Bill Text: IL HB3648 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Enrolled

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Creates the Higher Education in Prison Act. Provides that on or before September 1 of the year following the effective date of the Act and each subsequent September 1, the Department of Corrections shall release a report, to be published on the Department of Corrections's Internet website, detailing certain information pertaining to higher education within Department institutions and facilities. Requires the report to be filed with the Governor and General Assembly. Provides that the data provided in the report shall include an aggregate chart at the Department level and individual reports by each correctional institution or facility of the Department of Corrections. Provides that on or before September 1 of the year following the effective date of the Act and each subsequent September 1, each college and university that provides academic programs for committed persons shall report to the Board of Higher Education on enrollment, retention, completion, and student demographics, including race, ethnicity, age, and gender of committed students. Provides that the Board of Higher Education shall compile the information and, within 60 days after receipt of such information, issue a report reflecting the information for each institution required to report. Provides that the report must be filed with the Governor and General Assembly and made publicly available on the Board of Higher Education's Internet website.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 23-0)

Status: (Passed) 2023-08-11 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 103-0541 [HB3648 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HB3648-Enrolled.html



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1 AN ACT concerning education.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Higher
5Education in Prison Act.
6 Section 5. Higher education in prison programs.
7 (a) In this Section, "higher education" means
8post-secondary academic education at the undergraduate or
9graduate level in a community college or university setting.
10 (b) On or before September 1 of the year following the
11effective date of this Act and each subsequent September 1,
12the Department of Corrections shall release a report, to be
13published on the Department of Corrections's Internet website,
14detailing the following information pertaining to higher
15education within Department institutions and facilities:
16 (1) the number of unique individuals involved in adult
17 basic education, high school equivalency, and credit and
18 non-credit bearing higher education programs over the
19 course of the fiscal year;
20 (2) the racial, ethnic, age, and gender breakdown of
21 committed persons participating in higher education
22 programs;
23 (3) the length of sentence and length of remaining

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1 sentence of persons enrolled in higher education programs;
2 (4) the number of committed persons who are on waiting
3 lists for participation in all educational programs,
4 including adult basic education, high school equivalency,
5 and higher education, and the average length of time spent
6 on each waiting list, including a breakdown by length of
7 remaining sentence;
8 (5) the total amount of earned program sentence credit
9 awarded to committed persons for participating in higher
10 education programs and the percentage of committed persons
11 participating in higher education programs that are
12 awarded earned program sentence credit;
13 (6) the number, category, and ultimate resolution of
14 grievances related to higher education programs;
15 (7) a financial statement that includes annual and
16 monthly expenditures of Department of Corrections
17 institutions and facilities on adult basic education, high
18 school equivalency, and higher education programs; and
19 (8) an explanation of how participation in adult basic
20 education, high school equivalency, and higher education
21 programs is factored into a committed persons' risk
22 assessment score.
23 Personal, identifiable information shall be redacted to
24protect privacy.
25 The report must be filed with the Governor and General
26Assembly.

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1 (c) The data provided in the report under subsection (b)
2shall include an aggregate chart at the Department level and
3individual reports by each correctional institution or
4facility of the Department of Corrections.
5 (d) To facilitate the collection of information on higher
6education in prison (HEP) programs, each 4-year public or
7private institution of higher education with HEP degree or
8certificate programs shall provide the Board of Higher
9Education with student-level information as part of its
10regular agency data-collection processes. Each public
11community college with HEP degree or certificate programs
12shall provide the Illinois Community College Board with
13student-level information as part of its regular agency
14data-collection processes. Upon request, the student-level
15information shall include the correctional facility in which
16the HEP program is being offered. The information provided to
17the Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community
18College Board shall include HEP enrollment and completion data
19disaggregated by variables, including but not limited to,
20race, ethnicity, gender, age, and type of degree or
21certificate. The Board of Higher Education and the Illinois
22Community College Board shall annually make HEP program data
23publicly available on their Internet websites.
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