102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB1821

 

Introduced 2/17/2021, by Rep. Rita Mayfield

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-115

    Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that a person under 21 years of age at the time of the commission of the offense of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child is eligible (rather than not eligible) for parole review by the Prisoner Review Board after serving 20 years or more of his or her sentence or sentences. Provides that a person who was under the age of 21 and is serving a sentence for first degree murder or a term of natural life imprisonment shall be eligible for parole review by the Prisoner Review Board after serving 40 years or more of his or her sentence or sentences.


LRB102 10449 RLC 15777 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB1821LRB102 10449 RLC 15777 b

1    AN ACT concerning criminal law.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Unified Code of Corrections is amended by
5changing Section 5-4.5-115 as follows:
 
6    (730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-115)
7    Sec. 5-4.5-115. Parole review of persons under the age of
821 at the time of the commission of an offense.
9    (a) For purposes of this Section, "victim" means a victim
10of a violent crime as defined in subsection (a) of Section 3 of
11the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act including a
12witness as defined in subsection (b) of Section 3 of the Rights
13of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act; any person legally related
14to the victim by blood, marriage, adoption, or guardianship;
15any friend of the victim; or any concerned citizen.
16    (b) A person under 21 years of age at the time of the
17commission of an offense or offenses, other than first degree
18murder, and who is not serving a sentence for first degree
19murder and who is sentenced on or after June 1, 2019 (the
20effective date of Public Act 100-1182) shall be eligible for
21parole review by the Prisoner Review Board after serving 10
22years or more of his or her sentence or sentences, except for
23those serving a sentence or sentences for: (1) aggravated

 

 

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1criminal sexual assault or predatory criminal sexual assault
2of a child, who shall be eligible for parole review by the
3Prisoner Review Board after serving 20 years or more of his or
4her sentence or sentences or (2) predatory criminal sexual
5assault of a child who shall not be eligible for parole review
6by the Prisoner Review Board under this Section. A person
7under 21 years of age at the time of the commission of first
8degree murder who is sentenced on or after June 1, 2019 (the
9effective date of Public Act 100-1182) shall be eligible for
10parole review by the Prisoner Review Board after serving 20
11years or more of his or her sentence or sentences, except for
12those subject to a term of natural life imprisonment under
13Section 5-8-1 of this Code or any person subject to sentencing
14under subsection (c) of Section 5-4.5-105 of this Code, who
15shall be eligible for parole review by the Prisoner Review
16Board after serving 40 years or more of his or her sentence or
17sentences.
18    (c) Three years prior to becoming eligible for parole
19review, the eligible person may file his or her petition for
20parole review with the Prisoner Review Board. The petition
21shall include a copy of the order of commitment and sentence to
22the Department of Corrections for the offense or offenses for
23which review is sought. Within 30 days of receipt of this
24petition, the Prisoner Review Board shall determine whether
25the petition is appropriately filed, and if so, shall set a
26date for parole review 3 years from receipt of the petition and

 

 

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1notify the Department of Corrections within 10 business days.
2If the Prisoner Review Board determines that the petition is
3not appropriately filed, it shall notify the petitioner in
4writing, including a basis for its determination.
5    (d) Within 6 months of the Prisoner Review Board's
6determination that the petition was appropriately filed, a
7representative from the Department of Corrections shall meet
8with the eligible person and provide the inmate information
9about the parole hearing process and personalized
10recommendations for the inmate regarding his or her work
11assignments, rehabilitative programs, and institutional
12behavior. Following this meeting, the eligible person has 7
13calendar days to file a written request to the representative
14from the Department of Corrections who met with the eligible
15person of any additional programs and services which the
16eligible person believes should be made available to prepare
17the eligible person for return to the community.
18    (e) One year prior to the person being eligible for
19parole, counsel shall be appointed by the Prisoner Review
20Board upon a finding of indigency. The eligible person may
21waive appointed counsel or retain his or her own counsel at his
22or her own expense.
23    (f) Nine months prior to the hearing, the Prisoner Review
24Board shall provide the eligible person, and his or her
25counsel, any written documents or materials it will be
26considering in making its decision unless the written

 

 

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1documents or materials are specifically found to: (1) include
2information which, if disclosed, would damage the therapeutic
3relationship between the inmate and a mental health
4professional; (2) subject any person to the actual risk of
5physical harm; (3) threaten the safety or security of the
6Department or an institution. In accordance with Section
74.5(d)(4) of the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act and
8Section 10 of the Open Parole Hearings Act, victim statements
9provided to the Board shall be confidential and privileged,
10including any statements received prior to the effective date
11of this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, except
12if the statement was an oral statement made by the victim at a
13hearing open to the public. Victim statements shall not be
14considered public documents under the provisions of the
15Freedom of Information Act. The inmate or his or her attorney
16shall not be given a copy of the statement, but shall be
17informed of the existence of a victim statement and the
18position taken by the victim on the inmate's request for
19parole. This shall not be construed to permit disclosure to an
20inmate of any information which might result in the risk of
21threats or physical harm to a victim. The Prisoner Review
22Board shall have an ongoing duty to provide the eligible
23person, and his or her counsel, with any further documents or
24materials that come into its possession prior to the hearing
25subject to the limitations contained in this subsection.
26    (g) Not less than 12 months prior to the hearing, the

 

 

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1Prisoner Review Board shall provide notification to the
2State's Attorney of the county from which the person was
3committed and written notification to the victim or family of
4the victim of the scheduled hearing place, date, and
5approximate time. The written notification shall contain: (1)
6information about their right to be present, appear in person
7at the parole hearing, and their right to make an oral
8statement and submit information in writing, by videotape,
9tape recording, or other electronic means; (2) a toll-free
10number to call for further information about the parole review
11process; and (3) information regarding available resources,
12including trauma-informed therapy, they may access. If the
13Board does not have knowledge of the current address of the
14victim or family of the victim, it shall notify the State's
15Attorney of the county of commitment and request assistance in
16locating the victim or family of the victim. Those victims or
17family of the victims who advise the Board in writing that they
18no longer wish to be notified shall not receive future
19notices. A victim shall have the right to submit information
20by videotape, tape recording, or other electronic means. The
21victim may submit this material prior to or at the parole
22hearing. The victim also has the right to be heard at the
23parole hearing.
24    (h) The hearing conducted by the Prisoner Review Board
25shall be governed by Sections 15 and 20, subsection (f) of
26Section 5, subsections (a), (a-5), (b), (b-5), and (c) of

 

 

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1Section 10, and subsection (d) of Section 25 of the Open Parole
2Hearings Act and Part 1610 of Title 20 of the Illinois
3Administrative Code. The eligible person has a right to be
4present at the Prisoner Review Board hearing, unless the
5Prisoner Review Board determines the eligible person's
6presence is unduly burdensome when conducting a hearing under
7paragraph (6.6) of subsection (a) of Section 3-3-2 of this
8Code. If a psychological evaluation is submitted for the
9Prisoner Review Board's consideration, it shall be prepared by
10a person who has expertise in adolescent brain development and
11behavior, and shall take into consideration the diminished
12culpability of youthful offenders, the hallmark features of
13youth, and any subsequent growth and increased maturity of the
14person. At the hearing, the eligible person shall have the
15right to make a statement on his or her own behalf.
16    (i) Only upon motion for good cause shall the date for the
17Prisoner Review Board hearing, as set by subsection (b) of
18this Section, be changed. No less than 15 days prior to the
19hearing, the Prisoner Review Board shall notify the victim or
20victim representative, the attorney, and the eligible person
21of the exact date and time of the hearing. All hearings shall
22be open to the public.
23    (j) The Prisoner Review Board shall not parole the
24eligible person if it determines that:
25        (1) there is a substantial risk that the eligible
26    person will not conform to reasonable conditions of parole

 

 

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1    or aftercare release; or
2        (2) the eligible person's release at that time would
3    deprecate the seriousness of his or her offense or promote
4    disrespect for the law; or
5        (3) the eligible person's release would have a
6    substantially adverse effect on institutional discipline.
7    In considering the factors affecting the release
8determination under 20 Ill. Adm. Code 1610.50(b), the Prisoner
9Review Board panel shall consider the diminished culpability
10of youthful offenders, the hallmark features of youth, and any
11subsequent growth and maturity of the youthful offender during
12incarceration.
13    (k) Unless denied parole under subsection (j) of this
14Section and subject to the provisions of Section 3-3-9 of this
15Code: (1) the eligible person serving a sentence for any
16non-first degree murder offense or offenses, shall be released
17on parole which shall operate to discharge any remaining term
18of years sentence imposed upon him or her, notwithstanding any
19required mandatory supervised release period the eligible
20person is required to serve; and (2) the eligible person
21serving a sentence for any first degree murder offense, shall
22be released on mandatory supervised release for a period of 10
23years subject to Section 3-3-8, which shall operate to
24discharge any remaining term of years sentence imposed upon
25him or her, however in no event shall the eligible person serve
26a period of mandatory supervised release greater than the

 

 

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1aggregate of the discharged underlying sentence and the
2mandatory supervised release period as sent forth in Section
35-4.5-20.
4    (l) If the Prisoner Review Board denies parole after
5conducting the hearing under subsection (j) of this Section,
6it shall issue a written decision which states the rationale
7for denial, including the primary factors considered. This
8decision shall be provided to the eligible person and his or
9her counsel within 30 days.
10    (m) A person denied parole under subsection (j) of this
11Section, who is not serving a sentence for either first degree
12murder, or aggravated criminal sexual assault, or predatory
13criminal sexual assault of a child, shall be eligible for a
14second parole review by the Prisoner Review Board 5 years
15after the written decision under subsection (l) of this
16Section; a person denied parole under subsection (j) of this
17Section, who is serving a sentence or sentences for first
18degree murder, or aggravated criminal sexual assault, or
19predatory criminal sexual assault of a child shall be eligible
20for a second and final parole review by the Prisoner Review
21Board 10 years after the written decision under subsection (k)
22of this Section. The procedures for a second parole review
23shall be governed by subsections (c) through (k) of this
24Section.
25    (n) A person denied parole under subsection (m) of this
26Section, who is not serving a sentence for either first degree

 

 

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1murder, or aggravated criminal sexual assault, or predatory
2criminal sexual assault of a child, shall be eligible for a
3third and final parole review by the Prisoner Review Board 5
4years after the written decision under subsection (l) of this
5Section. The procedures for the third and final parole review
6shall be governed by subsections (c) through (k) of this
7Section.
8    (o) Notwithstanding anything else to the contrary in this
9Section, nothing in this Section shall be construed to delay
10parole or mandatory supervised release consideration for
11petitioners who are or will be eligible for release earlier
12than this Section provides. Nothing in this Section shall be
13construed as a limit, substitution, or bar on a person's right
14to sentencing relief, or any other manner of relief, obtained
15by order of a court in proceedings other than as provided in
16this Section.
17(Source: P.A. 100-1182, eff. 6-1-19; 101-288, eff. 1-1-20.)