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.


LRB096 03470 RLC 13494 b

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB0554 LRB096 03470 RLC 13494 b

1     AN ACT concerning juvenile justice.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Gang
5 and Youth Violence Policy Act.
 
6     Section 5. Intent. It is the intent of the General Assembly
7 to do all of the following:
8     (1) Address the conditions in neighborhoods and the unmet
9 needs of children that allow gangs to take root, thrive, and
10 expand.
11     (2) Stop focusing on isolated incidents and instead
12 confront the size and scope of the problems surrounding violent
13 behavior and gang activity, and to do so with a strong,
14 committed, and sustained political mandate to eradicate the
15 root causes and conditions that trigger street gang activity
16 and support entrenched neighborhood violence.
17     (3) Commit to sustained and balanced prevention,
18 intervention, and suppression strategies.
19     (4) Offer programs and expand services to adult gang
20 members and parolees that provide a way out of gangs and afford
21 former gang members a chance for a different life.
 
22     Section 10. Office of Gang and Youth Violence Policy.

 

 

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1     (a) The Office of Gang and Youth Violence Policy (the
2 "Office") is created within the Department of Juvenile Justice
3 (the "Department").
4     (b) The Office is responsible for identifying and
5 evaluating State, local, and federal gang and youth violence
6 suppression, intervention, and prevention programs and
7 strategies, along with funding for those efforts. The Director
8 of Juvenile Justice (the "Director") is responsible for
9 monitoring, assessing, and coordinating the State's programs,
10 strategies, and funding that address gang and youth violence in
11 a manner that maximizes the effectiveness and coordination of
12 those programs, strategies, and resources. The Director shall
13 communicate with local agencies and programs in an effort to
14 promote the best practices for addressing gang and youth
15 violence through suppression, intervention, and prevention.
16     (c) The Office shall develop a comprehensive set of
17 recommendations to define its mission, role, and
18 responsibilities as a statewide entity dedicated to reducing
19 violence and the proliferation of gangs and gang violence in
20 Illinois communities.
21     (d) In developing this set of recommendations, the Office
22 shall collaborate with a wide range of State and local
23 stakeholders, including, but not limited to, community-based
24 organizations serving at-risk populations and neighborhoods,
25 law enforcement, educators, the courts, policy experts and
26 scholars with expertise in the area of criminal street gangs,

 

 

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1 and local policymakers.
2     (e) The Office, in collaboration with the stakeholders,
3 shall include in its deliberations the most effective role for
4 the Office with respect to the following:
5         (1) The collection and analysis of data on gang
6     membership statewide and the effectiveness of various gang
7     prevention efforts.
8         (2) The development of reliable and accurate sources of
9     data to measure the scale and characteristics of Illinois'
10     gang problems.
11         (3) The development of a clearinghouse for research on
12     gangs, at-risk youth, and prevention and intervention
13     programs in order to identify best practices and
14     evidence-based programming, as well as unsuccessful
15     practices, and in order to promote effective strategies for
16     reducing gang involvement and gang violence.
17         (4) Assisting State and local governmental and
18     nongovernmental entities in developing violence and gang
19     prevention strategies, including built-in evaluation
20     components.
21         (5) The development of sustained coordination
22     mechanisms among State, local, and regional entities.
23         (6) The identification of available or needed federal,
24     State, regional, local, and private funding resources.
25         (7) Providing or otherwise promoting public education
26     on effective programs, models, and strategies for the

 

 

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1     control of violence and serving as a clearinghouse for
2     information on gang violence prevention issues, programs,
3     resources, and research.
4         (8) Providing or otherwise promoting training and
5     technical assistance to help build the capacity of
6     organizations, communities, and local government to
7     develop, implement, and evaluate gang violence prevention
8     programs.
9         (9) Providing information and guidance to State and
10     local governmental and nongovernmental entities on
11     accessing State and federal resources to prevent gang
12     violence.
13         (10) Facilitating greater integration between existing
14     entities with respect to gang prevention efforts.
 
15     Section 15. The following offices are created within the
16 Department of Juvenile Justice:
17     (1) Director of the Office of Gang and Youth Violence
18 Policy.
19     (2) Chief Deputy Director of Gang and Youth Violence
20 Policy.
 
21     Section 20. Internet website. The Office shall establish an
22 Internet website that provides Internet hyperlinks to
23 information concerning the various grants related to
24 preventing gang violence that are administered by the

 

 

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1 Department, the Office, or other State agencies and information
2 concerning technical assistance on the process of applying for
3 grants.
 
4     Section 25. Report.
5     (a) On or before March 1, 2010, the Office shall submit to
6 the General Assembly and the Governor a report of its
7 recommendations developed under Section 10.
8     (b) The report shall include, but not be limited to, the
9 following:
10         (1) A thorough description of the process employed by
11     the Office to develop the recommendations, including, but
12     not limited to, meetings and hearings, use of ad hoc
13     committees or working groups, and any other methods used
14     for receiving public and expert input and facilitating
15     deliberations.
16         (2) A list of the stakeholders involved in the
17     development of the recommendations.
18         (3) The set of recommendations developed by the Office
19     to define its mission, role, and responsibilities as a
20     statewide entity dedicated to reducing violence and the
21     proliferation of gangs and gang violence in Illinois
22     communities.
23         (4) Any additional information, data, and
24     recommendations that may further inform the General
25     Assembly and the Governor on making the operation of the

 

 

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1     Office a successful endeavor.
 
2     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
3 becoming law.