Illinois bill changes references to ‘offender’ to ‘justice-impacted individual’

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — A measure that passed both houses of the Illinois legislature this week will change references to criminal “offenders” to “justice-impacted individuals” as part of a program to find alternatives to prison time.

House Bill 4409 amends language in the Illinois Crime Reduction Act to refer to people convicted of a crime as “justice-impacted individuals,” a move that has Republican lawmakers claiming it disrespects victims of violent crime.

“Over and over again, we keep changing the name of how we are referring to those who have entered into criminal activity and each time we make that change, each agency has to make that change on every one of their documents,” Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) said before Tuesday’s vote. “Right now in the Department of Corrections, there’s multiple changes that have been made and it’s costing thousands and thousands of dollars just to do a name change. Why is it necessary to make the name change?”

According to The Center Square , Sen. Steve McClure (R-Springfield) asked if the bill also would change the term “victims,” and asked what a “justice-impacted individual” was.

Sen. Robert Peters (D-Chicago), the bill’s sponsor, replied: “That means someone who has been impacted by the criminal justice system and is an individual.”

The proposal, which heads to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk to be signed into law, is one part of an amendment to the Adult Redeploy Illinois (ARI) program, which was created to provide financial incentives to local communities to find alternatives to incarceration.

According to the state, “The Crime Reduction Act is based on the premise that crime can be reduced and the costs of the criminal justice system can be controlled by understanding and addressing the reasons why people commit crimes. It also acknowledges that local jurisdictions know best what resources are necessary to reduce crime in their communities.”

The program provides grants to counties to reduce the number of first-time offenders they send to prison.

In Winnebago County, ARI funds support its enhanced drug court and Theraputic Intervention Program (TIP) Court. The program “target(s) individuals in need of mental health and/or substance use disorder treatment who have committed felony offenses and would otherwise face a sentence to prison.”

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