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HB 3424

VICTIM PROTECTION ACT

104th Regular Session Introduced by Tony McCombie

The act strengthens crime victims’ rights by expanding their ability to submit impact statements, ensuring timely notice for releases, and requiring public victim-related informati

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Bill Summary · HB 3424

HB 3424 — "Victim Protection Act" (Summary)

Status and timeline
- Introduced in the 104th Illinois General Assembly by Rep. Tony M. McCombie (filed Feb 2025).
- Passed both chambers in May 2025, sent to the Governor May 26, 2025; signed June 20, 2025.
- Becomes effective January 1, 2026.

Purpose
- Strengthen and clarify crime‑victim participation and notification rights in parole, early release and related Prisoner Review Board (PRB) proceedings; and remove a barrier to seeking protective orders when a party is incarcerated.

Key provisions — Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act (amends Sec. 4.5)
- PRB publication and access to victim impact statement process:
- Requires the Prisoner Review Board to publish on its public website and provide to registered victims information on how to submit a victim impact statement.
- Requires the PRB to consider victim impact statements from any registered victim.
- Explicitly allows any registered victim — including persons who have a final, plenary, or non‑emergency order of protection under Article 112A (Code of Criminal Procedure) or the Illinois Domestic Violence Act — to present statements the PRB must consider in its deliberations.

  • Notification timing for release events:

    • For early release (including pardons, commutations, furloughs, or awarding of sentence credit): if a victim previously requested notification, the PRB must inform the victim at least 48 hours before the release. Notifications must be made before 5:00 p.m. on weekdays.
    • For release on mandatory supervised release (MSR): the PRB must notify the victim in the underlying case at least 30 days before release and allow the victim to submit a statement. The victim’s statement must be considered when setting MSR conditions.

  • Revocation and information requirements:

    • Before deciding whether to revoke parole or MSR, the PRB must run a LEADS (Law Enforcement Agencies Data System) report.
    • The PRB must publish, on its publicly accessible website while the offender remains in State custody: the name and identification number of offenders alleged to have violated parole/MSR terms, the Board’s decision on revocation, and the names of the Board members who voted.

Key provisions — Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986
- Prohibits denying a petition for an order of protection solely because the petitioner or respondent is incarcerated in a penal institution at the time the petition is filed.

Who is affected
- Crime victims and registered victims (including domestic violence survivors): expanded access to submit impact statements and enhanced advance notice of release actions.
- Prisoner Review Board: new publication, notification, recordkeeping, and process requirements (LEADS checks and consideration of victim statements).
- Offenders: may face consideration of victim input in release conditions and public posting (name/ID and PRB decisions) while in custody.
- State’s Attorneys, law enforcement, courts, and victim advocates: implementation duties and coordination for notifications and statement collection.

Practical impact and considerations
- Increases formal role for victims in parole and release processes and tightens notification timelines.
- Requires the PRB to make certain offender and Board‑decision information publicly available while the offender is in custody — raising transparency but also potential privacy or safety considerations that the measure limits to the custody period.
- Removes an administrative barrier for incarcerated persons or those seeking protective orders outside the community.

Statutory changes
- Amends the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act (725 ILCS 120/4.5) and the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986.

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

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