HB2546eng 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB2546 Engrossed LRB104 08639 RLC 18692 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 Unified Code of Corrections is amended by changing Section 5-4.5-115 as follows:

(730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-115)

Sec. 5-4.5-115. Parole review of persons under the age of 21 at the time of the commission of an offense.

(a) For purposes of this Section, "victim" means a victim of a violent crime as defined in subsection (a) of Section 3 of the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act including a witness as defined in subsection (b) of Section 3 of the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act; any person legally related to the victim by blood, marriage, adoption, or guardianship; any friend of the victim; or any concerned citizen.

(b) A person under 21 years of age at the time of the commission of an offense or offenses, other than first degree murder, and who is not serving a sentence for first degree murder and who is sentenced on or after June 1, 2019 (the effective date of Public Act 100-1182) shall be eligible for parole review by the Prisoner Review Board after serving 10 years or more of his or her sentence or sentences, except for those serving a sentence or sentences for: (1) aggravated criminal sexual assault who shall be eligible for parole review by the Prisoner Review Board after serving 20 years or more of his or her sentence or sentences or (2) predatory criminal sexual assault of a child who shall not be eligible for parole review by the Prisoner Review Board under this Section. A person under 21 years of age at the time of the commission of first degree murder who is sentenced on or after June 1, 2019 (the effective date of Public Act 100-1182) shall be eligible for parole review by the Prisoner Review Board after serving 20 years or more of his or her sentence or sentences, except for those subject to a term of natural life imprisonment under Section 5-8-1 of this Code or any person subject to sentencing under subsection (f) (c) of Section 5-4.5-105 of this Code, who shall be eligible for parole review by the Prisoner Review Board after serving 40 years or more of his or her sentence or sentences.

(c) Any date after serving the minimum term of years to become eligible for parole review as set forth in subparagraph (b), or up to 3 Three years prior to becoming eligible for parole review, the eligible person may file his or her petition for parole review with the Prisoner Review Board. The petition shall include a copy of the order of commitment and sentence to the Department of Corrections for the offense or offenses for which review is sought. Within 30 days of receipt of this petition, the Prisoner Review Board shall determine whether the petition is appropriately filed, and if so, shall set a date for parole review 3 years from receipt of the petition or the date the person is eligible for parole review, whichever date is sooner, and notify the Department of Corrections within 10 business days. However, in no such circumstance shall the hearing be scheduled sooner than one year from the date of the determination that the petition is appropriately filed. If the Prisoner Review Board determines that the petition is not appropriately filed, it shall notify the petitioner in writing, including a basis for its determination.

(d) Within 6 months of the Prisoner Review Board's determination that the petition was appropriately filed, a representative from the Department of Corrections shall meet with the eligible person and provide the inmate information about the parole hearing process and personalized recommendations for the inmate regarding his or her work assignments, rehabilitative programs, and institutional behavior. Following this meeting, the eligible person has 7 calendar days to file a written request to the representative from the Department of Corrections who met with the eligible person of any additional programs and services which the eligible person believes should be made available to prepare the eligible person for return to the community.

(e) One year prior to the person being eligible for parole, counsel shall be appointed by the Prisoner Review Board upon a finding of indigency. The eligible person may waive appointed counsel or retain his or her own counsel at his or her own expense.

(f) Nine months prior to the hearing, the Prisoner Review Board shall provide the eligible person, and his or her counsel, any written documents or materials it will be considering in making its decision unless the written documents or materials are specifically found to: (1) include information which, if disclosed, would damage the therapeutic relationship between the inmate and a mental health professional; (2) subject any person to the actual risk of physical harm; (3) threaten the safety or security of the Department or an institution. In accordance with Section 4.5(d)(4) of the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act and Section 10 of the Open Parole Hearings Act, victim statements provided to the Board shall be confidential and privileged, including any statements received prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, except if the statement was an oral statement made by the victim at a hearing open to the public. Victim statements shall not be considered public documents under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. The inmate or his or her attorney shall not be given a copy of the statement, but shall be informed of the existence of a victim statement and the position taken by the victim on the inmate's request for parole. This shall not be construed to permit disclosure to an inmate of any information which might result in the risk of threats or physical harm to a victim. The Prisoner Review Board shall have an ongoing duty to provide the eligible person, and his or her counsel, with any further documents or materials that come into its possession prior to the hearing subject to the limitations contained in this subsection.

(g) Not less than 12 months prior to the hearing, the Prisoner Review Board shall provide notification to the State's Attorney of the county from which the person was committed and written notification to the victim or family of the victim of the scheduled hearing place, date, and approximate time. The written notification shall contain: (1) information about their right to be present, appear in person at the parole hearing, and their right to make an oral statement and submit information in writing, by videotape, tape recording, or other electronic means; (2) a toll-free number to call for further information about the parole review process; and (3) information regarding available resources, including trauma-informed therapy, they may access. If the Board does not have knowledge of the current address of the victim or family of the victim, it shall notify the State's Attorney of the county of commitment and request assistance in locating the victim or family of the victim. Those victims or family of the victims who advise the Board in writing that they no longer wish to be notified shall not receive future notices. A victim shall have the right to submit information by videotape, tape recording, or other electronic means. The victim may submit this material prior to or at the parole hearing. The victim also has the right to be heard at the parole hearing.

(h) The hearing conducted by the Prisoner Review Board shall be governed by Sections 15 and 20, subsection (f) of Section 5, subsections (a), (a-5), (b), (b-5), and (c) of Section 10, and subsection (d) of Section 25 of the Open Parole Hearings Act and Part 1610 of Title 20 of the Illinois Administrative Code. The eligible person has a right to be present at the Prisoner Review Board hearing, unless the Prisoner Review Board determines the eligible person's presence is unduly burdensome when conducting a hearing under paragraph (6.6) of subsection (a) of Section 3-3-2 of this Code. If a psychological evaluation is submitted for the Prisoner Review Board's consideration, it shall be prepared by a person who has expertise in adolescent brain development and behavior, and shall take into consideration the diminished culpability of youthful offenders, the hallmark features of youth, and any subsequent growth and increased maturity of the person. At the hearing, the eligible person shall have the right to make a statement on his or her own behalf.

(i) Only upon motion for good cause shall the date for the Prisoner Review Board hearing, as set by subsection (b) of this Section, be changed. No less than 15 days prior to the hearing, the Prisoner Review Board shall notify the victim or victim representative, the attorney, and the eligible person of the exact date and time of the hearing. All hearings shall be open to the public.

(j) The Prisoner Review Board shall not parole the eligible person if it determines that:

(1) there is a substantial risk that the eligible person will not conform to reasonable conditions of parole or aftercare release; or

(2) the eligible person's release at that time would deprecate the seriousness of his or her offense or promote disrespect for the law; or

(3) the eligible person's release would have a substantially adverse effect on institutional discipline.

In considering the factors affecting the release determination under 20 Ill. Adm. Code 1610.50(b), the Prisoner Review Board panel shall consider the diminished culpability of youthful offenders, the hallmark features of youth, and any subsequent growth and maturity of the youthful offender during incarceration.

(k) Unless denied parole under subsection (j) of this Section and subject to the provisions of Section 3-3-9 of this Code: (1) the eligible person serving a sentence for any non-first degree murder offense or offenses, shall be released on parole which shall operate to discharge any remaining term of years sentence imposed upon him or her, notwithstanding any required mandatory supervised release period the eligible person is required to serve; and (2) the eligible person serving a sentence for any first degree murder offense, shall be released on mandatory supervised release for a period of 10 years subject to Section 3-3-8, which shall operate to discharge any remaining term of years sentence imposed upon him or her, however in no event shall the eligible person serve a period of mandatory supervised release greater than the aggregate of the discharged underlying sentence and the mandatory supervised release period as sent forth in Section 5-4.5-20.

(l) If the Prisoner Review Board denies parole after conducting the hearing under subsection (j) of this Section, it shall issue a written decision which states the rationale for denial, including the primary factors considered. This decision shall be provided to the eligible person and his or her counsel within 30 days.

(m) A person denied parole under subsection (j) of this Section, who is not serving a sentence for either first degree murder or aggravated criminal sexual assault, shall be eligible for a second parole review by the Prisoner Review Board 5 years after the written decision under subsection (l) of this Section; a person denied parole under subsection (j) of this Section, who is serving a sentence or sentences for first degree murder or aggravated criminal sexual assault shall be eligible for a second and final parole review by the Prisoner Review Board 10 years after the written decision under subsection (k) of this Section. The procedures for a second parole review shall be governed by subsections (c) through (k) of this Section.

(n) A person denied parole under subsection (m) of this Section, who is not serving a sentence for either first degree murder or aggravated criminal sexual assault, shall be eligible for a third and final parole review by the Prisoner Review Board 5 years after the written decision under subsection (l) of this Section. The procedures for the third and final parole review shall be governed by subsections (c) through (k) of this Section.

(o) Notwithstanding anything else to the contrary in this Section, nothing in this Section shall be construed to delay parole or mandatory supervised release consideration for petitioners who are or will be eligible for release earlier than this Section provides. Nothing in this Section shall be construed as a limit, substitution, or bar on a person's right to sentencing relief, or any other manner of relief, obtained by order of a court in proceedings other than as provided in this Section.

(Source: P.A. 101-288, eff. 1-1-20; 102-1128, eff. 1-1-24.)