06/01/2026
What a successful weekend in Springfield! Last night, our fourth and final bill passed the Illinois General Assembly. HB5020 increases procedural protections for children sentenced as adults through extended jurisdiction juvenile (EJJ) sentencing. Under the current law, when a prosecutor requests an adult sentence for a minor, it is not immediately imposed but becomes mandatory if the young person is accused of any new offense and the prosecutor asks for the sentence. Prosecutors can also request imposition of the adult sentence for simple technical violations (violations of rules that do not constitute a new offense).
This bill includes common-sense standards that many people assumed were already part of any juvenile court sentence, including:
* requiring prosecutors to prove by clear and convincing evidence that an adult sentence may be appropriate;
* incorporating youth-centered neurological, developmental, and environmental factors into the decision to impose EJJ;
* limiting the types of new offenses that can lead to imposition of the adult sentence; and
* preventing the adult sentence from being imposed based on technical violations.
Thanks to bill sponsors State Representative Dave Vella, State Senator Laura Fine, and Senator Robert Peters! We also thank our partner organizations who supported this bill, including the Cook County Office of the President (Cook County Government, Toni Preckwinkle). Finally, special appreciation goes to our Youth Defense Division attorneys who developed this bill and helped negotiate the final language to ensure it would support the success of our clients!
