HR0391 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0391 LRB095 12080 KXB 35900 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The adult female population in prisons in the State of Illinois was 2,806 in 2004, a 154 percent increase over the past ten years; and

WHEREAS, Of this population, less than 30 percent of these female prisoners were incarcerated for committing violent crimes; and

WHEREAS, Cook County Jail currently houses over 1,300 women on any given day and, of this population, approximately 90 percent are charged with non-violent crimes; and

WHEREAS, In prisons in the State of Illinois, 82 percent of women are mothers and almost 50 percent have children under five years of age; and

WHEREAS, Each year at least 25,000 children in the State of Illinois are impacted by maternal incarceration; and

WHEREAS, In the State of Illinois, at least 60,000 minor children will have their mothers spend time in a State prison while they are children; and

WHEREAS, An estimated 80 percent of all incarcerated women in the State of Illinois suffer from substance abuse problems; the State of Illinois can place fewer than 20 percent of all incarcerated women into its substance abuse programs; and

WHEREAS, It is a known fact that drug addiction causes crime, destroys the family structure, creates havoc in neighborhoods, and leaves paths of destruction in its wake; individuals convicted of crimes who have not received meaningful treatment while incarcerated continue to commit crimes; and

WHEREAS, In the United States, by mid-year of 2003, the number of adult female inmates rose 6.3 percent over the previous year; and

WHEREAS, Community-based alternatives to incarceration for women convicted of non-violent offenses would allow children to stay with their mothers while their mothers receive appropriate treatment; with the appropriate treatment, the mothers would be less likely to commit additional offenses and would be able to re-enter society as tax-paying citizens; in addition, their children would be less likely to become the next generation of incarcerated individuals; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize May 11, 2007, as Mothers in Prison, Children in Crisis Day in the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers (CLAIM).