Full Text of HR0498 99th General Assembly
HR0498 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Illinois citizens who have been convicted of Class | 3 | | X felonies and other felony offenses
are unfairly denied | 4 | | opportunities to obtain jobs even after complying with all | 5 | | sentencing and
post-sentencing requirements; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, African-American men are disproportionately | 7 | | affected by policies because too many of
them are disqualified | 8 | | from job opportunities and other opportunities; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Under the current system, being a formerly | 10 | | incarcerated person essentially amounts to a
life sentence of | 11 | | being a second class citizen;
and | 12 | | WHEREAS, Formerly incarcerated citizens depend on the | 13 | | benevolence of school administrators,
employers, landlords, | 14 | | and more individuals in order to properly participate in | 15 | | society; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, There is no current means to rid oneself of the | 17 | | stigma associated with being an ex-felon; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Formerly incarcerated citizens should be | 19 | | empowered to determine their own destinies; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Formerly incarcerated citizens should be given | 2 | | the same opportunities as other Illinois
Citizens to choose | 3 | | where they live, work, and attend school; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Formerly incarcerated citizens should be provided | 5 | | with the incentive to conform their
behavior to society's | 6 | | standard, which will increase public safety; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, A person should not have to continue to pay for | 8 | | something he or she may have done
years ago after complying | 9 | | with all sentencing requirements;
and | 10 | | WHEREAS, Having job opportunities and having one's record | 11 | | sealed will reduce recidivism; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, Innocent individuals are also hurt by current | 13 | | policies because sometimes the
innocent get convicted or plead | 14 | | guilty to felonies; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Discriminatory policies created by | 16 | | administrators, employers, and legislators amount to
| 17 | | post-incarceration sentencing equating to double jeopardy; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, If a person is no longer incarcerated, he or she | 19 | | is not serving a de jure life sentence,
so it is immoral to be | 20 | | serving a de facto life sentence (void of sufficient job |
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| 1 | | opportunities); and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The lack of sufficient criminal sealing | 3 | | protections entails the creation of a permanently
dependent | 4 | | class of individuals; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Many of those individuals cannot earn a living and | 6 | | are forced to prey upon those who do or to earn a living by | 7 | | obtaining entitlements or sponging off law-abiding citizens; | 8 | | therefore, be it
| 9 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 10 | | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 11 | | urge the Governor's Commission on Criminal Justice and | 12 | | Sentencing Reform
(Executive Order 15-14) to study issues and | 13 | | permit, to the extent that such a determination is
appropriate, | 14 | | the mentioned members of the vulnerable population to have a | 15 | | chance to relieve
themselves of the stigma of being convicted | 16 | | felons and to have a chance to obtain jobs by having
their | 17 | | records sealed (and through any other means) so long as they | 18 | | comply with the following
steps: | 19 | | 1) Complete parole/probation; | 20 | | 2) Complete any required drug treatment program, anger | 21 | | management program,
psychological testing, and anything |
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| 1 | | else required; | 2 | | 3) Obtain a G.E.D., high school diploma, or something | 3 | | equivalent to the mentioned; | 4 | | 4) Employed, actively seeking employment, enrolled in | 5 | | vocational training, or enrolled
in a college program; | 6 | | 5) Does not have any felony conviction for a period of time | 7 | | commensurate with the
severity of their convictions (e.g., | 8 | | for 1, 3, 5, or 7 years, etc.) | 9 | | 6) So long as a formerly incarcerated Illinois citizen | 10 | | successfully complies with the
above steps, unless he or | 11 | | she is a registered sex offender, then his or her record | 12 | | must
forever be sealed unless he or she commits another | 13 | | felony; and | 14 | | 7) A person who is a registered sex offender must have his | 15 | | or her situation reviewed by
a review board to determine | 16 | | whether the person may have his or her record sealed; and | 17 | | be it further
| 18 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 19 | | presented to the Governor's Commission on Criminal Justice and | 20 | | Sentencing Reform.
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