Criminal Justice

Amends the Attorney General Act. Creates an Office for Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls within the Office of the Attorney General. Provides that the Office shall: (1) serve as the legal and policy advisor to the Attorney General to ensure justice for missing and murdered Black women and girls; (2) develop recommendations for policies to address injustices in the criminal justice system's response to cases of missing and murdered Black women and girls; and (3) coordinate with State and local agencies to collect specified information and give technical assistance. Provides that, no later than January 1 after the effective date of the amendatory Act and biennially thereafter, the Office shall submit a report to the General Assembly on missing and murdered Black women and girls containing specified information.

Creates the Fund the Police Act. Contains findings. Creates the Fund the Police Grant Fund and provides that moneys that the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board receives from the Fund must be used for the purpose of making grants to units of local government for the purposes of: (1) hiring, rehiring, and retention of law enforcement officers, including hiring and retention incentives and overtime; (2) funding body camera mandates and purchasing law enforcement equipment designed to keep officers and their communities safe; (3) funding additional law enforcement training; (4) assisting with outreach and community policing activities; (5) assisting with mental health treatment for individuals in county jails; (6) providing mental health care for law enforcement officers; and (7) purchasing public safety equipment designed to prevent gang violence, motor vehicle theft, vehicular hijacking, or the sale of contraband. Provides that the Board may set rules relating to requirements for the distribution of grant moneys and determine which law enforcement agencies are eligible. Provides that the Board must consider compliance with the Uniform Crime Reporting Act as a factor in awarding grant moneys. Provides that moneys in the Fund the Police Grant Fund may not be appropriated, assigned, or transferred to another State fund. Provides for a continuing appropriation at the beginning of each fiscal year of $125,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Fund the Police Grant Fund. Amends the State Finance Act by making conforming changes.

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Removes provisions providing that a person is not eligible to take the oath of office for a municipal office if that person has been convicted of certain crimes. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that a person convicted of a felony, bribery, perjury, or other infamous crime (rather than a felony) for an offense committed on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act while he or she was serving as a public official is ineligible to hold any local public office (in addition to being ineligible to hold an office created by the Constitution of the State) unless the person's conviction is reversed or until the completion of his or her sentence and his or her eligibility to hold office is restored. Amends the Officials Convicted of Infamous Crimes Act and the Election Code making conforming changes.

Makes various appropriations from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Human Services and the Illinois Housing Development Authority for housing programs and related services for formerly incarcerated individuals. Effective July 1, 2025.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that court security officers are exempt from provisions barring the carrying and possession of weapons in a vehicle, concealed upon one's person, or upon public streets, alleys, or other public lands within the corporate limits of a municipality. Amends the County Jail Act. Provides that court security officers shall be deemed to be qualified law enforcement officers or, if retired, shall be deemed qualified retired or separated law enforcement officers in Illinois for purposes of coverage under the federal Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004 and shall have all rights and privileges granted by that Act if the court security officer or retired court security officer is otherwise compliant with the applicable laws of this State governing the implementation and administration of the federal Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004 in the State of Illinois.

Creates the Court Access, Safety, and Participation Act. Makes legislative findings concerning access to the courts. Creates a privilege from civil arrest for a person who in good faith is attending a State court proceeding or who is going to, remaining at, or returning from the place of the court proceeding. Provides that a person who violates provisions of the Act is liable for civil damages for false imprisonment, including actual damages and statutory damages of $10,000, if that person knew or reasonably should have known that the person arrested is a person duly and in good faith attending a State court proceeding in which the person is a party, a witness, a potential witness, or a court companion of a party, witness, or potential witness while going to, remaining at, and returning from the court proceeding. Authorizes a court to grant any equitable or declaratory relief it deems appropriate and just. Prohibits an action from being commenced under the Act against the Illinois court system or any Illinois court system personnel acting lawfully under duty to maintain safety and order in the courts. Provides that nothing in the Act affects any right or defense of any person, police officer, peace officer or public officer, or any Illinois court system personnel acting lawfully under their duty to maintain safety and order in the courts. Makes other changes. Specifies that the provisions of the Act are severable. Effective immediately.

Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that the pretrial services agency with jurisdiction over the defendant shall immediately notify a law enforcement agency located in the county or municipality where the defendant resides and the State's Attorney's office if a defendant on pretrial release violates a no contact order, is removed from electronic monitoring, or violates the conditions of an electronic monitoring order.

Creates the Court Access, Safety, and Participation Act. Makes legislative findings concerning access to the courts. Creates a privilege from civil arrest for a person who in good faith is attending a State court proceeding or who is going to, remaining at, or returning from the place of the court proceeding. Creates a civil cause of action for a violation of the Act if the person alleged to have violated the Act knew or reasonably should have known that the person arrested is a person duly and in good faith attending a State court proceeding in which the person is a party, a witness, a potential witness, or a court companion of a party, witness, or potential witness while going to, remaining at, and returning from the court proceeding. Provides that the injured person may recover statutory damages of $10,000 and actual damages, any equitable or declaratory relief the court deems appropriate and just, and reasonable attorney's fees and costs for a successful action. Prohibits an action from being commenced under the Act against the Illinois court system or any Illinois court system personnel acting lawfully under duty to maintain safety and order in the courts. Provides that nothing in the Act affects any right or defense, including any existing qualified immunity defense, of any person, police officer, peace officer or public officer, or any Illinois court system personnel acting lawfully under their duty to maintain safety and order in the courts. Makes other changes. Specifies that the provisions of the Act are severable. Effective immediately.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that, on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act, when a person commits an offense and the person is under 21 years of age at the time of the commission of the offense, the court, at the sentencing hearing, shall consider certain additional factors in mitigation in determining the appropriate sentence. Provides, that notwithstanding any other provision of law, if the defendant is under 18 at the time of the commission of the offense and convicted of first degree murder and would otherwise be subject to sentencing under certain provisions, the court shall impose a sentence of not less than 40 years of imprisonment. Provides that, in addition, the court may, in its discretion, decline to impose the sentencing enhancements based upon the possession or use of a firearm during the commission of the offense.

Creates the Community-Based Corrections Act. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall establish a program that funds community-based nonprofit providers to serve emerging adults as an alternative to traditional incarceration. Provides that community-based providers shall offer housing, workforce training, mental health counseling, and restorative justice programming in alignment with State guidelines. Provides that the program shall be subject to judicial discretion, allowing sentencing judges to assign eligible individuals to community-based settings instead of Department of Corrections facilities. Provides that all community-based providers must have a written agreement with a restorative justice court for all emerging adults within their care to participate in the restorative justice court programs. Provides that community-based providers shall be compensated at a rate equivalent to the monthly per-inmate cost of incarceration as determined by the Department in its Fiscal Impact Statement. Community-based providers shall be paid on a monthly basis for the number of individuals within their care. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall allocate existing budget authority for contractual services to fund the program created by the Act. Provides that the Department of Human Services shall establish operational standards, including housing conditions, workforce training quality, and mental health support services, to ensure program efficacy. Provides that the Department of Human Services shall monitor and evaluate providers to maintain compliance with State and judicial requirements. Provides that community-based providers shall submit annual reports to the Department of Corrections and the Department of Human Services detailing participant outcomes, including recidivism rates, employment statistics, and community reintegration success. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall report program performance to the General Assembly annually, including cost savings from reduced incarceration based on emerging adults participating with community-based providers for fewer years than they would serve in a Department of Corrections facility. Effective immediately.