Criminal Justice

Creates the Emerging Adult Criminal Justice Task Force Act. Establishes the Emerging Adult Criminal Justice Task Force within the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. Provides that the Task Force shall hold public meetings. Requires at least 3 meetings of the Task Force to be held in different regions of Illinois. Provides that the first meeting of the Task Force shall be held within 60 days after the appointment of its members. Provides that the Task Force shall review Illinois law and practices affecting emerging adults across pretrial, sentencing, corrections, supervision, and reentry. Provides that the Task Force shall develop recommendations for statutory, policy, and programmatic improvements to the Illinois criminal justice system. Allows any Task Force member to prepare a written dissent or statement of concern regarding any finding or recommendation. Provides that the Task Force shall submit an interim report summarizing preliminary findings, analyses, and recommendations, to the Governor and the General Assembly, no later than January 31, 2027. Provides that the Task Force shall submit a final report, including all final findings and recommendations, draft statutory language, and estimated fiscal impacts, no later than December 1, 2027. Repeals the Act on June 30, 2028. Effective immediately.

Amends the Bill of Rights for the Homeless Act. Prohibits the State or a unit of local government from creating or enforcing policies or ordinances imposing fines or criminal penalties against people experiencing unsheltered homelessness for occupying or engaging in life-sustaining activities on public property. Provides exceptions to maintain access to property or address risks to public health and safety. Creates a necessity defense for charges alleging violation of laws criminalizing life-sustaining activities while the individual was experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Defines terms. Limits the exercise of concurrent home rule powers.

Creates the Victim Centered Approach Pilot Program Act. Provides that the Lake County State's Attorney shall develop a program to represent noncitizen victims of violent crimes in the filing of victim remedies before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Office administrative body. Provides that the Lake County State's Attorney shall use any funding provided to the pilot program to represent or give counsel to 50 noncitizen victims annually for the next 5 years who were victimized by violent crimes in Lake County. Provides that the to be eligible for assistance under the program, an individual must: (1) be a noncitizen victim, who has never been placed in removal proceedings; (2) have suffered a violent crime in Lake County; and (3) not be barred from the immigration remedies before the administrative body. Amends the Counties Code. Provides that, in counties with a population of more than 500,000, a State's Attorney may act, without fee or appointment, as an attorney to a noncitizen victim in an immigration case only if the noncitizen victim was victimized within the county the State's Attorney serves and is located within the geographic boundaries of the county served by the State's Attorney.

Creates the End Gun Violence in Disproportionately Impacted Areas Task Force to study, analyze data, make recommendations, and develop policy proposals addressing the root causes of violence and resulting trauma to drastically reduce gun violence in disproportionately impacted areas.

Condemns the acts of excessive and deadly force deployed by federal agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, and others operating under the direction of President Donald J. Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Calls for a fully independent investigation into all Department of Homeland Security-involved shootings, killings, and deaths in custody. Calls for the appointment of an independent counsel to prosecute agents, administrators, and political appointees found to have committed, directed, or covered up these acts of violence. Calls for the immediate resignation of Secretary Kristi Noem and calls for her immediate impeachment if she refuses to resign.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that the offense of methamphetamine trafficking may be tried in any county. Permits the Attorney General to authorize certain eavesdropping requests from law enforcement. Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Permits the Attorney General or an Assistant Attorney General authorized by the Attorney General to authorize an application to a circuit judge or an associate judge assigned by the Chief Judge of the circuit for, and such judge may grant in conformity with the Judicial Supervision of the Use of Eavesdropping Devices Article of the Code, an order authorizing or approving the use of an eavesdropping device by a law enforcement officer or agency having the responsibility for the investigation of any felony under Illinois law where any one party to a conversation to be monitored, or previously monitored in the case of an emergency situation, has consented to such monitoring. Amends the Statewide Grand Jury Act. Provides that a Statewide Grand Jury may investigate, indict, and prosecute theft, retail theft, Internet offenses, continuing financial crimes enterprise, vehicular hijacking, aggravated vehicular hijacking, vehicular invasion, burglary, residential burglary, and home invasion if the offense involves acts occurring in more than one county of the State.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the Department of Juvenile Justice shall provide resources to persons under the 18 years of age who have been adjudicated delinquent for a nonviolent crime. Provides that a nonviolent crime does not include the use or threat of force toward a person. Provides that the resources shall include: (1) mentoring; (2) access to educational resources in collaboration with the State Board of Education; (3) employment training opportunities; (4) behavioral health services, including trauma informed services; (5) parent supports; and (6) any other resources that the Department deems helpful to youth convicted of nonviolent crimes. Provides that the Department may provide services through existing or new service contracts with community agencies. Provides that the circuit courts and probation departments may refer youth to this program. Provides that the Department shall not provide any supervision of court-ordered conditions under the program. Provides that on or before July 1, 2026, the Department shall publicize on its website the program and the process for referring eligible youth. Provides that the Department shall include the number of youth and families served and a summary of the types of services provided through this program in its annual report.

Amends the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education shall require that each school district annually report the number of students who were referred to a law enforcement agency or official and the number of instances of referrals to law enforcement that students received. Provides that on or before January 31, 2027 and on or before January 31 of each subsequent year, the State Board of Education shall prepare a report on student referrals to law enforcement in all school districts in the State. Requires a parent-teacher advisory committee to develop policy guideline procedures to establish and maintain a reciprocal reporting system between the school district and local law enforcement agencies regarding both criminal and civil offenses (rather than only criminal offenses) committed by students. Removes language providing that a student may not be issued a monetary fine or fee as a disciplinary consequence. Instead, prohibits school personnel from issuing a monetary fine, fee, ticket, or citation for a municipal code violation. Provides that school personnel (rather than a school district) may not refer a truant, chronic truant, or truant minor to any other local public entity, school resource officer, or peace officer (rather than only to any other local public entity) for that local public entity, school resource officer, or peace officer to issue the child a fine or fee as punishment for truancy. Effective immediately.

Creates the State Public Defender Act. Creates the Office of State Public Defender as an agency of State government. Provides that the Office of State Public Defender shall be an independent agency within the judicial branch of government and the Office's records shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that the Office of State Public Defender shall be under the supervision and direction of the State Public Defender. Sets forth the powers and duties of the State Public Defender, including the duties of the initial State Public Defender. Provides that the initial State Public Defender shall be appointed by the Supreme Court. Sets forth specified duties and responsibilities of the initial State Public Defender. Creates the State Public Defender Commission. Sets forth membership and duties of the Commission. Amends the Public Defender and Appointed Counsel Division of the Counties Code. Provides that any 2 or more counties of this State that are within the same judicial circuit may by joint resolution of the several county boards involved create a common Office of public defender for the counties so joined or allow representation in one county by the public defender appointed in the collaborating county (rather than 2 or more adjoining counties within the same judicial circuit may create a common Office of public defender). Provides that, when a vacancy occurs in the position of public defender, the State Public Defender shall nominate and the State Public Defender Commission shall appoint a properly qualified public defender using the application and selection process developed under the State Public Defender Act. Removes certain differences based upon county populations. Removes provisions relating to the Public Defender Quality Defense Task Force. Provides that a public defender may be removed only for good cause or dereliction of duty after notice and a hearing before the State Public Defender Commission (rather than by the president of the county board after a notice and hearing of the county board). Modifies how a public defender is compensated and how moneys in the Public Defender Fund may be used. Makes other changes. Amends various Acts to make conforming changes.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. In the provision concerning parole review of persons under the age of 21 at the time of the commission of an offense, provides that any date after serving the minimum term of years to become eligible for parole review or up to 3 years prior to becoming eligible for parole review, the eligible person may file his or her petition for parole review with the Prisoner Review Board. Provides that within 30 days of receipt of this petition, the Prisoner Review Board shall determine whether the petition is appropriately filed, and if so, shall set a date for parole review 3 years from receipt of the petition or the date the person is eligible for parole review, whichever date is sooner, and notify the Department of Corrections within 10 business days. Provides that in no such circumstance shall the hearing be scheduled sooner than one year from the date of the determination that the petition is appropriately filed.