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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Children as young as nine years old fall prey to
3 gangs, drug use, and violent crime every day and ruin their
4 chances of being successful in the future; and
 
5     WHEREAS, 30% of children arrested for violent crimes are
6 repeat offenders who pose a constant drain of resources on the
7 State of Illinois; and
 
8     WHEREAS, A majority of juvenile crime arrests occur on the
9 south and west sides of the City of Chicago, areas which are
10 primarily occupied by minorities living below poverty level;
11 and
 
12     WHEREAS, Despite community efforts and an increased police
13 presence there have been no statistical changes in the rate of
14 juvenile crime arrests in the City of Chicago; and
 
15     WHEREAS, The most recent statistics, which are over ten
16 years old, find that the average cost of holding a teenager in
17 a juvenile facility was $33,000 a year; and
 
18     WHEREAS, All current juvenile justice programs focus on
19 post-incarceration efforts to rehabilitate and early-childhood
20 efforts to keep children away from drugs and gangs; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, No juvenile justice programs currently available
2 in the State of Illinois teach children the practical aspects
3 of criminal law; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Statistics show that early prevention programs
5 are most effective to prevent juveniles from committing violent
6 crimes in the future; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Chicago TAP, in collaboration with the Chicago Bar
8 Association, identified juvenile crime prevention as a top
9 priority to reduce juvenile crime and prevent overall crime;
10 therefore, be it
 
11     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL
12 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we support programs to
13 prevent violent crime among Illinois juveniles and teach
14 juveniles about criminal law and the criminal court system in
15 order to educate them about the ramifications of making wrong
16 choices, and we urge Governor Rod Blagojevich to support such
17 programs; and be it further
 
18     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19 delivered to Governor Rod Blagojevich.