|
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 detainee's physical commitment to and |
confinement in the Department of Corrections or Department of |
Juvenile Justice. |
"Peer educator" means an incarcerated citizen who is |
specifically trained in voting rights education, who shall |
conduct voting and civics education workshops for 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.
|
Section 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. 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 regain their right to vote as part of the |
exit process.
|
Section 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 shall consist of 3 sessions |
that are 90 minutes each and that do not need to be taken |
consecutively. 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 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. 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.
|
|
Section 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.
|
Section 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. |
(b) Established nonpartisan civic organizations shall |
|
provide periodic updates to program content and, if applicable, |
peer educators. 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; |
(2) broadcasts via Department of Corrections and |
Department of Juvenile Justice internal television |
channels; or |
(3) printed information packets. |
(d) Peer educators 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' 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 custody |
of the Department. |
(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.
|
Section 30. Power of the 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.
|
Section 35. Funding. The funding for the voting rights and |
registration peer education program shall be subject to |
appropriation by the General Assembly. The Department may use |
private or federal funding to administer the program, |
including, but not limited to, funds from the United States |
Department of Justice.
|
|
Section 40. Voter and civic education program monitoring |
and enforcement.
|
(a) The Director of Corrections and the Director of |
Juvenile Justice shall ensure that wardens or superintendents, |
program, educational, and security and movement staff permit |
these workshops to take place, and that re-entering citizens |
are escorted to workshops in a consistent and timely manner. |
(b) Compliance with this Act shall be monitored by a report |
published annually by the Department of Corrections and the |
Department of Juvenile Justice and containing data, including |
numbers of re-entering citizens who enrolled in the program, |
numbers of re-entering citizens who completed the program, and |
total numbers of individuals discharged. Data shall be |
disaggregated by institution, discharge, or residence address |
of citizen, and other factors.
|
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect on |
January 1, 2020.
|