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1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has a prison population of | ||||||
3 | over 47,000 inmates in 25 adult facilities, with a staff of | ||||||
4 | 10,200, at an annual cost of $1.3 billion; and
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5 | WHEREAS, The State's correctional system is among the most | ||||||
6 | crowded in the nation and is operating at more than 150% of its | ||||||
7 | capacity, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics; and
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8 | WHEREAS, The State's high prison population and | ||||||
9 | overcrowding is fueled by a high recidivism rate, with 48% of | ||||||
10 | adults and 53% of juveniles returning to incarceration within 3 | ||||||
11 | years; and
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12 | WHEREAS, Article I, Section 11 of the Illinois Constitution | ||||||
13 | requires that the determination of the State's criminal | ||||||
14 | penalties address both the seriousness of the crime as well as | ||||||
15 | the return of the offender to productive citizenship; and
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16 | WHEREAS, The administration has set a goal for the State to | ||||||
17 | reduce its prison population by 25% by 2025; and
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18 | WHEREAS, The Governor's creation of the Illinois State | ||||||
19 | Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform | ||||||
20 | recognized the importance of a comprehensive and |
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1 | evidence-based approach to reduce the State's prison | ||||||
2 | population, while improving public safety; and
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3 | WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Corrections currently | ||||||
4 | maintains 7 Work Camps among its facilities as a transfer | ||||||
5 | alternative for inmates preparing for re-entry into society; | ||||||
6 | and
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7 | WHEREAS, Work Camps provide adult education, high school | ||||||
8 | equivalency classes, vocational educational programs, and | ||||||
9 | community service opportunities to participants, as well as job | ||||||
10 | skills and an experience that may improve an inmate's | ||||||
11 | reintroduction to productive citizenship and may reduce the | ||||||
12 | likelihood of a return to the correctional system; and
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13 | WHEREAS, Work Camps provide thousands of hours of service | ||||||
14 | to the community; and | ||||||
15 | WHEREAS, The determination of the effectiveness of job | ||||||
16 | training, educational opportunities, and community service | ||||||
17 | should be included in the State's evidence-based effort to | ||||||
18 | reduce the recidivism rate, decrease the prison population, and | ||||||
19 | increase public safety; therefore, be it
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20 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
21 | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE |
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1 | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created the Task Force | ||||||
2 | on Work Camp Rehabilitation, consisting of the following | ||||||
3 | members:
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4 | (1) the Governor or his or her designee; | ||||||
5 | (2) the Director of Corrections or his or her designee; | ||||||
6 | (3) one member of the Illinois House of Representatives | ||||||
7 | chosen by the Speaker of the Illinois House of | ||||||
8 | Representatives; | ||||||
9 | (4) one member of the Illinois House of Representatives | ||||||
10 | chosen by the Minority Leader of the Illinois House of | ||||||
11 | Representatives; | ||||||
12 | (5) one member of the Illinois Senate chosen by the | ||||||
13 | President of the Illinois Senate; | ||||||
14 | (6) one member of the Illinois Senate chosen by the | ||||||
15 | Minority Leader of the Illinois Senate; | ||||||
16 | (7) the Chair of the Illinois Sentencing Policy | ||||||
17 | Advisory Council or his or her designee; | ||||||
18 | (8) one member of an association conducting | ||||||
19 | independent oversight of the State's adult and juvenile | ||||||
20 | correctional facilities chosen by the Governor; | ||||||
21 | (9) the Director of the Administrative Office of the | ||||||
22 | Illinois Courts or his or her designee; | ||||||
23 | (10) one member of a not-for-profit foundation that | ||||||
24 | uses evidence-based programs to assist clients with | ||||||
25 | criminal records to achieve employment, successfully | ||||||
26 | re-enter society, and reduce recidivism chosen by the |
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1 | Governor; and | ||||||
2 | (11) the Director of the Illinois Criminal Justice | ||||||
3 | Information Authority or his or her designee; and be it | ||||||
4 | further | ||||||
5 | RESOLVED, That all appointments shall be made no later than | ||||||
6 | 45 days following the adoption of this resolution; the Task | ||||||
7 | Force shall hold its first meeting no later than 90 days | ||||||
8 | following the adoption of this resolution and shall at that | ||||||
9 | time elect a chair from among the members; and be it further | ||||||
10 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall study and determine the | ||||||
11 | effectiveness of Work Camps; and be it further | ||||||
12 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall conduct an | ||||||
13 | evidence-based analysis of the State's current Work Camps and a | ||||||
14 | comparative analysis between Work Camps and other forms of | ||||||
15 | incarceration and rehabilitation; and be it further | ||||||
16 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall study and determine the | ||||||
17 | extent to which the educational, job training, and community | ||||||
18 | service options of Work Camps and other transitional programs | ||||||
19 | would be beneficial to the State's effort to reduce recidivism, | ||||||
20 | decrease the prison population, and improve public safety; and | ||||||
21 | be it further |
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1 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force may utilize evidence-based | ||||||
2 | analysis of other rehabilitative services, including, but not | ||||||
3 | limited to, mental health services, addiction recovery | ||||||
4 | services, work-release programs, adult transition centers, | ||||||
5 | Illinois correctional industries, vocational programs, and | ||||||
6 | educational programs; and be it further | ||||||
7 | RESOLVED, That the members of the Task Force shall serve | ||||||
8 | without compensation; and be it further | ||||||
9 | RESOLVED, That the Illinois Criminal Justice Information | ||||||
10 | Authority shall provide administrative and other support to the | ||||||
11 | Task Force; and be it further | ||||||
12 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall report its findings and | ||||||
13 | any recommendations to the Governor, the General Assembly, and | ||||||
14 | the Director of Corrections on or before December 31, 2016; and | ||||||
15 | be it further | ||||||
16 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
17 | delivered to the Speaker and Minority Leader of the Illinois | ||||||
18 | House of Representatives, the President and Minority Leader of | ||||||
19 | the Illinois Senate, the Governor, and the Director of | ||||||
20 | Corrections.
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