HB4135 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 15322 RLC 28476 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB4135

Introduced 10/15/2025, by Rep. Kam Buckner

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

730 ILCS 5/3-2-12.1 new

Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Illinois Correctional Data and Transparency Act. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that beginning March 1, 2026 and every March 1 thereafter, the Department of Corrections shall submit to the General Assembly a recidivism report which the Department shall post on its website and make publicly available. Establishes the information contained in the report. Provides that the release rates shall be published on a public dashboard. Provides that within 60 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Department of Corrections must file and post a recidivism IT remediation plan, consisting of timelines, milestones, and responsible staff. Provides that until the first new report is posted, the Department must file monthly status updates with the House Appropriations-Public Safety Committee and the Senate Appropriations-Public Safety and Infrastructure Committee. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall enter into standing memoranda of understanding, which shall be updated at least annually, providing periodic feeds needed to compute recidivism, with privacy protections, between the Department and: (1) the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts concerning court dispositions; (2) the Illinois State Police concerning arrest and identifier data submitted to the Illinois State Police under the Criminal Identification Act; and (3) county sheriffs and jail administrators concerning booking information and returns of persons previously committed to county jails. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall publish aggregate and de-identified data with small-cell suppression. Provides that unit-record identifiable data shall not be disclosed to the public. Provides that research access to the data shall be only available by approved agreements with the Department of Corrections. Provides that if the annual report is filed more than 60 days after the March 1 due date, the Director of Corrections or his or her designee must appear before designated committees of the General Assembly with a remediation plan. Subject to appropriation, the Auditor General may conduct a performance audit of data processes. Effective immediately.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning criminal law.

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

Section 1. This Act may be referred to as the Illinois Correctional Data and Transparency Act.

Section 5. The Unified Code of Corrections is amended by adding Section 3-2-12.1 as follows:

(730 ILCS 5/3-2-12.1 new)

Sec. 3-2-12.1. Recidivism data; Department of Corrections publication and website posting.

(a) The General Assembly recognizes that recidivism tracking is essential to public safety and fiscal oversight.

(b) It is the intent of the General Assembly to establish clear definitions, a deadline for public reporting, basic interagency data-sharing, and open methodology.

(c) Beginning March 1, 2026 and every March 1 thereafter, the Department of Corrections shall submit to the General Assembly a recidivism report which the Department shall post on its website and make publicly available.

(d) The report shall contain the prior fiscal year release cohort and updates of prior release cohorts, including statewide release rates by:

(1) offense class;

(2) age;

(3) gender;

(4) county of commitment;

(5) facility;

(6) sentence type;

(7) release type; and

(8) methods used to make the data determinations listed in paragraphs (1) through (7) to be published in an appendix to that data.

The release rates shall be published on a public dashboard.

(e) Within 60 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly, the Department of Corrections must file and post a recidivism IT remediation plan, consisting of timelines, milestones, and responsible staff.

(f) Until the first new report is posted, the Department must file monthly status updates with the House Appropriations-Public Safety Committee and the Senate Appropriations-Public Safety and Infrastructure Committee.

(g) The Department of Corrections shall enter into standing memoranda of understanding, which shall be updated at least annually, providing periodic feeds needed to compute recidivism, with privacy protections, between the Department and:

(1) the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts concerning court dispositions;

(2) the Illinois State Police concerning arrest and identifier data submitted to the Illinois State Police under the Criminal Identification Act; and

(3) county sheriffs and jail administrators concerning booking information and returns of persons previously committed to county jails.

(h) The Department of Corrections shall receive limited extracts from other State agencies concerning persons who have been committed to the Department, if already collected. The Department shall maintain all existing confidentiality and victim privacy rights required by law and administrative rule.

(i) The Department of Corrections shall publish aggregate and de-identified data with small-cell suppression.

(j) Unit-record identifiable data shall not be disclosed to the public. Research access to the data shall be only available by approved agreements with the Department of Corrections.

(k) If the annual report is filed more than 60 days after the March 1 due date, the Director of Corrections or his or her designee must appear before designated committees of the General Assembly with a remediation plan. Subject to appropriation, the Auditor General may conduct a performance audit of data processes.

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