HB0554 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB096 03470 RLC 13494 b

96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
HB0554

Introduced 2/4/2009, by Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act

Creates the Office of Gang and Youth Violence Policy Act. Establishes the Office within the Department of Juvenile Justice. Provides that the Office is responsible for coordinating and assisting various persons and entities with strategies to prevent violence and gang involvement. Creates the positions of Director and Chief Deputy Director of the Office. Provides for establishing an Internet website. Requires the Office to submit a report to the General Assembly and Governor on or before March 1, 2010, containing recommendations and other information. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning juvenile justice.

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 Gang and Youth Violence Policy Act.

Section 5. Intent. It is the intent of the General Assembly to do all of the following:

(1) Address the conditions in neighborhoods and the unmet needs of children that allow gangs to take root, thrive, and expand.

(2) Stop focusing on isolated incidents and instead confront the size and scope of the problems surrounding violent behavior and gang activity, and to do so with a strong, committed, and sustained political mandate to eradicate the root causes and conditions that trigger street gang activity and support entrenched neighborhood violence.

(3) Commit to sustained and balanced prevention, intervention, and suppression strategies.

(4) Offer programs and expand services to adult gang members and parolees that provide a way out of gangs and afford former gang members a chance for a different life.

Section 10. Office of Gang and Youth Violence Policy.

(a) The Office of Gang and Youth Violence Policy (the "Office") is created within the Department of Juvenile Justice (the "Department").

(b) The Office is responsible for identifying and evaluating State, local, and federal gang and youth violence suppression, intervention, and prevention programs and strategies, along with funding for those efforts. The Director of Juvenile Justice (the "Director") is responsible for monitoring, assessing, and coordinating the State's programs, strategies, and funding that address gang and youth violence in a manner that maximizes the effectiveness and coordination of those programs, strategies, and resources. The Director shall communicate with local agencies and programs in an effort to promote the best practices for addressing gang and youth violence through suppression, intervention, and prevention.

(c) The Office shall develop a comprehensive set of recommendations to define its mission, role, and responsibilities as a statewide entity dedicated to reducing violence and the proliferation of gangs and gang violence in Illinois communities.

(d) In developing this set of recommendations, the Office shall collaborate with a wide range of State and local stakeholders, including, but not limited to, community-based organizations serving at-risk populations and neighborhoods, law enforcement, educators, the courts, policy experts and scholars with expertise in the area of criminal street gangs, and local policymakers.

(e) The Office, in collaboration with the stakeholders, shall include in its deliberations the most effective role for the Office with respect to the following:

(1) The collection and analysis of data on gang membership statewide and the effectiveness of various gang prevention efforts.

(2) The development of reliable and accurate sources of data to measure the scale and characteristics of Illinois' gang problems.

(3) The development of a clearinghouse for research on gangs, at-risk youth, and prevention and intervention programs in order to identify best practices and evidence-based programming, as well as unsuccessful practices, and in order to promote effective strategies for reducing gang involvement and gang violence.

(4) Assisting State and local governmental and nongovernmental entities in developing violence and gang prevention strategies, including built-in evaluation components.

(5) The development of sustained coordination mechanisms among State, local, and regional entities.

(6) The identification of available or needed federal, State, regional, local, and private funding resources.

(7) Providing or otherwise promoting public education on effective programs, models, and strategies for the control of violence and serving as a clearinghouse for information on gang violence prevention issues, programs, resources, and research.

(8) Providing or otherwise promoting training and technical assistance to help build the capacity of organizations, communities, and local government to develop, implement, and evaluate gang violence prevention programs.

(9) Providing information and guidance to State and local governmental and nongovernmental entities on accessing State and federal resources to prevent gang violence.

(10) Facilitating greater integration between existing entities with respect to gang prevention efforts.

Section 15. The following offices are created within the Department of Juvenile Justice:

(1) Director of the Office of Gang and Youth Violence Policy.

(2) Chief Deputy Director of Gang and Youth Violence Policy.

Section 20. Internet website. The Office shall establish an Internet website that provides Internet hyperlinks to information concerning the various grants related to preventing gang violence that are administered by the Department, the Office, or other State agencies and information concerning technical assistance on the process of applying for grants.

Section 25. Report.

(a) On or before March 1, 2010, the Office shall submit to the General Assembly and the Governor a report of its recommendations developed under Section 10.

(b) The report shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(1) A thorough description of the process employed by the Office to develop the recommendations, including, but not limited to, meetings and hearings, use of ad hoc committees or working groups, and any other methods used for receiving public and expert input and facilitating deliberations.

(2) A list of the stakeholders involved in the development of the recommendations.

(3) The set of recommendations developed by the Office to define its mission, role, and responsibilities as a statewide entity dedicated to reducing violence and the proliferation of gangs and gang violence in Illinois communities.

(4) Any additional information, data, and recommendations that may further inform the General Assembly and the Governor on making the operation of the Office a successful endeavor.

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