East Central Reporter

The Illinois House recently voted against a proposed bill that aimed to expand resentencing options for youth offenders. The legislation, identified as House Bill 3332, would have enabled individuals incarcerated for crimes committed before they turned 21 to be eligible for parole hearings. The proposal was rejected in a 49-51 vote, with a bipartisan group of lawmakers opposing the motion. Bills in the Illinois House require at least 60 votes for passage.

Despite being sponsored by a Democrat, the bill did not gain sufficient support, with a notable number of Democrats either voting against it or abstaining. Following the vote, the bill was pronounced "lost," signifying it cannot be revisited later.

State Representative Chris Miller commented, "The pro-criminal party works hard to reduce public safety in our communities. Here's a thought—let police do their job and hold criminals accountable for their actions. We don’t need to water down criminal behavior, we need to enforce current laws that protect Illinois citizens!"

Under the proposed legislation, those sentenced for crimes committed under the age of 21 would have been eligible for parole after serving ten years in prison. Murder convicts would have been considered for parole after twenty years, and those who murdered a victim under 18 years of age would have become eligible after thirty years.

This information was reported by Ben Szalinski for Capitol News Illinois.

Ben Szalinski — Capitol News Illinois