Friday, February 20, 2009
Honorable Pat Quinn
Governor of Illinois
207 State Capitol
Springfield, IL 62706
RE: SB 1013
Dear Governor Quinn:
The League of Women Voters of Illinois requests that you sign SB 1013, a measure that authorizes Redeploy Illinois to expand state wide. The original legislation (PA 93-0641), which passed in 2003, set up pilot sites to address a long-standing issue. Community programs are financed with local funds and the result is that communities have a fiscal incentive to commit youth to the state system.
The League supported the original legislation, and the pilot sites have since demonstrated the effectiveness of providing financial resources to develop a continuum of community-based sanctions and treatment alternatives for appropriate juveniles who would otherwise have been committed to the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice.
Because community services are less expensive than incarceration, Redeploy offers long-term savings. Expanding the initiative would give additional counties an opportunity to participate. For these reasons, the League urges you to support SB 1013.
Thank you for considering our request.
Sincerely,
Paula Lawson, President
League of Women Voters of Illinois
Eileen Subak
Children’s Services Issue Specialist
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