GUN VIOLENCE-PREVENT

Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HR0551

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HR0551 - 104th General Assembly

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HR0551
LRB104 16236 ECR 29620 r
1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

2

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois, and particularly the City
3
of Chicago and Cook County, have made measurable progress in
4
reducing violent crime over the past several years, yet the
5
rates of homicide and gun violence remain unacceptably high
6
and continue to cause untold human and economic loss; and

7

WHEREAS, According to the Chicago Police Department's 2024
8
year-end data, the city recorded approximately 617 homicides,
9
marking a 12% decline from the prior year, yet this still
10
represents more than one homicide every day within the city;
11
and

12

WHEREAS, In Cook County, over 90% of homicide victims are
13
male, and approximately 80% are Black, with young Black men
14
aged 15 to 34 representing both the overwhelming majority of
15
victims and perpetrators of gun homicides, a tragic and
16
disproportionate burden that devastates families and
17
communities and demands urgent attention; and

18

WHEREAS, The Illinois State Police and the Illinois
19
Department of Public Health report that firearm homicide
20
remains the leading cause of death for young Black men in the
21
State, with rates more than 25 times higher than those of their
22
white peers, underscoring the need for practical,

HR0551
- 2 -
LRB104 16236 ECR 29620 r
1
evidence-based prevention strategies that reach youth before
2
violence occurs; and

3

WHEREAS, In 2025, the University of Chicago Press
4
published Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of
5
American Gun Violence by Professor Jens Ludwig, the Edwin A.
6
and Betty L. Bergman Distinguished Service Professor at the
7
University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and
8
Director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab; and

9

WHEREAS, Unforgiving Places has quickly become a major
10
contribution to the national conversation about public safety,
11
offering a timely and data-driven reframing of the gun
12
violence crisis, arguing that much of America's violence
13
arises not from organized criminal intent but from
14
split-second decisions made in environments of stress, fear,
15
or disrespect and that behavioral science and decision-skills
16
training offer a path forward that is both humane and
17
effective; and

18

WHEREAS, Professor Ludwig's research and that of his
19
colleagues have demonstrated that short, structured
20
cognitive-behavioral intervention (CBI) programs,
21
specifically those designed and evaluated to reduce violence
22
involvement among participants, can produce measurable
23
reductions in arrests and violent offending, improve academic

HR0551
- 3 -
LRB104 16236 ECR 29620 r
1
outcomes, and achieve these results at a fraction of the cost
2
of traditional law enforcement or incarceration; and

3

WHEREAS, Such programs include Becoming a Man (BAM),
4
operated by Youth Guidance in Chicago Public Schools, and
5
decision-making curricula implemented at the Cook County
6
Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC), which have reduced
7
violent offending by up to 45% in rigorous evaluations by the
8
University of Chicago Crime Lab and other researchers; and

9

WHEREAS, Illinois has already embedded Social and
10
Emotional Learning (SEL) into the State's Illinois Learning
11
Standards, including Goal 3: Demonstrate decision-making
12
skills and responsible behaviors, and the School Code requires
13
violence prevention and conflict resolution instruction under
14
Section 27-23.4, yet current guidance does not specify which
15
evidence-based programs meet those goals or direct school
16
districts toward validated, violence-reduction curricula; and

17

WHEREAS, Clarifying that evidence-based, decision-making,
18
and impulse-control curricula specifically demonstrated to
19
reduce violence involvement, including those validated by the
20
University of Chicago Crime Lab and other leading researchers,
21
qualify as approved SEL instruction would empower schools to
22
teach lifesaving skills using existing time, staff, and
23
resources; and

HR0551
- 4 -
LRB104 16236 ECR 29620 r
1

WHEREAS, Likewise, the Illinois juvenile justice system,
2
which includes the Administrative Office of the Illinois
3
Courts (AOIC), the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), and
4
county probation and diversion programs, has the authority to
5
require educational or counseling programs for youth under
6
supervision, but it lacks statewide guidance on validated,
7
violence-reduction curricula that can be implemented at
8
minimal cost; and

9

WHEREAS, Integrating such programs as a standard early
10
touchpoint for youth entering the justice system could help
11
young people develop reflection skills, reduce recidivism, and
12
rebuild community safety more effectively and humanely than
13
punitive measures alone; and

14

WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS),
15
particularly through the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention
16
and the Reimagine Public Safety Act, and the Illinois Criminal
17
Justice Information Authority (ICJIA), particularly through
18
the R3 Program's violence prevention and youth development
19
initiatives, are leading state agencies in funding community
20
violence intervention programs focused on individuals at the
21
highest risk of firearm violence involvement and
22
victimization; therefore, be it

HR0551
- 5 -
LRB104 16236 ECR 29620 r
1

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
2
HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
3
we urge the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to:
4

(1) Identify and publish a list of evidence-based,
5

decision-making, and impulse-control curricula that have
6

been demonstrated to reduce violence involvement;
7

(2) Make at least one free or low-cost curriculum
8

available statewide for optional integration into existing
9

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) instruction;
10

(3) Encourage districts to implement these programs
11

using existing resources and staff development; and
12

(4) Develop, pilot, and rigorously test new
13

school-based, decision-making, and violence-prevention
14

curricula that can be easily adopted by ISBE and schools
15

statewide if proven effective in reducing violence; and be
16

it further

17

RESOLVED, That we urge the Administrative Office of the
18
Illinois Courts (AOIC), the Department of Juvenile Justice
19
(DJJ), and county probation and diversion programs to identify
20
and approve evidence-based, decision-making curricula
21
appropriate for minors under supervision, diversion, or
22
detention, to encourage their integration as standard early
23
interventions, and to implement these initiatives within
24
existing budgets and structures; and be it further

HR0551
- 6 -
LRB104 16236 ECR 29620 r
1

RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois Department of Human
2
Services (IDHS) and the Illinois Criminal Justice Information
3
Authority (ICJIA) to coordinate with ISBE, AOIC, DJJ, and
4
local partners to align violence-prevention curricula and
5
community-based interventions across settings; and be it
6
further

7

RESOLVED, That we recognize Professor Jens Ludwig for his
8
groundbreaking research, leadership, and publication of
9
Unforgiving Places, and we acknowledge the contributions of
10
other scholars and organizations advancing behavioral
11
approaches to violence prevention, including Patrick H. Tolan,
12
John E. Lochman, the University of Chicago Education Lab,
13
Youth Guidance, Arnold Ventures, and others; and be it further

14

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
15
delivered to the Illinois State Board of Education, the
16
Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, the Department
17
of Juvenile Justice, the Illinois Department of Human
18
Services, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority,
19
Professor Jens Ludwig, and the Governor of the State of
20
Illinois.

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