Advocacy
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UU communities are inclusive, you can bring your whole self: your full identity, your questioning mind, your expansive heart. Together, we create a force more powerful than one person or one belief system. As Unitarian Universalists, we do not have to check our personal background and beliefs at the door: we join together on a journey that honors everywhere we’ve been before.
We are organizing Illinois Unitarian Universalist congregations to advocate for policy changes in Illinois related to prisons. This includes; setting strict limits on the use of solitary confinement, reforming bail/bond system, and allowing returning citizens access to more job and housing opportunities.
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Bills for action2019 These bills are before the 2019 IL Legislative body.
Use the status links to find out if your representative is involved in decision making and reach out to them letting them know your support. Click on the titles below to learn more about these bills on the IL General Assembly website. Then check out how your legislator voted - consider contacting them in thanks or concern. HB 2045 :: Healthcare - Support Status: Passed Criminal Law Committee, House & Senate Looking forward to likely sign into law by Gov Pritzker. Bill eliminate the $5 co-pay for healthcare. Click here to see the votes Carol Ammons was lead sponsor in House. Elgie Sims is chief Senate sponsor HB 2444 :: Parental Detention - Support Final language Status: Passed Criminal Law Committee , House & Senate Looking forward to likely being signed into law by Gov Pritzker. Parental Detention: The Children’s Best Interest Act provides specific circumstances that the court shall consider in favor of release, to prevent unnecessary harm to children caused by separation from parents.Provides consideration for defendants who care for a family member who is ill, disabled, or elderly. Click here to see the votes Rep. Kelly Cassidy - lead sponsor in the House Rep. Delia Ramirez - lead co-sponsor Sen. Jacqueline Y. Collins (majority whip) -lead sponsor in the Senate Sen. Robert Peters lead co-sponsor in the Senate Other Prison-related billed that passed both houses: HB 531 – now Public Act 100-1182 – creates new parole opportunities for those under 21 coming into the system today with extreme sentences ahead of them—the first new opportunity for parole in this state since the practice was abolished in 1978. HB 900 Never Require People to Reimburse any Cost of Incarceration. HB 3061 Health Care Workers Background Check. Removes barriers that may have prevented people from applying for healthcare jobs because of a previous conviction. Following bills are dead for this session Please consider writing your legislator in support or disagreement with their vote HB 182 :: Solitary - Support Status: Rules Committee Click here to see the vote Provides that: a committed person may not be placed in isolated confinement for more than 10 consecutive days; may not be placed in isolated confinement for more than 10 days in any 180-day period; while out of cell, committed persons may have access to activities; that the DoC shall post quarterly reports. HB 1587 :: Gets rid of some mandatory minimum sentences - Support Status: Passed Criminal Law Committee & passed the House 61-48 DID NOT Make it to the floor for a vote in the Senate Judges would be able to depart from state mandatory minimums for just three types of offenses. Click here to see the votes Sen Elgie R Sims, Jr sponsor in the Senate This was not on our radar before (it is a small step compared to what is really needed), but it has now passed the house with bi-partisan support: State Rep. Allen Skillicorn, from East Dundee, was among a group of SEVEN Republicans who joined Democrats in supporting the legislation. Judges would be able to depart from state mandatory minimums for just three types of offenses:
HB 2039 :: Penalty Reduction - Support Status: Rules Committee Click here to see the vote Provides that a person serving a sentence for any criminal offense under the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012 or a similar local ordinance for which the statutory penalty has been subsequently reduced or altered may petition the trial court that entered the judgment of conviction to request resentencing or dismissal in accordance with the statutory penalty in effect at the time of the filing of the petition. Notes from our advocates: State's attorneys have long been in opposition - claiming unconstitutionality - Cassidy wanted to call it but was postponed - the Gov's office asked to hold onto it, as they are interested in a mass communication of sentences (for pot), concern is that it won't address barriers that folks have that aren't in prison. HB3214 :: Parole - Support Status: Rules Committee Click here to see the vote A person serving a term of imprisonment in a DOC facility is eligible for parole and a parole hearing if they have served (1) At least 20 years 2-25% o the sentence (2) A minimum sentence for offense. Person serving natural life shall be eligible after 20 years. Check out this website for more information from a consortium of advocates. HB 3332 :: Housing Income Tax Credit - Support Status: Rules Committee Click here to see the vote Provides a tax credit to landlords that rent to people with conviction records, providing a 15% tax credit for amount of annual rent received from that "qualified renter" |
Support for work in the worldCoalition to End Money Bond
On April 10, 2019, the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Pretrial Practices announced it will be hosting three listening sessions on pretrial justice and accepting written comments through June 30th of this year. This is a direct result of the Coalition to End Money Bond and our allies’ demands for a process for public input into this important conversation. Over the last several months, we collected nearly 1,000 signatures in support of a public hearing and sent in hundreds of postcards from individual supporters calling on the commission to hear the voices of impacted communities. Thank you for your part in making this happen! The currently scheduled hearings are:
Solitary Confinement
We are embarking on a campaign with Black and Pink and other IL organizations to influence Governor Pritzker to stand with those currently locked up to eliminate or greatly reduce the use of solitary confinement as a means of disciplinary action. Work we have engaged: Join us in advocating to abolish this form of torture. Parole Reform
Working with Parole IL we are engaging congregations in learning about the needs and legislation that will (hopefully) be presented again in the future. (See information about HB 531 & HB 2039 to the right.) In response to concerns raised by the State's Attorneys Association representative that people returning to our communities will not be welcomed we are encouraging congregation to review and sign on to a welcoming statement that can be sent to your legislators, State's Attorney and Governors office. This is a concrete way to show our support as a movement. You will also find an OpEd from Bill Ryan long time activist working for change in our criminal justice system.
Help Needed - a mental health crisis in our criminal justice system
On March 16, 2019 we held an event to bring a much needed voice to this issue: There is a mental health crisis in our country today. A crisis hidden within our criminal justice system. We have criminalized and exacerbated mental health issues by ignoring the needs of our people and causing more harm to those trapped by our criminal justice systems. We want to educate and agitate our faith community about these issues so that we can better contribute to movements working to abolish unjust systems. Listen to our panelists discuss Dr. Nathaniel Gilham: Clinical Director - Chicago Torture Justice Center Brian Nelson: Prisoners' Rights Coordinator/Investigator, Torture survivor - Uptown Peoples Law Center Jim Poole: Dir. Community Engagement - NAMI Chicago Monica Cosby: Lead Community Organizer - Women's Justice Institute Moderator: Dr. Shelby Wyatt: Counselor - Kenwood Brotherhood Inc. Questions:
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