ILLINOIS SENTENCING POLICY ADVISORY COUNCIL    
ILLINOIS SENTENCING POLICY ADVISORY COUNCIL
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Inventory of Non-Probationable Offenses

Offenses to which mandatory minimum prison sentences apply.

Pies and Average Profiles

Prison population pie charts and descriptive profiles of people convicted in Illinois.

Impact Analyses

Estimates of the benefits and costs of proposed sentencing legislation and policy changes.

SPAC logo

The Sentencing Policy Advisory Council (SPAC) is Illinois’ non-partisan, independent sentencing commission. The Council was developed by the Criminal Law Edit, Alignment and Reform (CLEAR) Commission to bring together diverse viewpoints and is mandated to analyze the systemwide consequences of sentencing policy decisions. SPAC is also mandated to address the effective allocation of resources to support policy changes. SPAC reports directly to the Illinois General Assembly, the Illinois Supreme Court, and the Governor. See 730 ILCS 5/5-8-8.

In every aspect of its work, SPAC mindful of the purposes of sentencing in Illinois:

  • Prescribe sanctions proportionate to the seriousness of the offenses and permit the recognition of differences in rehabilitation possibilities among individual offenders;
  • Forbid and prevent the commission of offenses;
  • Prevent arbitrary or oppressive treatment of persons adjudicated offenders or delinquents; and
  • Restore offenders to useful citizenship. See 730 ILCS 5/1-1-2.

The members of SPAC represent diverse perspectives and experiences from across the criminal justice system. SPAC members include legislators, retired judges, the Illinois Attorney General, prosecutors, defense attorneys, representatives of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, law enforcement officials, academics, and a victim of violent crime. The directors of the Illinois State Police, Department of Corrections, Prisoner Review Board, and Criminal Justice Information Authority serve as ex officio members.

UPCOMING MEETINGS
July 18, 2025
Regular Sentencing Policy Advisory Council Meeting July 2025
September 19, 2025
Regular Sentencing Policy Advisory Council Meeting September 2025
November 21, 2025
Regular Sentencing Policy Advisory Council Meeting November 2025
NEWS & ANALYSIS
 June 24, 2025

New Publication

Impact Analysis

HB2367

House Bill 2367 (HB2367) eliminates all Truth in Sentencing laws (TIS) percentage restrictions for new and current sentences. All incarcerated persons currently subject to TIS, except those serving natural life sentences, would become eligible for day for day sentence credit instead of the current restrictions of 0 days, 4.5 days, or 7.5 days per month. HB2367 requires the Illinois Department of Corrections to recalculate release dates for those affected within six months of the bill’s effective date.

You can view the document at this link.

 June 17, 2025

New Publication

Impact Analysis

SB290

Senate Bill 290 (SB290) raises the penalties for violating an order of protection by one class. A first-time offense would increase from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class 4 felony. Repeat violations with certain prior convictions become a Class 3 felony rather than Class 4.

Importantly, SB290 does not change what counts as a violation or alter current legal definitions or protections.

You can view the document at this link.

FEATURED
Reports
2024

Trends Report 2010 to 2022

This report describes trends in felony sentencing in Illinois in 2010-2022, covering most of SPAC’s existence as the state sentencing commission and just over a decade of changes and reforms to numerous parts of the criminal justice system. We first provide a timeline of significant legislative, judicial, and executive reforms that impacted the Illinois criminal justice system from 2010 to 2022. We then provide data covering broad trends in felony arrests, guilty dispositions, and sentences, as well as prison admissions, exits, and populations from January 1st, 2010, through December 31, 2022.
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Impact Analysis
2024

SPAC Bill Tracking File

This excel resource provides a reference to all bills that SPAC is tracking in the 103rd General Assembly. The file contains a description sheet that provides a summary and methodology of how the bills provided were identified and what the information provided represents.
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Reports
2024

Public Acts 103rd General Assembly (2023 Session)

This document provides information about 18 public acts. The bills described in this document revise definitions related to criminal offenses, create new criminal offenses, impact sentence credit for people incarcerated in prison, or change how criminal justice records and data are stored. The acts were selected by reviewing each public act and determining if the act impacts the adult criminal justice system, and potentially SPAC’s work, by having an impact to the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), the courts, or data stored by criminal justice entities.
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