RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Over the past decade, the use of electronic monitoring programs to track the location of criminal offenders, both in the pre-adjudication and post-commitment stages, has increased; and
WHEREAS, The electronic monitoring program, used as an alternative to incarceration, allows offenders to remain in communities and attend school or look for work, which also results in savings to taxpayers and reduction in over-crowding of penal institutions; and
WHEREAS, Currently, multiple agencies, including the Cook County Sheriff's Office, the Circuit Court of Cook County Probation Department, the Circuit Court of Cook County Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Department-Juvenile Justice Division, and the Illinois Department of Corrections, are responsible for the electronic monitoring of offenders returned to communities within the City of Chicago ("City"); and,
WHEREAS, Due to a lack of any statutorily mandated uniform standards for monitoring these offenders, each agency has its own policies and guidelines, with some of the programs not requiring their monitoring system to be staffed for 24 hours per day, seven days per week; and
WHEREAS, Tragically, there has been a recent case of a juvenile suspect being charged with raping a pregnant college student, while free on home monitoring, but not being monitored at the time; and
WHEREAS, In order to protect our communities, prevent further violence against innocent citizens, and provide for more effective administration of electronic monitoring programs, the Illinois General Assembly should establish uniform procedures and policies for all agencies that administer electronic monitoring programs; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this eighth day of October, 2014, do hereby request that the City Council Committee on Public Safety hold a hearing on the electronic monitoring programs utilized by different county and state agencie...
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