Criminal Justice

Creates the Capital Crimes Litigation Act of 2025. Provides that all unobligated and unexpended moneys remaining in the Death Penalty Abolition Fund on the effective date of the amendatory Act shall be transferred into the Capital Litigation Trust Fund which is re-established as a special fund in the State treasury. Amends the State Appellate Defender Act. Provides that in cases in which a death sentence is an authorized disposition, the State Appellate Defender shall provide trial counsel with legal assistance and the assistance of expert witnesses, investigators, and mitigation specialists from funds appropriated to the State Appellate Defender specifically for that purpose by the General Assembly. Provides that the Office of State Appellate Defender shall not be appointed to serve as trial counsel in capital cases. Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Eliminates a provision that abolishes the sentence of death. Amends the Unified code of Corrections relating to first degree murder. Adds and eliminates aggravating factors for which the death penalty may be imposed. Amends the State Finance Act to make conforming changes. Effective January 1, 2026.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Deletes provision that the Prisoner Review Board shall revoke parole or mandatory supervised release for violations of the requirement that if the parolee or releasee was convicted for an offense that would qualify the accused as a sexual predator under the Sex Offender Registration Act on or after January 1, 2007, wear an approved electronic monitoring device for the duration of the person's parole, mandatory supervised release term, or extended mandatory supervised release term and if convicted for an offense of criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault, predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, criminal sexual abuse, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, or ritualized abuse of a child committed on or after August 11, 2009 when the victim was under 18 years of age at the time of the commission of the offense and the defendant used force or the threat of force in the commission of the offense wear an approved electronic monitoring device that has Global Positioning System (GPS) capability for the duration of the person's parole, mandatory supervised release term, or extended mandatory supervised release term. Makes other changes concerning violations of parole or mandatory supervised release. Provides for different conditions if the parolee or releasee violates a criminal statute of any jurisdiction during the parole or release term than for violations of other conditions of parole or mandatory supervised release.

Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Rafael Wordlaw Act. Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that "machine gun" includes any firearm that is modified or equipped with a forced reset trigger, including an auto-switch or binary switch. Provides that a person commits the offense of unlawful possession of weapons when the person knowingly sells, manufactures, purchases, possesses or carries any firearm that is modified or equipped with a high-capacity magazine. Provides that aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon while carrying or possessing a weapon that has been modified or equipped with a forced reset trigger, including an auto-switch or binary switch, or high-capacity magazine, is a Class X felony. Provides that a person who knowingly sells, offers to sell, or transfers an unserialized unfinished frame or receiver or unserialized firearm is guilty of a Class 2 (rather than a Class 4) felony for a first violation and is guilty of a Class 1 (rather than a Class 2) felony for a second or subsequent violation. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Permits the court to sentence a defendant to an extended term sentence for specified firearms violations. Provides that if a firearm used to commit the offense was outfitted with parts designed or intended for use in converting any weapon into a machine gun or a high-capacity magazine, 5 consecutive years shall be added on to the 15, 20, or 25 years to life added to the sentence. Defines terms.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012 concerning the Interference With Penal Institution Article of the Code. Provides that in addition to any other penalty provided by law, an additional one year of imprisonment shall be added to the sentence of a person who commits bringing contraband into a penal institution or unauthorized bringing or delivery of contraband into a penal institution by an employee by using an unmanned aerial vehicle. Provides that a person who knowingly and intentionally operates an unmanned aerial vehicle below the navigable airspace overlying a State penal institution is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. Provides that this provision does not apply to an employee who operates the unmanned aerial vehicle within the scope of his or her employment, or a person who receives prior permission from the penal institution to operate the unmanned aerial vehicle. Provides that a person who knowingly and intentionally captures images or data of a State penal institution through the operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle is guilty of a Class 4 felony. Provides that this provision does not apply to an employee who captures images or data of a State penal institution through the operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle within the scope of his or her employment, or a person who receives prior permission from the penal institution to capture images or data of a State penal institution through the operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle. Defines "State penal institution" and "unmanned aerial vehicle".

Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 concerning defendants found unfit to stand trial. Provides that if the defendant is remanded to the custody of the Department of Human Services for inpatient services, the defendant shall be placed in a secure setting. Provides that during the period of time required to determine bed and placement availability at the designated facility, the defendant shall remain in jail and the pretrial release provisions do not apply. Provides that no physician or other person employed by the Department of Human Services shall be ordered to perform, in the person's official capacity, an examination of the defendant's fitness. Provides that if the defendant with mental disabilities is ordered to outpatient treatment, the defendant shall be released from custody with instructions to contact the Department of Human Services to schedule the receipt of restoration services in the community. Provides that a defendant who either fails to arrange for the receipt of community restoration services or whom the Department reports has failed to comply in any other respect with the outpatient treatment order shall be remanded to the Department to receive inpatient services at a secure facility designated by the Department. Provides that the initial fitness report shall indicate what information, if any, contained in the report may be harmful to the mental condition of the defendant if made known to the defendant and the court may determine if the defendant is restricted from receiving the report. Provides that if the defendant is unfit due to a traumatic brain injury or organic brain disease such as Alzheimer's or dementia, or any other condition other than one treatable as a mental illness or developmental disability, the court may order the defendant placed in a suitable public or private treatment facility or program that has agreed to provide treatment to the defendant. Provides that no person who has not been determined to be unfit due to an identified condition may be placed in a facility operated by the Department of Human Services. Makes other changes. Defines terms.

Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that upon verified petition by the State, the court shall hold a hearing and may deny a defendant pretrial release if the defendant is charged with any of the following offenses, and it is alleged that the defendant's pretrial release poses a real and present threat to the safety of any person or persons or the community, based on the specific articulable facts of the case: (1) aggravated driving under the influence for a third or subsequent time; or (2) manufacture or delivery, or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver, an amount of a controlled or counterfeit substance, not otherwise specified in the statute, containing dihydrocodeine or classified in Schedule I or II, or an analog of those substances that is: (i) a narcotic drug, (ii) lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) or an analog of those substances, (iii) any substance containing amphetamine or fentanyl or any salt or optical isomer of amphetamine or fentanyl, or an analog of those substances, or (iv) any substance containing N-Benzylpiperazine (BZP) or any salt or optical isomer of N-Benzylpiperazine (BZP), or an analog of those substances.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer is a Class 4 felony if there is video evidence of the driver or operator of the motor vehicle fleeing or attempting to elude the peace officer and that the fleeing or attempting to elude the peace officer results in damage to property of the State, a unit of local government, or school district.

Restores the statutes to the form in which they existed before their amendment by Public Acts 101-652, 102-28, and 102-1104, with certain exceptions. Amends the Criminal Code of 2012 concerning aggravating factors for which the death penalty may be imposed. Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Eliminates a provision that abolishes the sentence of death. Transfers unobligated and unexpended moneys remaining in the Death Penalty Abolition Fund into the reestablished Capital Litigation Trust Fund. Enacts the Capital Crimes Litigation Act of 2025 and amends the State Appellate Defender Act to add provisions concerning the restoration of the death penalty. Amends the General Provisions, Downstate Police, Downstate Firefighter, Chicago Police, Chicago Firefighter, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF), State Employees, and State Universities Articles of the Illinois Pension Code. With regard to police officers, firefighters, and similar public safety employees, removes Tier 2 limitations on the amount of salary for annuity purposes; provides that the automatic annual increases to a retirement pension or survivor pension are calculated under the Tier 1 formulas; and provides that the amount of and eligibility for a retirement annuity are calculated under the Tier 1 provisions. Amends the State Finance Act to make conforming changes. Amends the Public Safety Employee Benefits Act concerning health insurance plans of police officers and firefighters. Makes other conforming changes. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation of the amendatory changes to the Illinois Pension Code without reimbursement. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that upon failure to comply with any condition of pretrial release, the court having jurisdiction at the time of such failure may, on its own motion or upon motion from the State, issue a warrant (instead of a summons or a warrant) for the arrest of the person on pretrial release (instead of at liberty on pretrial release). Provides that the contents of such a warrant shall be the same as required for an arrest warrant issued upon complaint. Provides that when a defendant is on pretrial release on a felony charge and fails to appear in court as directed, the court shall issue a warrant for the arrest of such person. Provides that such warrant shall be noted with a directive to peace officers to arrest the person and hold such person without bail and to deliver such person before the court for further proceedings. Provides that a defendant who is arrested or surrenders within 30 days of the issuance of such warrant shall not be released on pretrial conditions in the case in question unless the defendant shows by the preponderance of the evidence that the defendant's failure to appear was not intentional. Makes conforming changes. Removes provisions concerning that for the purpose of any risk assessment or future evaluation of risk of willful flight or risk of failure to appear, a nonappearance in court cured by an appearance in response to a summons shall not be considered as evidence of future likelihood of appearance in court.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that the prohibitions of "child sex offenders" being knowingly present within a school zone and of knowingly approaching, contacting, residing with, or communicating with a child within certain places or knowingly operating, managing, being employed by, volunteering at, being associated with, knowingly being present at certain facilities, or participating in certain holiday events applies to all "sex offenders". Defines "sex offender". Amends various other Acts to make conforming changes.