Public Act 097-0362
 
HB0083 EnrolledLRB097 05047 RLC 45087 b

    AN ACT concerning courts.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Juvenile Court Act of 1987 is amended by
changing Section 5-750 as follows:
 
    (705 ILCS 405/5-750)
    Sec. 5-750. Commitment to the Department of Juvenile
Justice.
    (1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this Section,
when any delinquent has been adjudged a ward of the court under
this Act, the court may commit him or her to the Department of
Juvenile Justice, if it finds that (a) his or her parents,
guardian or legal custodian are unfit or are unable, for some
reason other than financial circumstances alone, to care for,
protect, train or discipline the minor, or are unwilling to do
so, and the best interests of the minor and the public will not
be served by placement under Section 5-740, or; (b) it is
necessary to ensure the protection of the public from the
consequences of criminal activity of the delinquent; and (b)
commitment to the Department of Juvenile Justice is the least
restrictive alternative based on evidence that efforts were
made to locate less restrictive alternatives to secure
confinement and the reasons why efforts were unsuccessful in
locating a less restrictive alternative to secure confinement.
Before the court commits a minor to the Department of Juvenile
Justice, it shall make a finding that secure confinement is
necessary, following a review of the following individualized
factors:
        (A) Age of the minor.
        (B) Criminal background of the minor.
        (C) Review of results of any assessments of the minor,
    including child centered assessments such as the CANS.
        (D) Educational background of the minor, indicating
    whether the minor has ever been assessed for a learning
    disability, and if so what services were provided as well
    as any disciplinary incidents at school.
        (E) Physical, mental and emotional health of the minor,
    indicating whether the minor has ever been diagnosed with a
    health issue and if so what services were provided and
    whether the minor was compliant with services.
        (F) Community based services that have been provided to
    the minor, and whether the minor was compliant with the
    services, and the reason the services were unsuccessful.
        (G) Services within the Department of Juvenile Justice
    that will meet the individualized needs of the minor.
    (1.5) Before the court commits a minor to the Department of
Juvenile Justice, the court must find reasonable efforts have
been made to prevent or eliminate the need for the minor to be
removed from the home, or reasonable efforts cannot, at this
time, for good cause, prevent or eliminate the need for
removal, and removal from home is in the best interests of the
minor, the minor's family, and the public.
    (2) When a minor of the age of at least 13 years is
adjudged delinquent for the offense of first degree murder, the
court shall declare the minor a ward of the court and order the
minor committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice until the
minor's 21st birthday, without the possibility of parole,
furlough, or non-emergency authorized absence for a period of 5
years from the date the minor was committed to the Department
of Juvenile Justice, except that the time that a minor spent in
custody for the instant offense before being committed to the
Department of Juvenile Justice shall be considered as time
credited towards that 5 year period. Nothing in this subsection
(2) shall preclude the State's Attorney from seeking to
prosecute a minor as an adult as an alternative to proceeding
under this Act.
    (3) Except as provided in subsection (2), the commitment of
a delinquent to the Department of Juvenile Justice shall be for
an indeterminate term which shall automatically terminate upon
the delinquent attaining the age of 21 years unless the
delinquent is sooner discharged from parole or custodianship is
otherwise terminated in accordance with this Act or as
otherwise provided for by law.
    (4) When the court commits a minor to the Department of
Juvenile Justice, it shall order him or her conveyed forthwith
to the appropriate reception station or other place designated
by the Department of Juvenile Justice, and shall appoint the
Director of Juvenile Justice legal custodian of the minor. The
clerk of the court shall issue to the Director of Juvenile
Justice a certified copy of the order, which constitutes proof
of the Director's authority. No other process need issue to
warrant the keeping of the minor.
    (5) If a minor is committed to the Department of Juvenile
Justice, the clerk of the court shall forward to the
Department:
        (a) the disposition ordered;
        (b) all reports;
        (c) the court's statement of the basis for ordering the
    disposition; and
        (d) all additional matters which the court directs the
    clerk to transmit.
    (6) Whenever the Department of Juvenile Justice lawfully
discharges from its custody and control a minor committed to
it, the Director of Juvenile Justice shall petition the court
for an order terminating his or her custodianship. The
custodianship shall terminate automatically 30 days after
receipt of the petition unless the court orders otherwise.
(Source: P.A. 94-696, eff. 6-1-06.)

Effective Date: 1/1/2012