Criminal Justice

Amends the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Act. Provides that the quarterly data collected by the Pretrial Practices Data Oversight Board shall include the identity of the judges who preside over the pretrial detention hearings and the number of detention petitions each judge grants and denies. Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that the court shall, in any order denying detention, make a written finding summarizing the court's reasons for concluding that the defendant should not be denied pretrial release, including why the defendant has been determined not to be 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, or that the defendant does not have a high likelihood of willful flight from prosecution.

Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that no stipulation of fact entered into by a parent shall be accepted by the court unless all of the following occur: (1) each factual statement appears as a separate, numbered line item; (2) the parent initials each numbered factual statement individually; (3) the stipulation includes a plainly written section, initialed by the parent, describing the legal effect of the stipulation, including reliance on stipulated facts to satisfy the constitutional standard for removal or continued custody, and the requirement of probable cause or exigent circumstances; and (4) the parent signs and initials a written attestation stating the parent: (i) has reviewed and understands each factual statement; (ii) agrees each initialed statement is true; (iii) enters the stipulation knowingly and voluntarily; and (iv) does so without coercion or improper pressure. Provides that no waiver of temporary custody or shelter care hearing shall be accepted unless: (1) the waiver appears in separate, numbered line items describing the right waived and its legal effect; (2) the parent initials each line item; (3) the parent signs a written attestation meeting; and (4) the court obtains verbal, on-the-record confirmation of the waiver. Provides that nothing in the provision creates a private cause of action or alters substantive evidentiary standards. Defines "probable cause" and "stipulation of fact".

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that, notwithstanding other provisions of law to the contrary, any person serving as a guard of youth at a Department of Juvenile Justice Youth Center must: (1) be over the age of 21 and (2) have a high school diploma or equivalent. Provides that no social work experience or college education is required to serve as a guard of youth at a Department of Juvenile Justice Youth Center.

Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Includes, in the minimum curriculum for police training schools, training in investigating domestic minor sex trafficking. Amends the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. Provides that a child shall be considered abused regardless of the perpetrator of the abuse if the child is a human trafficking victim. Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides for immediate expungement of juvenile court and law enforcement records of minors who are human trafficking victims involved in prostitution. Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Deletes a provision that provides that commercial sexual activity and sexually-explicit performances are forms of activities that are "services" under the human trafficking statute. Provides that involuntary sexual servitude of a minor includes purchasing sexual services of the minor whether from the trafficker or the minor. Provides that it is not a defense to involuntary sexual servitude of a minor that the accused reasonably believed the trafficking victim to be 18 years of age or over. Eliminates other mistake of age defenses concerning grooming and patronizing a minor engaged in prostitution. Provides that a person who is a victim of involuntary sexual servitude of a minor is deemed a crime victim and is eligible for protections afforded to crime victims. Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 to permit a motion to vacate an adjudication of delinquency of a human trafficking victim who engaged in prostitution. Amends the Sex Offender Registration Act. Makes violations concerning trafficking in persons, involuntary servitude, and related offenses registrable offenses under the Act. Amends the Crime Victims Compensation Act to provide that a trafficking victim who is under 18 years of age is not subject to the filing requirements of the Act and is not subject to the eligibility requirements of the Act.

Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that if the State files a petition seeking to deny the defendant pretrial release and a continuance on the hearing concerning the petition is requested, the court has the sole discretion to grant or deny the request for a continuance. Provides that under no circumstances shall a continuance be granted that would result in the defendant being detained in pretrial detention for longer than 72 hours since the defendant's initial detention. Provides that in making its determination to deny or grant the request for continuance, the court shall consider, in addition to other facts and evidence available to the court, whether there is evidence that reasonable steps have been taken to appear within the initial time frame provided under the provision, but that due to circumstances outside the control of the requesting party, a continuance is necessary to present a fuller case.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Restores provisions regarding sentencing guidelines for individuals with prior felony firearm-related or other specified convictions that were repealed on January 1, 2004. Applies to offenses committed on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Eliminates sunset provision. Amends the Criminal Code of 2012 to make conforming changes.

Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that a person accused of an offense does not have the right to a trial by jury if the offense is a petty offense with no penalty of imprisonment or mandatory driver's license suspension under the Illinois Vehicle Code or a local traffic ordinance if a court appearance is not required and the defendant waives his or her right to a jury trial by mail or electronic submission of a waiver request through an online system approved by either the Illinois Supreme Court or the local circuit court clerk. Provides that every person accused of an offense pursuant to the provision and entering a plea of not guilty may waive the right to a trial by jury and request a bench trial by submitting a jury waiver request in writing or such other form prescribed by the Illinois Supreme Court or a local circuit court by mail to the clerk of the circuit court in the county where the charge is pending or by electronic submission, through an online system approved by the Illinois Supreme Court or the local circuit court clerk. Provides that the jury trial waiver request under the provision shall include the name, mailing address, driver's license number, citation or complaint number, date of birth, and signature of the defendant. Provides that upon the receipt of a valid waiver request, the clerk of the court before which such request was made shall schedule the matter for a bench trial, enter the waiver into the court record, and the court may proceed with a bench trial without requiring the defendant to personally appear to execute the waiver. Provides that the waiver shall be deemed sufficient to satisfy the waiver requirements of the Code. Provides that the trial court may require the defendant to appear in court if necessary to confirm the validity of the waiver or for a show of good cause. Provides that nothing in the provision shall preclude the Illinois Supreme Court from adopting rules forms and procedures for the implementation of the provision. Makes other changes. Effective January 1, 2027.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that every person convicted of driving while under the influence of alcohol, other drug or drugs, intoxicating compound or compounds, or any combination thereof shall be guilty of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, other drug or drugs, or intoxicating compound or compounds, or any combination thereof if the person has been previously convicted of operating a watercraft under the influence of alcohol, other drug or drugs, intoxicating compound or compounds, or combination thereof. Provides that a person convicted of aggravated boating under the influence of alcohol, other drug or drugs, or intoxicating compound or compounds, or any combination thereof is guilty of a Class 4 felony.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that, beginning on July 1, 2026, the Department of Corrections shall adhere to a standardized process for all incoming publications. Provides that the process shall not prohibit a committed person's access to physical, hard copy publications, and allow members of the public to mail committed persons publications. Provides that, even if the Department adopts a policy that requires or contracts with a vendor for the digitization or photocopying of incoming mail or publications, the Department shall still provide access to physical, hardcopy publications. Effective immediately.

Calls for the release of all files related to the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged accomplices with redactions limited solely to shielding the identities of survivors as outlined in the Epstein Transparency Act. Further calls for the appointment of a special prosecutor independent of the Trump Administration's influence to review prosecution decisions stemming from the Epstein investigation to investigate whether the Trump Administration illegally redacted or withheld documents to shield individuals for political purposes.