|
|
|
|
HR0391 |
|
LRB095 12080 KXB 35900 r |
|
|
| 1 |
| HOUSE RESOLUTION
|
| 2 |
| WHEREAS, The adult female population in prisons in the |
| 3 |
| State of Illinois was 2,806 in 2004, a 154 percent increase |
| 4 |
| over the past ten years; and
|
| 5 |
| WHEREAS, Of this population, less than 30 percent of these |
| 6 |
| female prisoners were incarcerated for committing violent |
| 7 |
| crimes; and
|
| 8 |
| WHEREAS, Cook County Jail currently houses over 1,300 women |
| 9 |
| on any given day and, of this population, approximately 90 |
| 10 |
| percent are charged with non-violent crimes; and
|
| 11 |
| WHEREAS, In prisons in the State of Illinois, 82 percent of |
| 12 |
| women are mothers and almost 50 percent have children under |
| 13 |
| five years of age; and
|
| 14 |
| WHEREAS, Each year at least 25,000 children in the State of |
| 15 |
| Illinois are impacted by maternal incarceration; and
|
| 16 |
| WHEREAS, In the State of Illinois, at least 60,000 minor |
| 17 |
| children will have their mothers spend time in a State prison |
| 18 |
| while they are children; and
|
| 19 |
| WHEREAS, An estimated 80 percent of all incarcerated women |
|
|
|
HR0391 |
- 2 - |
LRB095 12080 KXB 35900 r |
|
|
| 1 |
| in the State of Illinois suffer from substance abuse problems; |
| 2 |
| the State of Illinois can place fewer than 20 percent of all |
| 3 |
| incarcerated women into its substance abuse programs; and
|
| 4 |
| WHEREAS, It is a known fact that drug addiction causes |
| 5 |
| crime, destroys the family structure, creates havoc in |
| 6 |
| neighborhoods, and leaves paths of destruction in its wake; |
| 7 |
| individuals convicted of crimes who have not received |
| 8 |
| meaningful treatment while incarcerated continue to commit |
| 9 |
| crimes; and
|
| 10 |
| WHEREAS, In the United States, by mid-year of 2003, the |
| 11 |
| number of adult female inmates rose 6.3 percent over the |
| 12 |
| previous year; and
|
| 13 |
| WHEREAS, Community-based alternatives to incarceration for |
| 14 |
| women convicted of non-violent offenses would allow children to |
| 15 |
| stay with their mothers while their mothers receive appropriate |
| 16 |
| treatment; with the appropriate treatment, the mothers would be |
| 17 |
| less likely to commit additional offenses and would be able to |
| 18 |
| re-enter society as tax-paying citizens; in addition, their |
| 19 |
| children would be less likely to become the next generation of |
| 20 |
| incarcerated individuals; therefore, be it
|
| 21 |
| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
| 22 |
| NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we |