SR0477 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0477 LRB099 12215 MST 35066 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Illinois has a proud legacy as the home of the world's first juvenile court; and

WHEREAS, Illinois has another proud legacy from its first peoples -the practice of restorative justice; in the First Nation justice systems, healing and reintegration of individuals is the primary goal, rather than reliance on prisons and punishment; and

WHEREAS, The principle of restorative justice was included within the Purpose and Policy Section of Article 5 of the Illinois Juvenile Court Act in 1999; and

WHEREAS, To date, there have been multiple pilots throughout the State of restorative justice practices in the juvenile justice system, both as diversion from court and as sentencing alternatives, however there is no uniform statewide practice of restorative justice in the juvenile justice system; and

WHEREAS, As prison costs prove increasingly burdensome for taxpayers, and as studies reveal high repeat offending rates by prisoners who have little education or vocational skills upon release, states are increasingly examining restorative justice practices as effective diversion and sentencing alternatives; Northern Ireland, Finland, New Zealand, and other jurisdictions have successfully revamped their juvenile justice systems through the system-wide implementation of restorative justice practices and these nations serve as models of system reform through restorative justice practices; and

WHEREAS, Restorative justice practices in other nations have been implemented along with full due process and human rights protections for children in conflict with the law, including respect for confidentiality and use of dispositions that represent the least restrictive alternative; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission, working in partnership with the Illinois Balanced and Restorative Justice Project and the Illinois Juvenile Justice Initiative, community groups, and schools, review the current practice of restorative justice in juvenile justice systems in the State of Illinois and review restorative justice practices in juvenile justice systems in other states and cultures and nations, and report back to the Illinois General Assembly with recommendations to expand the practice of restorative justice in the juvenile justice system in Illinois with the goal of restoring public safety through restoration of the child in conflict with the law, within a system that incorporates the full range of due process and human rights protections, maximizing community based responses and utilizing incarceration only as a last resort for as short a time as possible; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission.