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Petition to End Truth-in-Sentencing in Illinois

To: The Governor of Illinois, Members of the Illinois General Assembly, and the Courts.

We, the constituents of Illinois, submit this petition to call for urgent reform and the repeal of Illinois’ Truth-in-Sentencing (TIS) laws, which have created widespread injustice, constitutional violations, and lasting harm to individuals, families, and communities across our state.

Background: Illinois’ Truth-in-Sentencing statute was enacted with the stated goal of promoting “truth” in sentencing and public safety. In practice, it has stripped incarcerated people of hope, eliminated meaningful opportunities for rehabilitation, and imposed de facto life sentences on individuals, even those who have demonstrated decades of growth, change, and remorse. Not one person is the same individual they were 10, 20, 30+ years ago, ignoring human capacity for change.

 Constitutional Violations:

 1. Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution – TIS laws impose extreme and disproportionate punishments that amount to cruel and unusual punishment. Requiring individuals to serve 85% to 100% lengthy sentences, regardless of rehabilitation or progress, results in de facto life without parole for thousands of Illinoisans.

2. Article I, Section 11 of the Illinois Constitution – This section guarantees that all penalties must be determined according to the seriousness of the offense and with the goal of restoring the offender to useful citizenship. Firearm enhancements violate the constitution by projecting a message that an additional 20-25 years added to a sentence is a higher seriousness than the original offense itself. TIS laws also directly conflict with this constitutional mandate by removing the ability of courts to consider rehabilitation and by mandating rigid sentences that ignore individual circumstances.

Negative Impacts of TIS

 • Family Disparities: TIS tears families apart for decades, leaving children without parents, spouses without partners, and communities without loved ones. The ripple effects cause generational trauma, poverty, and instability.

 • Ignored Rehabilitation: Incarcerated people who have completed educational, vocational, and programs are denied recognition of their progress. Rehabilitation is discouraged, rather than rewarded.

 • Mass Incarceration & Costs: Illinois taxpayers spend billions to incarcerate people who could otherwise contribute positively to society. TIS laws have fueled mass incarceration without measurable improvements in public safety.

 • Deplorable Conditions: Illinois prisons are overcrowded, underfunded, and often in violation of basic human rights standards. People are treated as disposable rather than as human beings capable of change.

 • Lack of Representation for Families: Families, who bear the burden of incarceration’s collateral damage, are given no voice in sentencing policies or prison reform. Their struggles and losses are systematically ignored.

Rehabilitation is neither measured nor valued under TIS, violating Illinois’ constitutional requirement that punishment must serve both justice and restoration.

Our Demands We call on the state of Illinois to:

 1. Repeal Truth-in-Sentencing laws that mandate individuals serve 85% to 100% of sentences without meaningful review, making this retroactive.

2. Restore judicial discretion and allow for sentence reconsideration based on rehabilitation and personal growth. Considering Parole.

3. Uphold constitutional obligations under the U.S. and Illinois Constitutions, ensuring punishments are proportionate and rehabilitation is central.

 4. Invest in families and communities, rather than mass incarceration.

5. Ensure transparency and accountability, giving families and impacted communities a seat at the table in reform decisions.

 6. Restore constitutional balance by ensuring punishments are proportionate and include restoration to useful citizenship.

7. Provide mechanisms for review and resentencing to those currently serving unconstitutional de facto life terms.

 8. Acknowledge the rights of families and communities directly impacted by these laws.

9. Honor constitutional oaths by aligning Illinois laws with both the U.S. Constitution and the Illinois Constitution.

Governmental Failure to Uphold Oaths: By continuing to enforce TIS, Illinois’ lawmakers, courts, and executive leaders are failing to uphold the very constitutions they swore to defend.

 Conclusion Truth-in-Sentencing is not justice. It is punishment without hope, cost without benefit, and law without compassion. Illinois cannot claim to uphold constitutional values while continuing to enforce laws that violate them. Today, we ask one thing: Before you judge, ask. Before you label, listen.

 We demand change!