HR0233

LRB094 11747 CSA 43804 r






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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The adult female population in prisons in the 
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State of Illinois was 2,806 in 2004, a 154 percent increase 
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over the past ten years; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Of this population, less than 30 percent of these 
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female prisoners were incarcerated for committing violent 
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crimes; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Cook County Jail currently houses over 1,300 women 
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on any given day and, of this population, approximately 90 
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percent are charged with non-violent crimes; and

 
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    WHEREAS, In prisons in the State of Illinois, 82 percent of 
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women are mothers and almost 50 percent have children under 
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five years of age; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Each year at least 25,000 children in the State of 
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Illinois are impacted by maternal incarceration; and

 
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    WHEREAS, In the State of Illinois, at least 60,000 minor 
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children will have their mothers spend time in a State prison 
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while they are children; and

 
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    WHEREAS, An estimated 80 percent of all incarcerated women 
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in the State of Illinois suffer from substance abuse problems; 
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the State of Illinois can place fewer than 20 percent of all 
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incarcerated women into its substance abuse programs; and

 
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    WHEREAS, It is a known fact that drug addiction causes 
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crime, destroys the family structure, creates havoc in 
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neighborhoods, and leaves paths of destruction in its wake; 
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individuals convicted of crimes who have not received 
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meaningful treatment while incarcerated continue to commit 
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crimes; and

 
 


 






HR0233
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LRB094 11747 CSA 43804 r




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    WHEREAS, In the United States, by mid-year of 2003, the 
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number of adult female inmates rose 6.3 percent over the 
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previous year; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Community-based alternatives to incarceration for 
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women convicted of non-violent offenses would allow children to 
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stay with their mothers while their mothers receive appropriate 
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treatment; with the appropriate treatment, the mothers would be 
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less likely to commit additional offenses and would be able to 
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re-enter society as tax-paying citizens; in addition, their 
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children would be less likely to become the next generation of 
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incarcerated individuals; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 
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we recognize May 6, 2005, as Mothers in Prison, Children in 
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Crisis Day in the State of Illinois; and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers 
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(CLAIM).