visible, and accessible manner.
    (g) The Director of Corrections shall order, in a clearly
visible area of each parole office within this State, the
posting of a notice stipulating voter eligibility and that
contains the current Internet website address and voter
registration information provided by State Board of Elections
regarding voting rights for citizens released from the
physical custody of the Department of Corrections and the
Department of Juvenile Justice.
    (h) All program content and materials shall be distributed
annually to the Community Support Advisory Councils of the
Department of Corrections for use in re-entry programs across
this State.
(Source: P.A. 101-441, eff. 1-1-20.)
 
    (730 ILCS 200/30)
    Sec. 30. Power of the Departments Department. The
Department of Corrections and the Department of Juvenile
Justice shall adopt rules to carry out this Act within 6 months
after the effective date of this Act.
(Source: P.A. 101-441, eff. 1-1-20.)
 
    (730 ILCS 200/35)
    Sec. 35. Funding. The funding for the voting rights and
registration peer education program shall be subject to
appropriation by the General Assembly. The Department of
Corrections and the Department of Juvenile Justice may use
private or federal funding to administer the program,
including, but not limited to, funds from the United States
Department of Justice.
(Source: P.A. 101-441, eff. 1-1-20.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January
1, 2022.