97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
SB1713

 

Introduced 2/9/2011, by Sen. William R. Haine

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
730 ILCS 5/3-3-5  from Ch. 38, par. 1003-3-5
730 ILCS 5/3-3-13  from Ch. 38, par. 1003-3-13

    Amends the Unified Code of Corrections relating to hearings before the Prisoner Review Board. Provides that within 10 days after notice of a cause has been received by a person in custody of the State, such person or the State may move the Chairman of the Prisoner Review Board in writing for a recusal of a member on the ground that such member is so prejudiced against the person that he or she cannot receive a fair hearing. Provides that upon the filing of such a motion the Chairman shall ensure that the member proceeds no further in the cause but shall transfer it to another member not named in the motion. Provides that the defendant or State may name only one member as prejudiced. Effective immediately.


LRB097 09467 RLC 49604 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB1713LRB097 09467 RLC 49604 b

1    AN ACT concerning corrections.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Unified Code of Corrections is amended by
5changing Sections 3-3-5 and 3-3-13 as follows:
 
6    (730 ILCS 5/3-3-5)  (from Ch. 38, par. 1003-3-5)
7    Sec. 3-3-5. Hearing and Determination.
8    (a) The Prisoner Review Board shall meet as often as need
9requires to consider the cases of persons eligible for parole.
10Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (2) of subsection (a)
11of Section 3-3-2 of this Act, the Prisoner Review Board may
12meet and order its actions in panels of 3 or more members. The
13action of a majority of the panel shall be the action of the
14Board. In consideration of persons committed to the Department
15of Juvenile Justice, the panel shall have at least a majority
16of members experienced in juvenile matters.
17    (a-5) Within 10 days after notice of a cause has been
18received by a person in custody of the State, such person or
19the State may move the Chairman in writing for a recusal of a
20member on the ground that such member is so prejudiced against
21him or her that he or she cannot receive a fair hearing. Upon
22the filing of such a motion the Chairman shall ensure that the
23member proceeds no further in the cause but shall transfer it

 

 

SB1713- 2 -LRB097 09467 RLC 49604 b

1to another member not named in the motion. The defendant or
2State may name only one member as prejudiced, pursuant to this
3subsection.
4    (b) If the person under consideration for parole is in the
5custody of the Department, at least one member of the Board
6shall interview him, and a report of that interview shall be
7available for the Board's consideration. However, in the
8discretion of the Board, the interview need not be conducted if
9a psychiatric examination determines that the person could not
10meaningfully contribute to the Board's consideration. The
11Board may in its discretion parole a person who is then outside
12the jurisdiction on his record without an interview. The Board
13need not hold a hearing or interview a person who is paroled
14under paragraphs (d) or (e) of this Section or released on
15Mandatory release under Section 3-3-10.
16    (c) The Board shall not parole a person eligible for parole
17if it determines that:
18        (1) there is a substantial risk that he will not
19    conform to reasonable conditions of parole; or
20        (2) his release at that time would deprecate the
21    seriousness of his offense or promote disrespect for the
22    law; or
23        (3) his release would have a substantially adverse
24    effect on institutional discipline.
25    (d) A person committed under the Juvenile Court Act or the
26Juvenile Court Act of 1987 who has not been sooner released

 

 

SB1713- 3 -LRB097 09467 RLC 49604 b

1shall be paroled on or before his 20th birthday to begin
2serving a period of parole under Section 3-3-8.
3    (e) A person who has served the maximum term of
4imprisonment imposed at the time of sentencing less time credit
5for good behavior shall be released on parole to serve a period
6of parole under Section 5-8-1.
7    (f) The Board shall render its decision within a reasonable
8time after hearing and shall state the basis therefor both in
9the records of the Board and in written notice to the person on
10whose application it has acted. In its decision, the Board
11shall set the person's time for parole, or if it denies parole
12it shall provide for a rehearing not less frequently than once
13every year, except that the Board may, after denying parole,
14schedule a rehearing no later than 3 years from the date of the
15parole denial, if the Board finds that it is not reasonable to
16expect that parole would be granted at a hearing prior to the
17scheduled rehearing date. If the Board shall parole a person,
18and, if he is not released within 90 days from the effective
19date of the order granting parole, the matter shall be returned
20to the Board for review.
21    (g) The Board shall maintain a registry of decisions in
22which parole has been granted, which shall include the name and
23case number of the prisoner, the highest charge for which the
24prisoner was sentenced, the length of sentence imposed, the
25date of the sentence, the date of the parole, and the basis for
26the decision of the Board to grant parole and the vote of the

 

 

SB1713- 4 -LRB097 09467 RLC 49604 b

1Board on any such decisions. The registry shall be made
2available for public inspection and copying during business
3hours and shall be a public record pursuant to the provisions
4of the Freedom of Information Act.
5    (h) The Board shall promulgate rules regarding the exercise
6of its discretion under this Section.
7(Source: P.A. 96-875, eff. 1-22-10.)
 
8    (730 ILCS 5/3-3-13)  (from Ch. 38, par. 1003-3-13)
9    Sec. 3-3-13. Procedure for Executive Clemency.
10    (a) Petitions seeking pardon, commutation, or reprieve
11shall be addressed to the Governor and filed with the Prisoner
12Review Board. The petition shall be in writing and signed by
13the person under conviction or by a person on his behalf. It
14shall contain a brief history of the case, the reasons for
15seeking executive clemency, and other relevant information the
16Board may require.
17    (a-5) After a petition has been denied by the Governor, the
18Board may not accept a repeat petition for executive clemency
19for the same person until one full year has elapsed from the
20date of the denial. The Chairman of the Board may waive the
21one-year requirement if the petitioner offers in writing new
22information that was unavailable to the petitioner at the time
23of the filing of the prior petition and which the Chairman
24determines to be significant. The Chairman also may waive the
25one-year waiting period if the petitioner can show that a

 

 

SB1713- 5 -LRB097 09467 RLC 49604 b

1change in circumstances of a compelling humanitarian nature has
2arisen since the denial of the prior petition.
3    (b) Notice of the proposed application shall be given by
4the Board to the committing court and the state's attorney of
5the county where the conviction was had.
6    (c) The Board shall, if requested and upon due notice, give
7a hearing to each application, allowing representation by
8counsel, if desired, after which it shall confidentially advise
9the Governor by a written report of its recommendations which
10shall be determined by majority vote. The Board shall meet to
11consider such petitions no less than 4 times each year.
12    Application for executive clemency under this Section may
13not be commenced on behalf of a person who has been sentenced
14to death without the written consent of the defendant, unless
15the defendant, because of a mental or physical condition, is
16incapable of asserting his or her own claim.
17    (c-5) Within 10 days after notice of a cause has been
18received by a petitioner or the State, such person or the State
19may move the Chairman in writing for a recusal of a member on
20the ground that such member is so prejudiced against him or her
21that he or she cannot receive a fair hearing. Upon the filing
22of such a motion the Chairman shall ensure that the member
23proceeds no further in the cause but shall transfer it to
24another member not named in the motion. The defendant or State
25may name only one member as prejudiced, pursuant to this
26subsection.

 

 

SB1713- 6 -LRB097 09467 RLC 49604 b

1    (d) The Governor shall decide each application and
2communicate his decision to the Board which shall notify the
3petitioner.
4    In the event a petitioner who has been convicted of a Class
5X felony is granted a release, after the Governor has
6communicated such decision to the Board, the Board shall give
7written notice to the Sheriff of the county from which the
8offender was sentenced if such sheriff has requested that such
9notice be given on a continuing basis. In cases where arrest of
10the offender or the commission of the offense took place in any
11municipality with a population of more than 10,000 persons, the
12Board shall also give written notice to the proper law
13enforcement agency for said municipality which has requested
14notice on a continuing basis.
15    (e) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to limit the
16power of the Governor under the constitution to grant a
17reprieve, commutation of sentence, or pardon.
18(Source: P.A. 89-112, eff. 7-7-95; 89-684, eff. 6-1-97.)
 
19    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
20becoming law.