Rep. Slaughter Measure Advocates for Families of Inmates in New Bill, Passes Committee

CHICAGO, IL – As family members of incarcerated inmates continue to have limited visitation rights, state Rep. Justin Slaughter, D-Chicago, sponsored introduced HB House Bill 2988 which to allows give for families to have the option of visiting their family member in person or via through a video conference.

“The law, as it stands, limits the visitation options of families who want to have some form of privacy when visiting their family member,” Slaughter said. “The safety of the officers and staff members remains the priority within our correctional facilities, but we can also provide family members an adequate and fair visitation process. We should not treat the families of incarcerated people as if they, themselves are criminals.”

House Bill 2988 prohibits the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) from limiting in-person visits to the families of people who are committed to a specific facility. Additionally, the bill calls for the Department of Corrections IDOC to issue a standard written visitation policy for each individual facility that must be posted on the IDOC agency’s website. Currently, the Department of CorrectionsIDOC has the right to limit a visitation to a video conference instead of an in in-person meeting.

Slaughter’s bill passed committee Tuesday, and now heads to the House for consideration.

“This legislation will help many of the families in Illinois who have not been allowed to visit a correctional facility and see their family member in person,” Slaughter said.. “ As lawmakers, we have a responsibility to protect the rights of all of the families in the local community, and. I will continue to spend every day fighting for the vulnerable citizens in the community who needs the help and protection of local leadersthose who deserve a voice.”

For more information, please contact Slaughter’s constituent service office at 773-445-9700 or slaughterj@ilga.gov.