730 ILCS 5/5-8-8

(730 ILCS 5/5-8-8)

Sec. 5-8-8. Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council.

(a) Creation. There is created under the jurisdiction of the Governor the Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council, hereinafter referred to as the Council.

(b) Purposes and goals. The purpose of the Council is to review sentencing policies and practices and examine how these policies and practices impact the criminal justice system as a whole in the State of Illinois. In carrying out its duties, the Council shall be mindful of and aim to achieve the purposes of sentencing in Illinois, which are set out in Section 1-1-2 of this Code:

(1) prescribe sanctions proportionate to the seriousness of the offenses and permit the recognition of differences in rehabilitation possibilities among individual offenders;

(2) forbid and prevent the commission of offenses;

(3) prevent arbitrary or oppressive treatment of persons adjudicated offenders or delinquents; and

(4) restore offenders to useful citizenship.

(c) Council composition.

(1) The Council shall consist of the following members:

(A) the President of the Senate, or his or her designee;

(B) the Minority Leader of the Senate, or his or her designee;

(C) the Speaker of the House, or his or her designee;

(D) the Minority Leader of the House, or his or her designee;

(E) the Governor, or his or her designee;

(F) the Attorney General, or his or her designee;

(G) two retired judges, who may have been circuit, appellate, or supreme court judges; retired judges shall be selected by the members of the Council designated in clauses (c)(1)(A) through (L);

(G-5) (blank);

(H) the Cook County State's Attorney, or his or her designee;

(I) the Cook County Public Defender, or his or her designee;

(J) a State's Attorney not from Cook County, appointed by the State's Attorney's Appellate Prosecutor;

(K) the State Appellate Defender, or his or her designee;

(L) the Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, or his or her designee;

(M) a victim of a violent felony or a representative of a crime victims' organization, selected by the members of the Council designated in clauses (c)(1)(A) through (L);

(N) a representative of a community-based organization, selected by the members of the Council designated in clauses (c)(1)(A) through (L);

(O) a criminal justice academic researcher, to be selected by the members of the Council designated in clauses (c)(1)(A) through (L);

(P) a representative of law enforcement from a unit of local government to be selected by the members of the Council designated in clauses (c)(1)(A) through (L);

(Q) a sheriff outside of Cook County selected by the members of the Council designated in clauses (c)(1)(A) through (L); and

(R) ex-officio members shall include:

(i) the Director of Corrections, or his or her designee;

(ii) the Chair of the Prisoner Review Board, or his or her designee;

(iii) the Director of the Illinois State Police, or his or her designee;

(iv) the Director of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, or his or her designee; and

(v) the Cook County Sheriff, or his or her designee.

(1.5) The Chair and Vice Chair shall be elected from among its members by a majority of the members of the Council.

(2) Members of the Council who serve because of their public office or position, or those who are designated as members by such officials, shall serve only as long as they hold such office or position.

(3) Council members shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for travel and per diem expenses incurred in their work for the Council.

(4) The Council may exercise any power, perform any function, take any action, or do anything in furtherance of its purposes and goals upon the appointment of a quorum of its members. The term of office of each member of the Council ends on the date of repeal of this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly.

(5) The Council shall determine the qualifications for and hire the Executive Director.

(d) Duties. The Council shall perform, as resources permit, duties including:

(1) Collect and analyze information including sentencing data, crime trends, and existing correctional resources to support legislative and executive action affecting the use of correctional resources on the State and local levels.

(2) Prepare criminal justice population projections annually, including correctional and community-based supervision populations.

(3) Analyze data relevant to proposed sentencing legislation and its effect on current policies or practices, and provide information to support evidence-based sentencing.

(4) Ensure that adequate resources and facilities are available for carrying out sentences imposed on offenders and that rational priorities are established for the use of those resources. To do so, the Council shall prepare criminal justice resource statements, identifying the fiscal and practical effects of proposed criminal sentencing legislation, including, but not limited to, the correctional population, court processes, and county or local government resources.

(4.5) Study and conduct a thorough analysis of sentencing under Section 5-4.5-110 of this Code. The Sentencing Policy Advisory Council shall provide annual reports to the Governor and General Assembly, including the total number of persons sentenced under Section 5-4.5-110 of this Code, the total number of departures from sentences under Section 5-4.5-110 of this Code, and an analysis of trends in sentencing and departures. On or before December 31, 2022, the Sentencing Policy Advisory Council shall provide a report to the Governor and General Assembly on the effectiveness of sentencing under Section 5-4.5-110 of this Code, including recommendations on whether sentencing under Section 5-4.5-110 of this Code should be adjusted or continued.

(4.6) Study and identify discriminatory practices in sentencing across this State and make recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly regarding ways to remedy those discriminatory practices.

(5) Perform such other studies or tasks pertaining to sentencing policies as may be requested by the Governor or the Illinois General Assembly.

(6) Perform such other functions as may be required by law or as are necessary to carry out the purposes and goals of the Council prescribed in subsection (b).

(7) Publish a report on the trends in sentencing for offenders described in subsection (b-1) of Section 5-4-1 of this Code, the impact of the trends on the prison and probation populations, and any changes in the racial composition of the prison and probation populations that can be attributed to the changes made by adding subsection (b-1) of Section 5-4-1 to this Code by Public Act 99-861.

(e) Authority.

(1) The Council shall have the power to perform the functions necessary to carry out its duties, purposes and goals under this Act. In so doing, the Council shall utilize information and analysis developed by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, and the Illinois Department of Corrections.

(2) Upon request from the Council, each executive agency and department of State and local government shall provide information and records to the Council in the execution of its duties.

(f) Report. The Council shall report in writing annually to the General Assembly, the Illinois Supreme Court, and the Governor.

(g) (Blank).

(Source: P.A. 103-657, eff. 7-19-24.)