HB2734eng 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB2734 Engrossed LRB095 01030 RLC 21032 b

AN ACT concerning criminal law.

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 Drug School Act.

Section 5. Findings; purpose. The General Assembly finds as follows:

(1) One of the many objectives of the Illinois criminal justice system is individual rehabilitation.

(2) The incarceration of nonviolent drug offenders with families breaks the family unit.

(3) The recidivism rate of nonviolent drug offenders in Illinois is 53%.

(4) Nonviolent drug offenders are in need of alternatives to incarceration such as counseling and treatment.

(5) Drug addiction is recognized as a health issue around the country.

(6) The Cook County State's Attorney drug school program has a success rate of over 85%.

(7) The State of Illinois spends $22,607 on one adult incarceration.

(8) The State of Illinois will save more than $17,000,000 if treatment programs are offered in lieu of incarceration.

The purpose of this Act is to establish, subject to appropriation, a drug school program for nonviolent drug offenders statewide modeled after the Cook County State's Attorney drug school program.

Section 10. Definition. As used in this Act, "drug school" means a drug intervention and education program established and administered by the State's Attorney's Office of a particular county as an alternative to traditional prosecution. A drug school shall include, but not be limited to, the following core components:

(1) No less than 10 and no more than 20 hours of drug education delivered by an organization licensed, certified or otherwise authorized by the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse to provide treatment, intervention, education or other such services. This education is to be delivered at least once per week at a class of no less than one hour and no greater than 4 hours, and with a class size no larger than 40 individuals.

(2) Curriculum designed to present the harmful effects of drug use on the individual, family and community, including the relationship between drug use and criminal behavior, as well as instruction regarding the application procedure for the sealing and expungement of records of arrest and any other record of the proceedings of the case for which the individual was mandated to attend the drug school.

(3) Education regarding the practical consequences of conviction and continued justice involvement. Such consequences of drug use will include the negative physiological, psychological, societal, familial, and legal areas. Additionally, the practical limitations imposed by a drug conviction on one's vocational, educational, financial, and residential options will be addressed.

(4) A process for monitoring and reporting attendance such that the State's Attorney in the county where the drug school is being operated is informed of class attendance no more than 48 hours after each class.

(5) A process for capturing data on drug school participants, including but not limited to total individuals served, demographics of those individuals, rates of attendance, and frequency of future justice involvement for drug school participants and other data as may be required by the Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.

Section 15. Authorization.

(a) Each State's Attorney may establish a drug school operated under the terms of this Act. The purpose of the drug school shall be to provide an alternative to prosecution by identifying drug-involved individuals for the purpose of intervening with their drug use before their criminal involvement becomes severe. The State's Attorney shall identify criteria to be used in determining eligibility for the drug school. Only those participants who successfully complete the requirements of the drug school, as certified by the State's Attorney, are eligible to apply for the sealing and expungement of records of arrest and any other record of the proceedings of the case for which the individual was mandated to attend the drug school.

(b) A State's Attorney seeking to establish a drug school may apply to the Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse of the Illinois Department of Human Services ("DASA") for funding to establish and operate a drug school within his or her respective county. Nothing in this subsection shall prevent State's Attorneys from establishing drug schools within their counties without funding from DASA.

(c) Nothing in this Act shall prevent 2 or more State's Attorneys from applying jointly for funding as provided in subsection (b) for the purpose of establishing a drug school that serves multiple counties.

(d) Drug schools established through funding from DASA shall operate according to the guidelines established thereby and the provisions of this Act.

Section 20. Eligibility.

(a) The State's Attorney, alone, in each county where a drug school is established shall have the authority to determine which individuals, who would otherwise be prosecuted under the relevant provisions of Illinois law, may be eligible to participate in the drug school in lieu of prosecution.

(b) A defendant may be admitted into drug school only upon the agreement of the prosecutor and the defendant.

Section 25. Process.

(a) The State's Attorney, alone, in each county where a drug school is established shall determine who is eligible to participate in the drug school in lieu of prosecution. Considerations in making such a determination shall include the crime committed, the circumstances of the crime or of the individual under consideration, and whether or not the State's Attorney believes that the individual would benefit from participation in the drug school.

(b) The judge shall inform the defendant that if the defendant fails to meet the conditions of drug school, eligibility to participate in the program may be revoked and the defendant may be prosecuted under the criminal laws of this State and sentenced as provided in the Unified Code of Corrections for the crime charged.

(c) The defendant shall execute a written agreement as to his or her participation in the drug school program and shall agree to all of the terms and conditions of the program, including but not limited to the possibility of prosecution for the crime charged for failing to abide or comply with the terms of the drug school program or for any arrest incurred subsequent to entry into the drug school program.

Section 30. Successful completion. If an individual is certified by the State's Attorney that he or she has successfully completed the terms of the drug school, the State's Attorney shall waive prosecution for the immediate offense and discharge the case.

Section 35. Violations. Upon a violation of any of the terms of the drug school, the State's Attorney may proceed with prosecution as otherwise authorized under law.

Section 40. Appropriations to DASA.

(a) Moneys shall be appropriated to DASA to enable DASA (i) to contract with Cook County, and (ii) counties other than Cook County to reimburse for services delivered in those counties under the county Drug School program.

(b) DASA shall establish rules and procedures for reimbursements paid to the Cook County Treasurer which are not subject to county appropriation and are not intended to supplant monies currently expended by Cook County to operate its drug school program. Cook County is required to maintain its efforts with regard to its drug school program.

(c) Expenditure of moneys under this Section is subject to audit by the Auditor General.

(d) In addition to reporting required by DASA, State's Attorneys receiving monies under this Section shall each report separately to the General Assembly by January 1, 2008 and each and every following January 1 for as long as the services are in existence, detailing the need for continued services and contain any suggestions for changes to this Act.