Bill Text: IL HB2054 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Chaptered


Bill Title: Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that Department of Juvenile Justice personnel who are hired by the Department and who participate or assist in the rehabilitative and vocational training of delinquent youths, supervise the daily activities involving direct and continuing responsibility for the youth's security, welfare and development, or participate in the personal rehabilitation of delinquent youth by training, supervising, and assisting lower level personnel who perform these duties must be over the age of 21 and have either a bachelor's or advanced degree from an accredited college or university or have 2 or more years of experience providing direct care to youth in the form of residential care, counseling, case management, or mentoring (rather than just any bachelor's or advanced degree from an accredited college or university). Amends the Illinois Pension Code to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)

Status: (Passed) 2023-07-28 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 103-0290 [HB2054 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HB2054-Chaptered.html



Public Act 103-0290
HB2054 EnrolledLRB103 05667 RLC 50686 b
AN ACT concerning the Department of Juvenile Justice.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 10. The Unified Code of Corrections is amended by
changing Sections 3-2.5-15 and 3-2.5-100 as follows:
(730 ILCS 5/3-2.5-15)
Sec. 3-2.5-15. Department of Juvenile Justice; assumption
of duties of the Juvenile Division.
(a) The Department of Juvenile Justice shall assume the
rights, powers, duties, and responsibilities of the Juvenile
Division of the Department of Corrections. Personnel, books,
records, property, and unencumbered appropriations pertaining
to the Juvenile Division of the Department of Corrections
shall be transferred to the Department of Juvenile Justice on
the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 94th General
Assembly. Any rights of employees or the State under the
Personnel Code or any other contract or plan shall be
unaffected by this transfer.
(b) Department of Juvenile Justice personnel who are hired
by the Department on or after the effective date of this
amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly and who
participate or assist in the rehabilitative and vocational
training of delinquent youths, supervise the daily activities
involving direct and continuing responsibility for the youth's
security, welfare and development, or participate in the
personal rehabilitation of delinquent youth by training,
supervising, and assisting lower level personnel who perform
these duties must: (1) be over the age of 21 and (2) have a
high school diploma or equivalent and either (A) a any
bachelor's or advanced degree from an accredited college or
university or (B) 2 or more years of experience providing
direct care to youth in the form of residential care,
coaching, case management, or mentoring. This requirement
shall not apply to security, clerical, food service, and
maintenance staff that do not have direct and regular contact
with youth. The degree requirements specified in this
subsection (b) are not required of persons who provide
vocational training and who have adequate knowledge in the
skill for which they are providing the vocational training.
(c) Subsection (b) of this Section does not apply to
personnel transferred to the Department of Juvenile Justice on
the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 94th General
Assembly.
(d) The Department shall be under the direction of the
Director of Juvenile Justice as provided in this Code.
(e) The Director shall organize divisions within the
Department and shall assign functions, powers, duties, and
personnel as required by law. The Director may create other
divisions and may assign other functions, powers, duties, and
personnel as may be necessary or desirable to carry out the
functions and responsibilities vested by law in the
Department. The Director may, with the approval of the Office
of the Governor, assign to and share functions, powers,
duties, and personnel with other State agencies such that
administrative services and administrative facilities are
provided by a shared administrative service center. Where
possible, shared services which impact youth should be done
with child-serving agencies. These administrative services may
include, but are not limited to, all of the following
functions: budgeting, accounting related functions, auditing,
human resources, legal, procurement, training, data collection
and analysis, information technology, internal investigations,
intelligence, legislative services, emergency response
capability, statewide transportation services, and general
office support.
(f) The Department of Juvenile Justice may enter into
intergovernmental cooperation agreements under which minors
adjudicated delinquent and committed to the Department of
Juvenile Justice may participate in county juvenile impact
incarceration programs established under Section 3-6039 of the
Counties Code.
(g) The Department of Juvenile Justice must comply with
the ethnic and racial background data collection procedures
provided in Section 4.5 of the Criminal Identification Act.
(h) The Department of Juvenile Justice shall implement a
wellness program to support health and wellbeing among staff
and service providers within the Department of Juvenile
Justice environment. The Department of Juvenile Justice shall
establish response teams to provide support to employees and
staff affected by events that are both duty-related and not
duty-related and provide training to response team members.
The Department's wellness program shall be accessible to any
Department employee or service provider, including contractual
employees and approved volunteers. The wellness program may
include information sharing, education and activities designed
to support health and well-being within the Department's
environment. Access to wellness response team support shall be
voluntary and remain confidential.
(Source: P.A. 102-616, eff. 1-1-22.)
(730 ILCS 5/3-2.5-100)
Sec. 3-2.5-100. Length of aftercare release; discharge.
(a) The aftercare release term of a youth committed to the
Department under the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 shall be as set
out in Section 5-750 of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987, unless
sooner terminated under subsection (b) of this Section, as
otherwise provided by law, or as ordered by the court. The
aftercare release term of youth committed to the Department as
a habitual or violent juvenile offender under Section 5-815 or
5-820 of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 shall continue until
the youth's 21st birthday unless sooner terminated under
subsection (c) of this Section, as otherwise provided by law,
or as ordered by the court.
(b) Provided that the youth is in compliance with the
terms and conditions of his or her aftercare release, the
Department of Juvenile Justice may reduce the period of a
releasee's aftercare release by 90 days upon the releasee
receiving a high school diploma or upon passage of high school
equivalency testing during the period of his or her aftercare
release. This reduction in the period of a youth's term of
aftercare release shall be available only to youth who have
not previously earned a high school diploma or who have not
previously passed high school equivalency testing.
(c) The Department of Juvenile Justice may discharge a
youth from aftercare release and his or her commitment to the
Department in accordance with subsection (3) of Section 5-750
of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987, if it determines that he or
she is likely to remain at liberty without committing another
offense.
(d) Upon the discharge of a youth, the Department may
continue to provide services to the youth for up to 12 months
to allow the youth to participate in vocational,
rehabilitative, or supportive programs. The continuance of
services may be requested by the youth, the youth's parent or
guardian, or the Director of Juvenile Justice.
(Source: P.A. 99-628, eff. 1-1-17.)
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.
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