![]() ![]() ![]() The law also requires all Illinois police departments to report misconduct investigations to the state, though language added in the eleventh hour appears to add barriers to public oversight.If you prefer to reach the Treasurer’s Office by email, please contact the corresponding program or division below. The new law empowers the training and standards board to investigate misconduct allegations and pursue decertification, regardless of whether an officer was charged, convicted, or disciplined by their department. But currently, their certification can be revoked only if they are convicted of a felony or certain misdemeanors. Police officers in the state must be certified by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul pushed successfully to include in the criminal justice overhaul a new process to decertify Illinois police officers who commit abuses. But transparency advocates are alarmed by provisions that appear to restrict public access to misconduct records. But it could be harder for the public to learn about them.Ī little-discussed amendment to the sweeping criminal justice package creates a new process to decertify Illinois police officers. Police certification Read More Illinois’ criminal justice overhaul makes it easier to decertify bad cops. Mothers who say they were left in the dark when their incarcerated sons died of Covid-19 are continuing to call for improved communication between state prison officials and families. The criminal justice overhaul also offers more transparency to families whose loved ones die while locked up in Illinois prisons and jails.Įffective July 1, state correctional facilities will be required to notify family members about deaths in custody, as well as the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, a state agency that conducts research and analysis. Prosecutors will now be prohibited from filing first-degree murder charges in cases where a third party, like a police officer or a homeowner, caused the death. The law signed Monday narrows the definition of felony murder, though the changes do not apply retroactively to those sentenced under the old rule. In one 2019 case, prosecutors in Lake County, Illinois, charged five teenagers with the murder of their friend, who was shot and killed by a homeowner as the group allegedly attempted a burglary. That applied even in cases in which police or another third party caused the death. Illinois’ controversial “felony murder” rule previously allowed for first-degree murder charges against defendants who commit certain felonies-including robbery, burglary, criminal sexual assault, and arson-that result in someone’s death. The law also requires courts to provide additional pretrial services for defendants, such as reminders of court dates and transportation to court appearances. Instead, judges must impose the least restrictive conditions necessary to ensure a defendant’s appearance in court. Nonviolent defendants who cannot pay for release will no longer remain incarcerated before trial, reversing a measure that opponents say criminalizes poverty. Nonetheless, its eventual elimination in Illinois represents a historic win for reformers nationwide. ![]() Cash bail won’t be entirely abolished until Jan. Pritzker is expected to sign the provision, part of a massive criminal justice reform bill, into law.Ĭhanges to pretrial detention are among the provisions that will be implemented more gradually under the new law. “The road to this point has been long and has been filled with difficulties, but after we celebrate today’s victory, we must keep up the fight.”Ī bill that would end the use of cash bail statewide passed in the Illinois legislature this week. “Today is a historic first step toward winning real safety and justice in our communities,” said Illinois State Sen. In a statement released Monday, members of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, which spearheaded the bill, emphasized that the push for reform would continue. The sweeping overhaul, passed by the Illinois General Assembly during the final hours of its January lame-duck session, includes changes to almost every area of the justice system - from police accountability to pretrial detention to sentencing. Pritzker signed a landmark criminal justice reform package into law Monday, making the state among the first to eliminate the use of cash bail. Pritzker signs criminal justice reform package into law, making Illinois among the first to eliminate the use of cash bail. ![]()
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