State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Legislation

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91_HB3111

 
                                               LRB9110626RCpk

 1        AN  ACT  to amend the Sexually Violent Persons Commitment
 2    Act by changing Sections 25 and 65.

 3        Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:

 5        Section  5.   The Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act
 6    is amended by changing Sections 25 and 65 as follows:

 7        (725 ILCS 207/25)
 8        Sec. 25.  Rights of persons subject to petition.
 9        (a)  Any person who is the subject of  a  petition  filed
10    under  Section  15 of this Act shall be served with a copy of
11    the petition in accordance with the Civil Practice Law.
12        (b)  The circuit court in which a petition under  Section
13    15 of this Act is filed shall conduct all hearings under this
14    Act.    The court shall give the person who is the subject of
15    the petition reasonable notice of the time and place of  each
16    such  hearing.  The court may designate additional persons to
17    receive these notices.
18        (c)  Except as provided in paragraph (b)(1) of Section 65
19    and Section 70 of this Act, at any  hearing  conducted  under
20    this  Act,  the person who is the subject of the petition has
21    the right to:
22             (1)  To be present and to be represented by counsel.
23        If the  person  is  indigent,  the  court  shall  appoint
24        counsel   from   the   Legal   Advocacy  Service  of  the
25        Guardianship and Advocacy Commission.  The State shall be
26        responsible for the costs of court-appointed counsel  for
27        indigent persons under this Act.
28             (2)  Remain silent.
29             (3)  Present and cross-examine witnesses.
30             (4)  Have the hearing recorded by a court reporter.
31        (d)  The  person  who is the subject of the petition, the
 
                            -2-                LRB9110626RCpk
 1    person's  attorney,  the  Attorney  General  or  the  State's
 2    Attorney may request that a trial under Section  35  of  this
 3    Act  be to a jury.  A verdict of a jury under this Act is not
 4    valid unless it is unanimous.
 5        (e)  Whenever the  person  who  is  the  subject  of  the
 6    petition  is  required to submit to an examination under this
 7    Act, he or she may retain experts or professional persons  to
 8    perform  an  examination.   If the person retains a qualified
 9    expert or professional person of his or  her  own  choice  to
10    conduct  an  examination,  the examiner shall have reasonable
11    access to the person for the purpose of the  examination,  as
12    well  as  to  the person's past and present treatment records
13    and patient health care records.  If the person is  indigent,
14    the  court  shall,  upon  the  person's  request,  appoint  a
15    qualified  and  available  expert  or  professional person to
16    perform an examination.  Upon the order of the circuit court,
17    the county shall pay, as part of the costs of the action, the
18    costs of a court-appointed expert or professional  person  to
19    perform an examination and participate in the trial on behalf
20    of an indigent person.
21    (Source: P.A. 90-40, eff. 1-1-98.)

22        (725 ILCS 207/65)
23        Sec. 65.  Petition for discharge; procedure.
24        (a)(1)  If  the  Secretary  determines at any time that a
25    person committed under this  Act  is  no  longer  a  sexually
26    violent  person,  the Secretary shall authorize the person to
27    petition the committing  court  for  discharge.   The  person
28    shall  file the petition with the court and serve a copy upon
29    the Attorney General or the State's  Attorney's  office  that
30    filed the petition under subsection (a) of Section 15 of this
31    Act, whichever is applicable.  The court, upon receipt of the
32    petition  for  discharge,  shall  order  a hearing to be held
33    within 45 days after the date of receipt of the petition.
 
                            -3-                LRB9110626RCpk
 1        (2)  At a hearing under  this  subsection,  the  Attorney
 2    General  or  State's  Attorney,  whichever filed the original
 3    petition, shall represent the State and shall have the  right
 4    to  have the petitioner examined by an expert or professional
 5    person of his or her choice.  The  committed  person  or  the
 6    State may elect to have the hearing before a jury.  The State
 7    has  the  burden  of proving by clear and convincing evidence
 8    that the petitioner is still a sexually violent person.
 9        (3)  If the court is satisfied that the State has not met
10    its burden of proof under paragraph (a)(2) of  this  Section,
11    the  petitioner  shall  be  discharged  from  the  custody or
12    supervision of the Department.  If  the  court  is  satisfied
13    that  the  State  has met its burden of proof under paragraph
14    (a)(2), the court may proceed under Section 40 of this Act to
15    determine  whether  to  modify  the   petitioner's   existing
16    commitment order.
17        (b)(1)  A  person  may  petition the committing court for
18    discharge from custody or supervision without the Secretary's
19    approval.  At the time of an examination under subsection (a)
20    of Section 55 of this Act, the Secretary  shall  provide  the
21    committed  person with a written notice of the person's right
22    to petition the court  for  discharge  over  the  Secretary's
23    objection.  The notice shall contain a waiver of rights.  The
24    Secretary  shall  forward  the  notice and waiver form to the
25    court with the report of the Department's  examination  under
26    Section 55 of this Act.  If the person does not affirmatively
27    waive  the  right to petition, the court shall set a probable
28    cause hearing to determine whether facts exist that warrant a
29    hearing on whether the person is  still  a  sexually  violent
30    person.  If  a person does not file a petition for discharge,
31    yet fails to waive the right to petition under this  Section,
32    then  the probable cause hearing consists only of a review of
33    the reexamination reports and  arguments  on  behalf  of  the
34    parties. The committed person has a right to have an attorney
 
                            -4-                LRB9110626RCpk
 1    represent  him  or her at the probable cause hearing, but the
 2    person is not entitled to be present at  the  probable  cause
 3    hearing. If the committed person is indigent, he or she has a
 4    right  to  be represented at the probable cause hearing by an
 5    attorney from the Legal Advocacy Service of the  Guardianship
 6    and  Advocacy  Commission.  The  probable cause hearing under
 7    this Section must be held within 45 days of the filing of the
 8    reexamination report under Section 55 of this Act.
 9        (2)  If  the  court  determines  at  the  probable  cause
10    hearing under paragraph (b)(1) of this Section that  probable
11    cause  exists  to  believe  that  the  committed person is no
12    longer a sexually violent person, then the court shall set  a
13    hearing  on  the issue.  At a hearing under this Section, the
14    committed person is entitled to be present and to the benefit
15    of the protections afforded to the person under Section 25 of
16    this Act. The committed person or the State may elect to have
17    a hearing under this Section before a jury.  A verdict  of  a
18    jury  under this Section is not valid unless it is unanimous.
19    The Attorney General or State's Attorney, whichever filed the
20    original petition, shall represent the  State  at  a  hearing
21    under  this  Section.    The  State has the right to have the
22    committed person evaluated by experts chosen  by  the  State.
23    At  the hearing, the State has the burden of proving by clear
24    and convincing evidence that the committed person is still  a
25    sexually violent person.
26        (3)  If the court is satisfied that the State has not met
27    its  burden  of proof under paragraph (b)(2) of this Section,
28    the  person  shall  be  discharged  from   the   custody   or
29    supervision  of  the  Department.   If the court is satisfied
30    that the State has met its burden of  proof  under  paragraph
31    (b)(2)  of  this Section, the court may proceed under Section
32    40 of this Act to determine whether to  modify  the  person's
33    existing commitment order.
34    (Source: P.A. 90-40, eff. 1-1-98; 91-227, eff. 1-1-00.)

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