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HB 3449

CD CORR-SENTENCE CREDITS

104th Regular Session Introduced by Justin Slaughter

HB 3449 tightens monthly sentence credits for serious offenses and makes the new caps retroactive, while adding a process to award pre‑effective program credits.

Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee
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Bill Summary · HB 3449

HB 3449 — Summary (CD CORR‑SENTENCE CREDITS)

Sponsor: Rep. Justin Slaughter
Statute amended: 730 ILCS 5/3-6-3 (Unified Code of Corrections)
Introduced: Feb 18, 2025 | Effective date: July 1, 2026
Companion bill: SB 297
Current status (as provided): Rule 19(a) / Re‑referred to Rules Committee (passed House on 5/14/2025; received in Senate and read 1st time 5/15/2025)

Purpose

HB 3449 revises how "sentence credit" (time-off-for-good-behavior and program-completion credit) is awarded to people committed to the Illinois Department of Corrections (DOC). The bill (1) changes the monthly credit allotments for a range of serious offenses, (2) makes those new allotments applicable to persons already incarcerated before the bill’s effective date, and (3) establishes a process for awarding program‑completion credits accrued prior to the effective date based on documentation or affidavit testimony.

Key provisions

  • Revises Section 3‑6‑3 of the Unified Code of Corrections to change maximum sentence credits for specified offenses.
    • For persons serving terms for first degree murder or terrorism: limits sentence credit to no more than 7.5 days per month.
    • For numerous other enumerated serious offenses (e.g., attempt/solicitation to commit murder, certain sexual offenses, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated battery categories, aggravated discharge of a firearm, vehicular hijacking, etc.): reduces the maximum monthly sentence credit in multiple clauses (text shows reductions from 12 days to 4.5 days per month in several categories).
    • The bill applies differing caps depending on the offense category as set out in the statute.
  • Retroactive application: the revised sentence credit allotments "shall apply to committed persons incarcerated before the effective date," and the DOC is required to award sentence credit for periods of incarceration before the effective date in accordance with the new allotments.
  • Program‑credit documentation and claim process:
    • Committed persons seeking credit for educational, vocational, substance‑abuse, behavior modification, life‑skills, re‑entry planning, and correctional industry programs completed prior to the effective date may receive credit if the DOC determines entitlement.
    • DOC may rely on (a) DOC documentation that the person engaged in and satisfactorily completed full‑time programming during the current term, or (b) the committed person’s affidavit/documents or third‑party affidavit/documents/testimony indicating likely participation and satisfactory completion during the current term.
  • Applicability condition: the program‑credit provisions refer to committed persons serving sentences for offenses committed after June 19, 1998 (and other statutory date cross‑references where noted).

Who is affected

  • People incarcerated in the Illinois DOC (particularly those convicted of the enumerated serious/violent offenses).
  • The Department of Corrections and Prisoner Review Board (rulemaking, documentation, and credit‑award determinations).
  • Courts and sentencing outcomes may be indirectly affected because changes in credit accrual affect time to release.

Procedural/timeline notes

  • Effective date: July 1, 2026.
  • Legislative action to date indicates passage in the House (May 14, 2025) and referral to Senate committees (read 1st time May 15, 2025; referred to Criminal Justice). Companion SB 297 tracks related Senate action.
  • Implementation will require DOC rulemaking and administrative procedures to document/verify pre‑effective date program participation where credits are claimed.

Potential impacts (practical effects)

  • Reducing allowable credits for listed serious offenses could increase time actually served for affected incarcerated persons.
  • The retroactive application clause may change previously calculated credits for people already in custody.
  • The documentation/affidavit pathway could enable some persons to recover program‑completion credits earned before the effective date, but awards depend on DOC determinations and available records.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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