Bill Text: IL HB5187 | 2011-2012 | 97th General Assembly | Chaptered

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Bill Title: Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides that the curriculum for probationary police officers shall include training in techniques designed to promote effective communication at the initial contact with crime victims and ways to comprehensively explain to victims and witnesses their rights under the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act and the Crime Victims Compensation Act. Amends the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act. Provides that any law enforcement agency that investigates an offense committed in the State shall provide a crime victim with a written statement and explanation of the rights of crime victims within 48 hours of law enforcement's initial contact with a victim. Provides that the Clerk of the Circuit Court shall post the rights of crime victims set forth in the Illinois Constitution and the Act within 3 feet of the door to any courtroom where criminal proceedings are conducted. Provides that the clerk may also post the rights in other locations in the courthouse. Provides that when the defendant has been committed to the Department of Human Services, the victim may request to be notified by the releasing authority of the approval by the court of an on-grounds pass, a supervised off-grounds pass, an unsupervised off-grounds pass, or conditional release; the release on an off-grounds pass; the return from an off-grounds pass; transfer to another facility; conditional release; escape; death; or final discharge from State custody.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Passed) 2012-07-16 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 97-0815 [HB5187 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2011-HB5187-Chaptered.html

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Public Act 097-0815
HB5187 Enrolled LRB097 17232 RLC 65228 b
AN ACT concerning criminal law.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Illinois Police Training Act is amended by
changing Section 7 as follows:
(50 ILCS 705/7) (from Ch. 85, par. 507)
Sec. 7. Rules and standards for schools. The Board shall
adopt rules and minimum standards for such schools which shall
include but not be limited to the following:
a. The curriculum for probationary police officers which
shall be offered by all certified schools shall include but not
be limited to courses of arrest, search and seizure, civil
rights, human relations, cultural diversity, including racial
and ethnic sensitivity, criminal law, law of criminal
procedure, vehicle and traffic law including uniform and
non-discriminatory enforcement of the Illinois Vehicle Code,
traffic control and accident investigation, techniques of
obtaining physical evidence, court testimonies, statements,
reports, firearms training, first-aid (including
cardiopulmonary resuscitation), handling of juvenile
offenders, recognition of mental conditions which require
immediate assistance and methods to safeguard and provide
assistance to a person in need of mental treatment, law of

evidence, the hazards of high-speed police vehicle chases with
an emphasis on alternatives to the high-speed chase, and
physical training. The curriculum shall include specific
training in techniques for immediate response to and
investigation of cases of domestic violence and of sexual
assault of adults and children. The curriculum shall include
training in techniques designed to promote effective
communication at the initial contact with crime victims and
ways to comprehensively explain to victims and witnesses their
rights under the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act and
the Crime Victims Compensation Act. The curriculum shall also
include a block of instruction aimed at identifying and
interacting with persons with autism and other developmental
disabilities, reducing barriers to reporting crimes against
persons with autism, and addressing the unique challenges
presented by cases involving victims or witnesses with autism
and other developmental disabilities. The curriculum for
permanent police officers shall include but not be limited to
(1) refresher and in-service training in any of the courses
listed above in this subparagraph, (2) advanced courses in any
of the subjects listed above in this subparagraph, (3) training
for supervisory personnel, and (4) specialized training in
subjects and fields to be selected by the board.
b. Minimum courses of study, attendance requirements and
equipment requirements.
c. Minimum requirements for instructors.

d. Minimum basic training requirements, which a
probationary police officer must satisfactorily complete
before being eligible for permanent employment as a local law
enforcement officer for a participating local governmental
agency. Those requirements shall include training in first aid
(including cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
e. Minimum basic training requirements, which a
probationary county corrections officer must satisfactorily
complete before being eligible for permanent employment as a
county corrections officer for a participating local
governmental agency.
f. Minimum basic training requirements which a
probationary court security officer must satisfactorily
complete before being eligible for permanent employment as a
court security officer for a participating local governmental
agency. The Board shall establish those training requirements
which it considers appropriate for court security officers and
shall certify schools to conduct that training.
A person hired to serve as a court security officer must
obtain from the Board a certificate (i) attesting to his or her
successful completion of the training course; (ii) attesting to
his or her satisfactory completion of a training program of
similar content and number of hours that has been found
acceptable by the Board under the provisions of this Act; or
(iii) attesting to the Board's determination that the training
course is unnecessary because of the person's extensive prior

law enforcement experience.
Individuals who currently serve as court security officers
shall be deemed qualified to continue to serve in that capacity
so long as they are certified as provided by this Act within 24
months of the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1996.
Failure to be so certified, absent a waiver from the Board,
shall cause the officer to forfeit his or her position.
All individuals hired as court security officers on or
after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1996 shall
be certified within 12 months of the date of their hire, unless
a waiver has been obtained by the Board, or they shall forfeit
their positions.
The Sheriff's Merit Commission, if one exists, or the
Sheriff's Office if there is no Sheriff's Merit Commission,
shall maintain a list of all individuals who have filed
applications to become court security officers and who meet the
eligibility requirements established under this Act. Either
the Sheriff's Merit Commission, or the Sheriff's Office if no
Sheriff's Merit Commission exists, shall establish a schedule
of reasonable intervals for verification of the applicants'
qualifications under this Act and as established by the Board.
(Source: P.A. 95-171, eff. 1-1-08.)
Section 10. The Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act
is amended by changing Sections 4 and 4.5 as follows:

(725 ILCS 120/4) (from Ch. 38, par. 1404)
Sec. 4. Rights of crime victims.
(a) Crime victims shall have the following rights:
(1) The right to be treated with fairness and respect
for their dignity and privacy throughout the criminal
justice process.
(2) The right to notification of court proceedings.
(3) The right to communicate with the prosecution.
(4) The right to make a statement to the court at
sentencing.
(5) The right to information about the conviction,
sentence, imprisonment and release of the accused.
(6) The right to the timely disposition of the case
following the arrest of the accused.
(7) The right to be reasonably protected from the
accused through the criminal justice process.
(8) The right to be present at the trial and all other
court proceedings on the same basis as the accused, unless
the victim is to testify and the court determines that the
victim's testimony would be materially affected if the
victim hears other testimony at the trial.
(9) the right to have present at all court proceedings,
including proceedings under the Juvenile Court Act of 1987,
subject to the admonition of the rules of confidentiality
and subject to the rules of evidence, a victim-witness
specialist, an advocate or other support person of the

victim's choice.
(10) The right to restitution.
(b) Any law enforcement agency that investigates an offense
committed in this State shall provide a crime victim with a
written statement and explanation of the rights of crime
victims within 48 hours of law enforcement's initial contact
with a victim. The statement shall include information about
crime victim compensation, including how to contact the Office
of the Illinois Attorney General to file a claim, and
appropriate referrals to local and State programs that provide
victim services. The content of the statement shall be provided
to law enforcement by the Attorney General. Law enforcement
shall also provide a crime victim with a sign-off sheet that
the victim shall sign and date as an acknowledgement that he or
she has been furnished with information and an explanation of
the rights of crime victims and compensation set forth in this
Act.
(c) The Clerk of the Circuit Court shall post the rights of
crime victims set forth in Article I, Section 8.1(a) of the
Illinois Constitution and subsection (a) of this Section within
3 feet of the door to any courtroom where criminal proceedings
are conducted. The clerk may also post the rights in other
locations in the courthouse.
(d) A statement and explanation of the rights of crime
victims set forth in paragraph (a) of this Section shall be
given to a crime victim at the initial contact with the

criminal justice system by the appropriate authorities and
shall be conspicuously posted in all court facilities.
(Source: P.A. 95-591, eff. 6-1-08.)
(725 ILCS 120/4.5)
Sec. 4.5. Procedures to implement the rights of crime
victims. To afford crime victims their rights, law enforcement,
prosecutors, judges and corrections will provide information,
as appropriate of the following procedures:
(a) At the request of the crime victim, law enforcement
authorities investigating the case shall provide notice of the
status of the investigation, except where the State's Attorney
determines that disclosure of such information would
unreasonably interfere with the investigation, until such time
as the alleged assailant is apprehended or the investigation is
closed.
(a-5) When law enforcement authorities re-open a closed
case to resume investigating, they shall provide notice of the
re-opening of the case, except where the State's Attorney
determines that disclosure of such information would
unreasonably interfere with the investigation.
(b) The office of the State's Attorney:
(1) shall provide notice of the filing of information,
the return of an indictment by which a prosecution for any
violent crime is commenced, or the filing of a petition to
adjudicate a minor as a delinquent for a violent crime;

(2) shall provide notice of the date, time, and place
of trial;
(3) or victim advocate personnel shall provide
information of social services and financial assistance
available for victims of crime, including information of
how to apply for these services and assistance;
(3.5) or victim advocate personnel shall provide
information about available victim services, including
referrals to programs, counselors, and agencies that
assist a victim to deal with trauma, loss, and grief;
(4) shall assist in having any stolen or other personal
property held by law enforcement authorities for
evidentiary or other purposes returned as expeditiously as
possible, pursuant to the procedures set out in Section
115-9 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963;
(5) or victim advocate personnel shall provide
appropriate employer intercession services to ensure that
employers of victims will cooperate with the criminal
justice system in order to minimize an employee's loss of
pay and other benefits resulting from court appearances;
(6) shall provide information whenever possible, of a
secure waiting area during court proceedings that does not
require victims to be in close proximity to defendant or
juveniles accused of a violent crime, and their families
and friends;
(7) shall provide notice to the crime victim of the

right to have a translator present at all court proceedings
and, in compliance with the federal Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990, the right to communications
access through a sign language interpreter or by other
means;
(8) in the case of the death of a person, which death
occurred in the same transaction or occurrence in which
acts occurred for which a defendant is charged with an
offense, shall notify the spouse, parent, child or sibling
of the decedent of the date of the trial of the person or
persons allegedly responsible for the death;
(9) shall inform the victim of the right to have
present at all court proceedings, subject to the rules of
evidence, an advocate or other support person of the
victim's choice, and the right to retain an attorney, at
the victim's own expense, who, upon written notice filed
with the clerk of the court and State's Attorney, is to
receive copies of all notices, motions and court orders
filed thereafter in the case, in the same manner as if the
victim were a named party in the case;
(10) at the sentencing hearing shall make a good faith
attempt to explain the minimum amount of time during which
the defendant may actually be physically imprisoned. The
Office of the State's Attorney shall further notify the
crime victim of the right to request from the Prisoner
Review Board information concerning the release of the

defendant under subparagraph (d)(1) of this Section;
(11) shall request restitution at sentencing and shall
consider restitution in any plea negotiation, as provided
by law; and
(12) shall, upon the court entering a verdict of not
guilty by reason of insanity, inform the victim of the
notification services available from the Department of
Human Services, including the statewide telephone number,
under subparagraph (d)(2) of this Section.
(c) At the written request of the crime victim, the office
of the State's Attorney shall:
(1) provide notice a reasonable time in advance of the
following court proceedings: preliminary hearing, any
hearing the effect of which may be the release of defendant
from custody, or to alter the conditions of bond and the
sentencing hearing. The crime victim shall also be notified
of the cancellation of the court proceeding in sufficient
time, wherever possible, to prevent an unnecessary
appearance in court;
(2) provide notice within a reasonable time after
receipt of notice from the custodian, of the release of the
defendant on bail or personal recognizance or the release
from detention of a minor who has been detained for a
violent crime;
(3) explain in nontechnical language the details of any
plea or verdict of a defendant, or any adjudication of a

juvenile as a delinquent for a violent crime;
(4) where practical, consult with the crime victim
before the Office of the State's Attorney makes an offer of
a plea bargain to the defendant or enters into negotiations
with the defendant concerning a possible plea agreement,
and shall consider the written victim impact statement, if
prepared prior to entering into a plea agreement;
(5) provide notice of the ultimate disposition of the
cases arising from an indictment or an information, or a
petition to have a juvenile adjudicated as a delinquent for
a violent crime;
(6) provide notice of any appeal taken by the defendant
and information on how to contact the appropriate agency
handling the appeal;
(7) provide notice of any request for post-conviction
review filed by the defendant under Article 122 of the Code
of Criminal Procedure of 1963, and of the date, time and
place of any hearing concerning the petition. Whenever
possible, notice of the hearing shall be given in advance;
(8) forward a copy of any statement presented under
Section 6 to the Prisoner Review Board to be considered by
the Board in making its determination under subsection (b)
of Section 3-3-8 of the Unified Code of Corrections.
(d) (1) The Prisoner Review Board shall inform a victim or
any other concerned citizen, upon written request, of the
prisoner's release on parole, mandatory supervised release,

electronic detention, work release, international transfer or
exchange, or by the custodian of the discharge of any
individual who was adjudicated a delinquent for a violent crime
from State custody and by the sheriff of the appropriate county
of any such person's final discharge from county custody. The
Prisoner Review Board, upon written request, shall provide to a
victim or any other concerned citizen a recent photograph of
any person convicted of a felony, upon his or her release from
custody. The Prisoner Review Board, upon written request, shall
inform a victim or any other concerned citizen when feasible at
least 7 days prior to the prisoner's release on furlough of the
times and dates of such furlough. Upon written request by the
victim or any other concerned citizen, the State's Attorney
shall notify the person once of the times and dates of release
of a prisoner sentenced to periodic imprisonment. Notification
shall be based on the most recent information as to victim's or
other concerned citizen's residence or other location
available to the notifying authority.
(2) When the defendant has been committed to the Department
of Human Services pursuant to Section 5-2-4 or any other
provision of the Unified Code of Corrections, the victim may
request to be notified by the releasing authority of the
approval by the court of an on-grounds pass, a supervised
off-grounds pass, an unsupervised off-grounds pass, or
conditional release; the release on an off-grounds pass; the
return from an off-grounds pass; transfer to another facility;

conditional release; escape; death; defendant's furloughs,
temporary release, or final discharge from State custody. The
Department of Human Services shall establish and maintain a
statewide telephone number to be used by victims to make
notification requests under these provisions and shall
publicize this telephone number on its website and to the
State's Attorney of each county.
(3) In the event of an escape from State custody, the
Department of Corrections or the Department of Juvenile Justice
immediately shall notify the Prisoner Review Board of the
escape and the Prisoner Review Board shall notify the victim.
The notification shall be based upon the most recent
information as to the victim's residence or other location
available to the Board. When no such information is available,
the Board shall make all reasonable efforts to obtain the
information and make the notification. When the escapee is
apprehended, the Department of Corrections or the Department of
Juvenile Justice immediately shall notify the Prisoner Review
Board and the Board shall notify the victim.
(4) The victim of the crime for which the prisoner has been
sentenced shall receive reasonable written notice not less than
30 days prior to the parole interview and may submit, in
writing, on film, videotape or other electronic means or in the
form of a recording or in person at the parole interview or if
a victim of a violent crime, by calling the toll-free number
established in subsection (f) of this Section, information for

consideration by the Prisoner Review Board. The victim shall be
notified within 7 days after the prisoner has been granted
parole and shall be informed of the right to inspect the
registry of parole decisions, established under subsection (g)
of Section 3-3-5 of the Unified Code of Corrections. The
provisions of this paragraph (4) are subject to the Open Parole
Hearings Act.
(5) If a statement is presented under Section 6, the
Prisoner Review Board shall inform the victim of any order of
discharge entered by the Board pursuant to Section 3-3-8 of the
Unified Code of Corrections.
(6) At the written request of the victim of the crime for
which the prisoner was sentenced or the State's Attorney of the
county where the person seeking parole was prosecuted, the
Prisoner Review Board shall notify the victim and the State's
Attorney of the county where the person seeking parole was
prosecuted of the death of the prisoner if the prisoner died
while on parole or mandatory supervised release.
(7) When a defendant who has been committed to the
Department of Corrections, the Department of Juvenile Justice,
or the Department of Human Services is released or discharged
and subsequently committed to the Department of Human Services
as a sexually violent person and the victim had requested to be
notified by the releasing authority of the defendant's
discharge, conditional release, death, or escape from State
custody, the releasing authority shall provide to the

Department of Human Services such information that would allow
the Department of Human Services to contact the victim.
(8) When a defendant has been convicted of a sex offense as
defined in Section 2 of the Sex Offender Registration Act and
has been sentenced to the Department of Corrections or the
Department of Juvenile Justice, the Prisoner Review Board shall
notify the victim of the sex offense of the prisoner's
eligibility for release on parole, mandatory supervised
release, electronic detention, work release, international
transfer or exchange, or by the custodian of the discharge of
any individual who was adjudicated a delinquent for a sex
offense from State custody and by the sheriff of the
appropriate county of any such person's final discharge from
county custody. The notification shall be made to the victim at
least 30 days, whenever possible, before release of the sex
offender.
(e) The officials named in this Section may satisfy some or
all of their obligations to provide notices and other
information through participation in a statewide victim and
witness notification system established by the Attorney
General under Section 8.5 of this Act.
(f) To permit a victim of a violent crime to provide
information to the Prisoner Review Board for consideration by
the Board at a parole hearing of a person who committed the
crime against the victim in accordance with clause (d)(4) of
this Section or at a proceeding to determine the conditions of

mandatory supervised release of a person sentenced to a
determinate sentence or at a hearing on revocation of mandatory
supervised release of a person sentenced to a determinate
sentence, the Board shall establish a toll-free number that may
be accessed by the victim of a violent crime to present that
information to the Board.
(Source: P.A. 96-328, eff. 8-11-09; 96-875, eff. 1-22-10;
97-457, eff. 1-1-12; 97-572, eff. 1-1-12; revised 9-14-11.)