(The Center Square) – Illinois legislators are working to change the term “offender” to “justice impacted individual” in state law, a move Republicans say disrespects victims of violent crime.
House Bill 4409 would add Illinois Department of Corrections representation to the Adult Redeploy Illinois oversight board, but it also changes the word “offender” to “justice-impacted individuals.” Republicans on the Senate floor said the name change could cost taxpayers thousands of dollars.
State Sen. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, urged lawmakers to vote no.
“Over and over again, we keep changing the name of how we are referring to those who have entered into criminal activity and each time we make that change, each agency has to make that change on every one of their documents. Right now in the Department of Corrections, there’s multiple changes that have been made and it’s costing thousands and thousands of dollars just to do a
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