Public Act 0924 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB5214 Enrolled LRB096 18368 RLC 33745 b

Public Act 096-0924

AN ACT concerning courts.

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

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Veterans and Servicemembers Court Treatment Act.

Section 5. Purposes. The General Assembly recognizes that veterans and active, Reserve and National Guard servicemembers have provided or are currently providing an invaluable service to our country. In so doing, some may suffer the effects of, including but not limited to, post traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, depression and may also suffer drug and alcohol dependency or addiction and co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse problems. As a result of this, some veterans or active duty servicemembers come into contact with the criminal justice system and are charged with felony or misdemeanor offenses. There is a critical need for the criminal justice system to recognize these veterans, provide accountability for their wrongdoing, provide for the safety of the public and provide for the treatment of our veterans. It is the intent of the General Assembly to create specialized veteran and servicemember courts or programs with the necessary flexibility to meet the specialized problems faced by these veteran and servicemember defendants.

Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:

"Combination Veterans and Servicemembers Court program" means a court program that includes a pre-adjudicatory and a post-adjudicatory Veterans and Servicemembers court program.

"Court" means Veterans and Servicemembers Court.

"IDVA" means the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs.

"Post-adjudicatory Veterans and Servicemembers Court Program" means a program in which the defendant has admitted guilt or has been found guilty and agrees, along with the prosecution, to enter a Veterans and Servicemembers Court program as part of the defendant's sentence.

"Pre-adjudicatory Veterans and Servicemembers Court Program" means a program that allows the defendant with the consent of the prosecution, to expedite the defendant's criminal case before conviction or before filing of a criminal case and requires successful completion of the Veterans and Servicemembers Court programs as part of the agreement.

"Servicemember" means a person who is currently serving in the Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, or Coast Guard on active duty, reserve status or in the National Guard.

"VA" means the United States Department of Veterans' Affairs.

"Veteran" means a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable.

"Veterans and Servicemembers Court professional" means a judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, probation officer, or treatment provider involved with the Court program.

"Veterans and Servicemembers Court" means a court or program with an immediate and highly structured judicial intervention process for substance abuse treatment, mental health, or other assessed treatment needs of eligible veteran and servicemember defendants that brings together substance abuse professionals, mental health professionals, VA professionals, local social programs and intensive judicial monitoring in accordance with the nationally recommended 10 key components of drug courts.

Section 15. Authorization. The Chief Judge of each judicial circuit may establish a Veterans and Servicemembers Court program including a format under which it operates under this Act. The Veterans and Servicemembers Court may, at the discretion of the Chief Judge, be a separate court or a program of a drug court within the Circuit. At the discretion of the Chief Judge, the Veterans and Servicemembers Court program may be operated in one county in the Circuit, and allow veteran and servicemember defendants from all counties within the Circuit to participate.

Section 20. Eligibility. Veterans and Servicemembers are eligible for Veterans and Servicemembers Courts, provided the following:

(a) A defendant may be admitted into a Veterans and Servicemembers Court program only upon the agreement of the prosecutor and the defendant and with the approval of the Court.

(b) A defendant shall be excluded from Veterans and Servicemembers Court program if any of one of the following applies:

(1) The crime is a crime of violence as set forth in clause (3) of this subsection (b).

(2) The defendant does not demonstrate a willingness to participate in a treatment program.

(3) The defendant has been convicted of a crime of violence within the past 10 years excluding incarceration time, including but not limited to: first degree murder, second degree murder, predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, aggravated criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual assault, armed robbery, aggravated arson, arson, aggravated kidnapping and kidnapping, aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm or permanent disability, stalking, aggravated stalking, or any offense involving the discharge of a firearm or where occurred serious bodily injury or death to any person.

(4) The defendant has previously completed or has been discharged from a Veterans and Servicemembers Court program within three years of that completion or discharge.

Section 25. Procedure.

(a) The Court shall order the defendant to submit to an eligibility screening and an assessment through the VA and/or the IDVA to provide information on the defendant's veteran or servicemember status.

(b) The Court shall order the defendant to submit to an eligibility screening and mental health and drug/alcohol screening and assessment of the defendant by the VA or by the IDVA to provide assessment services for Illinois Courts. The assessment shall include a risks assessment and be based, in part, upon the known availability of treatment resources available to the Veterans and Servicemembers Court. The assessment shall also include recommendations for treatment of the conditions which are indicating a need for treatment under the monitoring of the Court and be reflective of a level of risk assessed for the individual seeking admission. An assessment need not be ordered if the Court finds a valid screening and/or assessment related to the present charge pending against the defendant has been completed within the previous 60 days.

(c) The judge shall inform the defendant that if the defendant fails to meet the conditions of the Veterans and Servicemembers Court program, eligibility to participate in the program may be revoked and the defendant may be sentenced or the prosecution continued as provided in the Unified Code of Corrections for the crime charged.

(d) The defendant shall execute a written agreement with the Court as to his or her participation in the program and shall agree to all of the terms and conditions of the program, including but not limited to the possibility of sanctions or incarceration for failing to abide or comply with the terms of the program.

(e) In addition to any conditions authorized under the Pretrial Services Act and Section 5-6-3 of the Unified Code of Corrections, the Court may order the defendant to complete substance abuse treatment in an outpatient, inpatient, residential, or jail-based custodial treatment program, order the defendant to complete mental health counseling in an inpatient or outpatient basis, comply with physicians' recommendation regarding medications and all follow up treatment. This treatment may include but is not limited to post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and depression.

Section 30. Mental health and substance abuse treatment.

(a) The Veterans and Servicemembers Court program may maintain a network of substance abuse treatment programs representing a continuum of graduated substance abuse treatment options commensurate with the needs of defendants; these shall include programs with the VA, IDVA, the State of Illinois and community-based programs supported and sanctioned by either or both.

(b) Any substance abuse treatment program to which defendants are referred must meet all of the rules and governing programs in Parts 2030 and 2060 of Title 77 of the Illinois Administrative Code.

(c) The Veterans and Servicemembers Court program may, in its discretion, employ additional services or interventions, as it deems necessary on a case by case basis.

(d) The Veterans and Servicemembers Court program may maintain or collaborate with a network of mental health treatment programs and, if it is a co-occurring mental health and substance abuse court program, a network of substance abuse treatment programs representing a continuum of treatment options commensurate with the needs of the defendant and available resources including programs with the VA, the IDVA and the State of Illinois.

Section 35. Violation; termination; discharge.

(a) If the Court finds from the evidence presented including but not limited to the reports or proffers of proof from the Veterans and Servicemembers Court professionals that:

(1) the defendant is not performing satisfactorily in the assigned program;

(2) the defendant is not benefitting from education, treatment, or rehabilitation;

(3) the defendant has engaged in criminal conduct rendering him or her unsuitable for the program; or

(4) the defendant has otherwise violated the terms and conditions of the program or his or her sentence or is for any reason unable to participate; the Court may impose reasonable sanctions under prior written agreement of the defendant, including but not limited to imprisonment or dismissal of the defendant from the program and the Court may reinstate criminal proceedings against him or her or proceed under Section 5-6-4 of the Unified Code of Corrections for a violation of probation, conditional discharge, or supervision hearing.

(b) Upon successful completion of the terms and conditions of the program, the Court may dismiss the original charges against the defendant or successfully terminate the defendant's sentence or otherwise discharge him or her from any further proceedings against him or her in the original prosecution.

Section 90. The Counties Code is amended by changing Section 5-1101 as follows:

(55 ILCS 5/5-1101) (from Ch. 34, par. 5-1101)

Sec. 5-1101. Additional fees to finance court system. A county board may enact by ordinance or resolution the following fees:

(a) A $5 fee to be paid by the defendant on a judgment of guilty or a grant of supervision for violation of the Illinois Vehicle Code other than Section 11-501 or violations of similar provisions contained in county or municipal ordinances committed in the county, and up to a $30 fee to be paid by the defendant on a judgment of guilty or a grant of supervision for violation of Section 11-501 of the Illinois Vehicle Code or a violation of a similar provision contained in county or municipal ordinances committed in the county.

(b) In the case of a county having a population of 1,000,000 or less, a $5 fee to be collected in all civil cases by the clerk of the circuit court.

(c) A fee to be paid by the defendant on a judgment of guilty or a grant of supervision, as follows:

(1) for a felony, $50;

(2) for a class A misdemeanor, $25;

(3) for a class B or class C misdemeanor, $15;

(4) for a petty offense, $10;

(5) for a business offense, $10.

(d) A $100 fee for the second and subsequent violations of Section 11-501 of the Illinois Vehicle Code or violations of similar provisions contained in county or municipal ordinances committed in the county. The proceeds of this fee shall be placed in the county general fund and used to finance education programs related to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

(d-5) A $10 fee to be paid by the defendant on a judgment of guilty or a grant of supervision under Section 5-9-1 of the Unified Code of Corrections to be placed in the county general fund and used to finance the county mental health court, the county drug court, the Veterans and Servicemembers Court, or any or all of the above or both.

(e) In each county in which a teen court, peer court, peer jury, youth court, or other youth diversion program has been created, a county may adopt a mandatory fee of up to $5 to be assessed as provided in this subsection. Assessments collected by the clerk of the circuit court pursuant to this subsection must be deposited into an account specifically for the operation and administration of a teen court, peer court, peer jury, youth court, or other youth diversion program. The clerk of the circuit court shall collect the fees established in this subsection and must remit the fees to the teen court, peer court, peer jury, youth court, or other youth diversion program monthly, less 5%, which is to be retained as fee income to the office of the clerk of the circuit court. The fees are to be paid as follows:

(1) a fee of up to $5 paid by the defendant on a judgment of guilty or grant of supervision for violation of the Illinois Vehicle Code or violations of similar provisions contained in county or municipal ordinances committed in the county;

(2) a fee of up to $5 paid by the defendant on a judgment of guilty or grant of supervision under Section 5-9-1 of the Unified Code of Corrections for a felony; for a Class A, Class B, or Class C misdemeanor; for a petty offense; and for a business offense.

(f) In each county in which a drug court has been created, the county may adopt a mandatory fee of up to $5 to be assessed as provided in this subsection. Assessments collected by the clerk of the circuit court pursuant to this subsection must be deposited into an account specifically for the operation and administration of the drug court. The clerk of the circuit court shall collect the fees established in this subsection and must remit the fees to the drug court, less 5%, which is to be retained as fee income to the office of the clerk of the circuit court. The fees are to be paid as follows:

(1) a fee of up to $5 paid by the defendant on a judgment of guilty or grant of supervision for a violation of the Illinois Vehicle Code or a violation of a similar provision contained in a county or municipal ordinance committed in the county; or

(2) a fee of up to $5 paid by the defendant on a judgment of guilty or a grant of supervision under Section 5-9-1 of the Unified Code of Corrections for a felony; for a Class A, Class B, or Class C misdemeanor; for a petty offense; and for a business offense.

The clerk of the circuit court shall deposit the 5% retained under this subsection into the Circuit Court Clerk Operation and Administrative Fund to be used to defray the costs of collection and disbursement of the drug court fee.

(f-5) In each county in which a Children's Advocacy Center provides services, the county board may adopt a mandatory fee of between $5 and $30 to be paid by the defendant on a judgment of guilty or a grant of supervision under Section 5-9-1 of the Unified Code of Corrections for a felony; for a Class A, Class B, or Class C misdemeanor; for a petty offense; and for a business offense. Assessments shall be collected by the clerk of the circuit court and must be deposited into an account specifically for the operation and administration of the Children's Advocacy Center. The clerk of the circuit court shall collect the fees as provided in this subsection, and must remit the fees to the Children's Advocacy Center.

(g) The proceeds of all fees enacted under this Section must, except as provided in subsections (d), (d-5), (e), and (f), be placed in the county general fund and used to finance the court system in the county, unless the fee is subject to disbursement by the circuit clerk as provided under Section 27.5 of the Clerks of Courts Act.

(Source: P.A. 95-103, eff. 1-1-08; 95-331, eff. 8-21-07; 96-328, eff. 8-11-09.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.