ILLINOIS LEGISLATURE PASSES REFORM TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES AND MAKE COMMUNITIES SAFER

HB 3026 – supported by crime survivors – would ensure that sentencing credits are applied fairly and equitably to improve safety

The bill now heads to the governor’s desk

SPRINGFIELD – The State Senate today passed HB 3026 in a bipartisan vote, which improves sentencing credits for those in prison by awarding credits fairly and equitably. This bill ensures that people are incentivized to complete rehabilitative programming, be better prepared for success after release, and less likely to cause harm. HB 3026 is sponsored by Rep. Kelly Cassidy and Sen. Robert Peters, and was supported by crime survivors across the state. The bill now heads to Governor Pritzker for his signature. Aditi Singh, the Illinois state director for the Alliance for Safety and Justice, released the following statement: 

“Today’s final passage of HB 3026 will not only lead to better outcomes for individuals returning to society, but it will also result in safer communities for all. Incentives for people to become productive citizens after release is a common sense approach to stopping cycles of crime. 

By being active participants in their own rehabilitation, returning citizens are more likely to give back to their communities and less likely to return to prison. There is not one solution to safety, but investing in rehabilitation has been proven to work and must be one of our tools to deploy.  

We thank Representative Cassidy and Senator Peters for taking survivor voices into account and for leading on this legislation. We have more work to do, but we are one step closer towards a safer Illinois.” 

The full text of the bill can be read here.

About the Alliance for Safety and Justice

The Alliance for Safety and Justice is a national organization that aims to win evidence-based new safety priorities in states across the country. It also brings together diverse crime survivors to advance policies that help communities most harmed by crime and violence, as part of Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice – its national network of over 100,000 crime survivors with thousands of members in Illinois. For more information, visit: https://allianceforsafetyandjustice.org or https://cssj.org.

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