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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Illinois has a proud legacy as the home of the
3world's first juvenile court; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Illinois has another proud legacy from its first
5peoples -the practice of restorative justice; in the First
6Nation justice systems, healing and reintegration of
7individuals is the primary goal, rather than reliance on
8prisons and punishment; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The principle of restorative justice was included
10within the Purpose and Policy Section of Article 5 of the
11Illinois Juvenile Court Act in 1999; and
 
12    WHEREAS, To date, there have been multiple pilots
13throughout the State of restorative justice practices in the
14juvenile justice system, both as diversion from court and as
15sentencing alternatives, however there is no uniform statewide
16practice of restorative justice in the juvenile justice system;
17and
 
18    WHEREAS, As prison costs prove increasingly burdensome for
19taxpayers, and as studies reveal high repeat offending rates by
20prisoners who have little education or vocational skills upon
21release, states are increasingly examining restorative justice

 

 

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1practices as effective diversion and sentencing alternatives;
2Northern Ireland, Finland, New Zealand, and other
3jurisdictions have successfully revamped their juvenile
4justice systems through the system-wide implementation of
5restorative justice practices and these nations serve as models
6of system reform through restorative justice practices; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Restorative justice practices in other nations
8have been implemented along with full due process and human
9rights protections for children in conflict with the law,
10including respect for confidentiality and use of dispositions
11that represent the least restrictive alternative; therefore,
12be it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
14ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the Illinois
15Juvenile Justice Commission, working in partnership with the
16Illinois Balanced and Restorative Justice Project and the
17Illinois Juvenile Justice Initiative, community groups, and
18schools, review the current practice of restorative justice in
19juvenile justice systems in the State of Illinois and review
20restorative justice practices in juvenile justice systems in
21other states and cultures and nations, and report back to the
22Illinois General Assembly with recommendations to expand the
23practice of restorative justice in the juvenile justice system
24in Illinois with the goal of restoring public safety through

 

 

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1restoration of the child in conflict with the law, within a
2system that incorporates the full range of due process and
3human rights protections, maximizing community based responses
4and utilizing incarceration only as a last resort for as short
5a time as possible; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
7delivered to the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission.