Senator Kwame Raoul Initiatives Become Laws

Several criminal justice measures sponsored by  Quarles & Brady LLP, Chicago partner and Illinois State Senator Kwame Raoul recently became law. The new laws, advanced by Raoul and his colleagues touch on juvenile justice, expungement, access to licensed professions, sex offender registration policies and more.

Recently quoted in the Minority Report, “Illinois is again pushing forward as a pioneer of criminal justice reform – because it saves money, because it saves lives and communities and because it’s the right thing to do,” said Senator Kwame Raoul, a Chicago Democrat. “These new laws … will help bring the realities of criminal justice in line with its aims of genuine public safety and lasting rehabilitation.”

Among the measures sponsored by Raoul that became law:

• Reduction in the mandatory probation terms for young offenders and greater case-by-case discretion for judges to terminate or continue probation.
• Greater expediency of juvenile criminal record expungements for adults who wish to improve their chances of finding jobs or enrolling in educational programs.
• Opening up several licensed professions, such as barber, roofer and funeral director, to some ex-offenders at the discretion of state regulators.
• Creation of the Sex Offenses and Sex Offender Registration Task Force to develop recommendations for sex offender policies.

Senator Kwame Raoul is a member of the firm's Health Law Practice Group and the Research and Higher Education Industry Team. He focuses his practice on helping clients navigate the legal issues confronted by health care providers and higher education institutions.

About Quarles & Brady LLP

Quarles & Brady is a full-service AmLaw 200 firm with more than 475 attorneys offering an array of legal services to corporate and individual clients that range from small entrepreneurial businesses to Fortune 100 companies, with practice focuses in health care and life sciences, business law, labor and employment, real estate, data privacy and security, and complex litigation. The firm has offices in Chicago; Indianapolis; Madison; Milwaukee; Naples, Florida; Phoenix; Scottsdale; Tampa; Tucson; and Washington, D.C. Additional information can be found online at quarles.com, as well as on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.