SB2231 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB098 08864 RLC 38994 b

98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
SB2231

Introduced 2/15/2013, by Sen. Kwame Raoul

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

720 ILCS 5/21-1	from Ch. 38, par. 21-1
720 ILCS 5/21-1.3

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides for enhanced penalties for criminal damage to property and criminal defacement of property if the property damaged or defaced are individual graves, gravestones, or markers or property which memorializes or honors a person or group, including police officers, fire fighters, veterans, or historic figures.

CORRECTIONAL BUDGET AND IMPACT NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning criminal law.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Criminal Code of 2012 is amended by changing Sections 21-1 and 21-1.3 as follows:

(720 ILCS 5/21-1) (from Ch. 38, par. 21-1)

Sec. 21-1. Criminal damage to property.

(a) A person commits criminal damage to property when he or she:

(1) knowingly damages any property of another;

(2) recklessly by means of fire or explosive damages property of another;

(3) knowingly starts a fire on the land of another;

(4) knowingly injures a domestic animal of another without his or her consent;

(5) knowingly deposits on the land or in the building of another any stink bomb or any offensive smelling compound and thereby intends to interfere with the use by another of the land or building;

(6) knowingly damages any property, other than as described in paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of Section 20-1, with intent to defraud an insurer;

(7) knowingly shoots a firearm at any portion of a railroad train;

(8) knowingly, without proper authorization, cuts, injures, damages, defaces, destroys, or tampers with any fire hydrant or any public or private fire fighting equipment, or any apparatus appertaining to fire fighting equipment; or

(9) intentionally, without proper authorization, opens any fire hydrant.

(b) When the charge of criminal damage to property exceeding a specified value is brought, the extent of the damage is an element of the offense to be resolved by the trier of fact as either exceeding or not exceeding the specified value.

(c) It is an affirmative defense to a violation of paragraph (1), (3), or (5) of subsection (a) of this Section that the owner of the property or land damaged consented to the damage.

(d) Sentence.

(1) A violation of subsection (a) shall have the following penalties:

(A) A violation of paragraph (8) or (9) is a Class B misdemeanor.

(B) A violation of paragraph (1), (2), (3), (5), or (6) is a Class A misdemeanor when the damage to property does not exceed $300.

(C) A violation of paragraph (1), (2), (3), (5), or (6) is a Class 4 felony when the damage to property does not exceed $300 and the damage occurs to property of a school or place of worship or to farm equipment or immovable items of agricultural production, including but not limited to grain elevators, grain bins, and barns or individual graves, gravestones, or markers or property which memorializes or honors a person or group, including police officers, fire fighters, veterans, or historic figures.

(D) A violation of paragraph (4) is a Class 4 felony when the damage to property does not exceed $10,000.

(E) A violation of paragraph (7) is a Class 4 felony.

(F) A violation of paragraph (1), (2), (3), (5) or (6) is a Class 4 felony when the damage to property exceeds $300 but does not exceed $10,000.

(G) A violation of paragraphs (1) through (6) is a Class 3 felony when the damage to property exceeds $300 but does not exceed $10,000 and the damage occurs to property of a school or place of worship or to farm equipment or immovable items of agricultural production, including but not limited to grain elevators, grain bins, and barns or individual graves, gravestones, or markers or property which memorializes or honors a person or group, including police officers, fire fighters, veterans, or historic figures.

(H) A violation of paragraphs (1) through (6) is a Class 3 felony when the damage to property exceeds $10,000 but does not exceed $100,000.

(I) A violation of paragraphs (1) through (6) is a Class 2 felony when the damage to property exceeds $10,000 but does not exceed $100,000 and the damage occurs to property of a school or place of worship or to farm equipment or immovable items of agricultural production, including but not limited to grain elevators, grain bins, and barns or individual graves, gravestones, or markers or property which memorializes or honors a person or group, including police officers, fire fighters, veterans, or historic figures.

(J) A violation of paragraphs (1) through (6) is a Class 2 felony when the damage to property exceeds $100,000. A violation of paragraphs (1) through (6) is a Class 1 felony when the damage to property exceeds $100,000 and the damage occurs to property of a school or place of worship or to farm equipment or immovable items of agricultural production, including but not limited to grain elevators, grain bins, and barns or individual graves, gravestones, or markers or property which memorializes or honors a person or group, including police officers, fire fighters, veterans, or historic figures.

(2) When the damage to property exceeds $10,000, the court shall impose upon the offender a fine equal to the value of the damages to the property.

(3) In addition to any other sentence that may be imposed, a court shall order any person convicted of criminal damage to property to perform community service for not less than 30 and not more than 120 hours, if community service is available in the jurisdiction and is funded and approved by the county board of the county where the offense was committed. In addition, whenever any person is placed on supervision for an alleged offense under this Section, the supervision shall be conditioned upon the performance of the community service.

The community service requirement does not apply when the court imposes a sentence of incarceration.

(4) In addition to any criminal penalties imposed for a violation of this Section, if a person is convicted of or placed on supervision for knowingly damaging or destroying crops of another, including crops intended for personal, commercial, research, or developmental purposes, the person is liable in a civil action to the owner of any crops damaged or destroyed for money damages up to twice the market value of the crops damaged or destroyed.

(5) For the purposes of this subsection (d), "farm equipment" means machinery or other equipment used in farming.

(Source: P.A. 96-529, eff. 8-14-09; 97-1108, eff. 1-1-13.)

(720 ILCS 5/21-1.3)

Sec. 21-1.3. Criminal defacement of property.

(a) A person commits criminal defacement of property when the person knowingly damages the property of another by defacing, deforming, or otherwise damaging the property by the use of paint or any other similar substance, or by the use of a writing instrument, etching tool, or any other similar device. It is an affirmative defense to a violation of this Section that the owner of the property damaged consented to such damage.

(b) Sentence.

(1) Criminal defacement of property is a Class A misdemeanor for a first offense when the aggregate value of the damage to the property does not exceed $300. Criminal defacement of property is a Class 4 felony when the aggregate value of the damage to property does not exceed $300 and the property damaged is a school building or place of worship or individual graves, gravestones, or markers or property which memorializes or honors a person or group, including police officers, fire fighters, veterans, or historic figures. Criminal defacement of property is a Class 4 felony for a second or subsequent conviction or when the aggregate value of the damage to the property exceeds $300. Criminal defacement of property is a Class 3 felony when the aggregate value of the damage to property exceeds $300 and the property damaged is a school building or place of worship or individual graves, gravestones, or markers or property which memorializes or honors a person or group, including police officers, fire fighters, veterans, or historic figures.

(2) In addition to any other sentence that may be imposed for a violation of this Section that is chargeable as a Class 3 or Class 4 felony, a person convicted of criminal defacement of property shall be subject to a mandatory minimum fine of $500 plus the actual costs incurred by the property owner or the unit of government to abate, remediate, repair, or remove the effect of the damage to the property. To the extent permitted by law, reimbursement for the costs of abatement, remediation, repair, or removal shall be payable to the person who incurred the costs.

(3) In addition to any other sentence that may be imposed, a court shall order any person convicted of criminal defacement of property to perform community service for not less than 30 and not more than 120 hours, if community service is available in the jurisdiction. The community service shall include, but need not be limited to, the cleanup and repair of the damage to property that was caused by the offense, or similar damage to property located in the municipality or county in which the offense occurred. When the property damaged is a school building, the community service may include cleanup, removal, or painting over the defacement. In addition, whenever any person is placed on supervision for an alleged offense under this Section, the supervision shall be conditioned upon the performance of the community service.

(4) For the purposes of this subsection (b), aggregate value shall be determined by adding the value of the damage to one or more properties if the offenses were committed as part of a single course of conduct.

(Source: P.A. 96-499, eff. 8-14-09; 97-1108, eff. 1-1-13.)