Illinois Politicians Seek to Change ‘Offender’ to ‘Justice-Impacted Individual’

The wording change would apply to the state’s ‘Adult Redeploy Illinois’ program, which replaces prison time with rehab for some offenders.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker speaks before U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy, at the Old Post Office in Chicago, Illinois, on June 28, 2023. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Illinois lawmakers have approved a measure that would modify the language in state law to stop identifying certain people who have committed a crime as offenders.

On May 21, the Illinois Senate passed HB 4409. Introduced by Democrat lawmakers, the bill amends the Illinois Crime Reduction Act of 2009, replacing the term “offenders” with “justice-impacted individuals” in the state’s “Adult Redeploy Illinois” (ARI) program. The ARI initiative seeks to divert some offenders from prison to rehabilitation centers.