09 Sep ILLINOIS’S “LAW OF ACCOUNTABILITY”

KNOW MORE: ILLINOIS’S “LAW OF ACCOUNTABILITY”

Restore Justice published a new “Know More” piece. The report focuses on Illinois’s “law of accountability.”

In Illinois, it is legal for a person to be arrested, charged, and convicted of a crime they not only did not commit but also did not plan, agree, or intend to commit, and at which they were not even present. Like many states, Illinois has enacted a statute generally known as an “accomplice liability law,” which allows a person to be held criminally responsible for someone else’s actions. In Illinois, this statute is called the “law of accountability,” or “accountability theory.” 

This piece is part of our “Know More” series. The criminal legal and prison systems in Illinois can often feel like a jigsaw puzzle, full of interlocking laws, policies, and eccentricities that can be overwhelming even to experienced advocates. Restore Justice publishes the “Know More” posts to provide a straightforward overview of a different aspect of the Illinois criminal legal system.