Legislative Action                        

Crime on the mind
and fodder for campaigns

By JENNIFER HALPERIN

"Nearly everyone is talking about crime," said state Sen. Penny Severns (D-51, Decatur) during a recent press conference on prison-related legislation she has filed. Well, if not everyone is, at least those running for public office are.

Since this year's campaign season began, political observers have watched liberal Democrats match conservative Republicans in both enthusiasm and legislative proposals for getting dangerous criminals off the streets. And it's not only statewide candidates who have been pushing tough-on-crime bills; those in difficult House and Senate races have their own crime-fighting agendas.

While some studies have reported mixed findings on whether violent crimes in general have increased, there are some frightening statistics to which politicians can point. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported not long ago that between 1987 and 1992, the annual number of firearm deaths in the state rose by 394 to a startling 1,559. And Severns, who hopes to be the Democrats' nominee for lieutenant governor, needed to look no further than her own backyard: A record 13 murders were committed in Decatur last year.

Most prominent and controversial among the crime-fighting initiatives has been the chorus of calls for a ban on the manufacture, sale and possession of assault weapons. Some type of proposal involving the ban of these guns became almost a prerequisite for the major gubernatorial hopefuls this year.

Truth-in-sentencing legislative proposals have become popular as well, especially those calling for prisoners to serve 85 percent of their sentences before becoming eligible for good conduct credit to reduce the amount of time they serve. The obvious problem with these kinds of proposals is that they either would: a) eventually require more money for construction of new cells, or b) increase the populations in the state's already overcrowded prisons. Severns and Cook County Board President Richard Phelan, who is running for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, advocate increasing the amount of time served for all inmates, whether they are first-time offenders or not. Atty. Gen. Roland W. Burris, one of Phelan's opponents for the nomination, wants the increase to affect repeat offenders. Too bad Illinois already has a "three-time-loser" law on the books (also known in press conferences and campaign commercials nationwide as "three-strikes-you're-in"), or surely we'd have a spate of candidates for various offices calling for institution of such a measure. As The Associated Press reported earlier this year, Illinois' law took effect in 1978 under former Gov. James R. Thompson, but the law has meant life sentences for just 92 inmates in the 16 years since. The law requires life terms in prison for criminals convicted of Class X offenses, which include such serious crimes as first-degree murder and aggravated battery of a child. Proposed now are expansions of this law. Burris wants to see three-time offenders of Class 1 or Class 2 felonies also receive automatic life sentences. And state Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-112, Collinsville) proposed that a third felony conviction should mean life in prison if any of the three convictions was for a violent crime. Some of the other crime-related proposals that will be working their way through the legislative process this year include: • Two spin-offs of the proposed ban on assault weapons. One would establish a minimum prison term of 60 years for anyone convicted of committing a violent crime while armed with one of the banned weapons. The other would hold manufacturers liable for injuries and damage caused by the assault weapons they produce. • Requiring all new guns purchased to include trigger locks. • Requiring anyone charged with stalking to surrender all firearms and ammunition as a condition of bail. This also would affect anyone who is the subject of a restraining order due to allega-

Spring session calendar Key dates in March March 2: Budget Message; session day March 4: deadline for Senate bill introductions March 11: deadline for introduction of House appropriations bills March 15: primary election day March 17, 18 ,22,23,24: session days March 28-April 1: House Easter Break March 29, 30, 31: Senate session days March 31: final day to report substantive bills in: Senate Key dates in April April 4-8: Senate Easter House session day's scheduled April-8,11-15, 19-22, 25-29 May 3-6,9-13, 16-27 (Some of these dates, April 25, May 9 and May 16, are listed as "tentative" session days.) House deadlines April 11: deadline for introduction of House committee bills April 15: deadline for moving House bills out of committee and 1993 Senate bills Apil 29: deadline for third reading of all House bills May 13: deadline for moving Senate bills out of committee May 20: deadline for third reading of Senate bills May 27: adjournment Senate session days scheduled April 11-15, 18-22, 26-28 May 3-6, 10-13,16-27 (April 11, 15,18 and May 6 and 16 are mark "optional" session days,) Senate deadlines April 13: final day to reportappropriations bills: April 22: final day for passage of Senate bills May 11: final day to report substantive bills May 20: final day for, passage House bills May 27: adjournment

March 1994/Illinois Issues/25

tions of violence, abuse or harrassment. In addition, the accused in these cases would their Firearm Owner's Identification cards suspended for the duration of the restraining order.

• Requiring that parolees report twice a month for the first six months of their parole and once a month for the rest of their parole periods. Current law requires that they report once a month for six months.

• Changing the crime for illegal possession of a firearm or ammunition by a minor from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class 4 felony, which is punishable by a prison term of one to three years and/or a fine of up to $10,000. The bill also would change the crime and therefore the penalty (a Class A misdemeanor would become a Class 4 felony) for knowingly selling a firearm to someone who is under 21 and has been convicted of a misdemeanor.

• Trying juveniles age 15 or older as adults for any crime committed with a weapon. Juveniles now are tried as adults only in cases of first-degree murder, aggravated sexual assault, armed robbery with a firearm or unlawful use of a weapon in or near a school. Other measures are aimed at reforming juveniles convicted of crimes rather than trying them as adults. These include the establishment of juvenile training programs, which would include a 60-day physical training and discipline program ("boot camps") and then a one-year "community reintegration" program, including such things as community service, job training or work toward a high school diploma.

Whether any or all of these proposals have merit as methods of fighting crime, the fact is that many of them are intended to put more criminals in prisons to serve longer sentences. That takes money that just isn't there. Other proposals, such as requiring trigger-lock devices on new guns, likely will take a beating from gun control opponents. Gun control advocates (and those straddling the fence but in fear of losing support from voters) probably will end up selecting their battles carefully and rallying around the assault weapons bans, which have broad bases of Democratic and Republican support.

In the end, a heavy platter of crime-fighting proposals could end up stuck in legislative committees — but fodder, nonetheless, for campaign brochures.

26/March 1994/Illinois Issues