FAMM began working in Illinois in 2021 supporting legislation to advance our national Second Chances Agenda. In the 2021 legislature, supported successful legislation to create a compassionate release mechanism and advocated legislation to create a Second Look mechanism that would apply to everyone incarcerated in Illinois prisons who had served at least 20 years.
In 2022, we will continue to educate lawmakers and the public on the failures of Illinois excessive sentencing and the need for Second Chances legislation.
2021 Legislative Work
Status: This bill did not pass the Illinois legislature during the 2021 legislative session.
Summary: SB 2333/HB 2399 would have given everyone in the Illinois state prison system parole eligibility before the Prisoner Review Board after serving 20 years. The bill would have prioritized the consideration and potential release of individuals of people over 50 years old and who had served 20 years for the first three years of enactment.
Status: HB 3665 passed the legislature in 2021 and went into effect on January 1, 2022.
Summary: HB 3665 established a medical release process within the Illinois Department of Corrections, allowing terminally ill and medically incapacitated incarcerated individuals the opportunity to seek release through the Prisoner Review Board.