Reports and Factsheets
The criminal legal system 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 a series of reports and factsheets which provide straightforward and reliable information on different aspects of the Illinois criminal legal system.
Current legislation
Every legislative session, Restore Justice champions criminal legal reform bills to advocate for change in Springfield. Read about our bills and access legislative factsheets (if applicable) below.
Factsheets
Restore Justice compiles information and research summaries on our main focus areas to provide reliable information to those interested in understanding the criminal legal system in Illinois.
In Illinois, several factors have converged to funnel thousands of children and young adults into prison for extreme lengths of time, where they are deprived of their liberty, their chance for rehabilitation, and their possibility of release. Explore our factsheets below to learn more about the current state of the sentencing young people in Illinois, and how Restore Justice works to reform these areas.
About Restore Justice, Fiscal Year 2023
Emerging adults
Brain science and the U.S. Supreme Court have established that children are physically and developmentally different from adults, and are therefore “categorically less culpable” for their actions. Science also shows that “emerging adults,” people who are over 18 but have not yet fully developed, have unique developmental characteristics that require a different approach from the criminal legal system.
Resentencing Task Force
In 2021, Public Act 102-0099 created the Resentencing Task Force (RTF) to study ways to address the inequities produced by our current sentencing laws. The bipartisan task force’s final report and recommendations, intended for the Illinois General Assembly and governor, include the primary recommendation for retroactive reform related to resentencing opportunities.