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92_HR0776
LRB9216518BHbh
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The adult female population in prisons in the
3 State of Illinois was 2,662 in 2001, a 208 percent increase
4 over the past ten years; and
5 WHEREAS, Of this population, less than 30 percent of
6 these female prisoners were incarcerated for committing
7 violent crimes; and
8 WHEREAS, Cook County Jail currently houses over 1,100
9 women on any given day, and of this population, approximately
10 90 percent are charged with non-violent crimes; and
11 WHEREAS, In prisons in the State of Illinois, 80 percent
12 of women are mothers and almost 50 percent have children
13 under five years of age; and
14 WHEREAS, Each year at least 25,000 children in the State
15 of Illinois are impacted by maternal incarceration; and
16 WHEREAS, An estimated 80 percent of all incarcerated
17 women in the State of Illinois suffer from substance abuse
18 problems; the State of Illinois can place only 12 percent of
19 all incarcerated women into its substance abuse programs; and
20 WHEREAS, It is a known fact that drug addiction causes
21 crime, destroys the family structure, creates havoc in
22 neighborhoods, and leaves paths of destruction in its wake;
23 individuals convicted of crimes who have not received
24 meaningful treatment while incarcerated continue to commit
25 crimes; and
26 WHEREAS, Community-based alternatives to incarceration
27 for women convicted of non-violent offenses would allow
28 children to stay with their mothers while their mothers
29 receive appropriate treatment; with the appropriate treatment
30 the mothers would be less likely to commit additional
-2- LRB9216518BHbh
1 offenses and would be able to re-enter society as tax-paying
2 citizens; in addition, their children would be less likely to
3 become the next generation of incarcerated individuals;
4 therefore, be it
5 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
6 NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
7 we recognize May 10, 2002 as Mothers in Prison, Children in
8 Crisis Day in the State of Illinois; and be it further
9 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
10 presented to Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers
11 (C.L.A.I.M.).