Bill Text: IL HB1458 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Amends the Code of Civil Procedure. Defines "communication" and "restorative justice practice". Provides that communications received by a party in preparation for, during, or after a restorative justice practice are inadmissible in court unless the privilege is: waived by the party or parties about whom the communication concerns; subject to certain exemptions; or used in furtherance of a criminal act.
Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-10-04 - Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Lindsey LaPointe [HB1458 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2019-HB1458-Introduced.html
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1 | AN ACT concerning civil procedure.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Code of Civil Procedure is amended by adding | |||||||||||||||||||
5 | Section 8-804.5 as follows:
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6 | (735 ILCS 5/8-804.5 new) | |||||||||||||||||||
7 | Sec. 8-804.5. Parties to a restorative justice practice. | |||||||||||||||||||
8 | (a) This Section is intended to encourage the use of | |||||||||||||||||||
9 | restorative justice practices by providing a privilege for such | |||||||||||||||||||
10 | participation and ensuring that anything communicated during | |||||||||||||||||||
11 | the practice is strictly confidential, and will not be used | |||||||||||||||||||
12 | against the parties in any future court proceedings without | |||||||||||||||||||
13 | their informed consent. This Section further intends to codify | |||||||||||||||||||
14 | that the privilege within a restorative justice practice shall | |||||||||||||||||||
15 | only be waived by informed consent of the party or parties | |||||||||||||||||||
16 | about whom the participation or communication concerns. The | |||||||||||||||||||
17 | General Assembly affords this privilege in recognition of | |||||||||||||||||||
18 | restorative justice as a powerful tool in addressing the needs | |||||||||||||||||||
19 | of victims, offenders, and the larger community in the process | |||||||||||||||||||
20 | of repairing the fabric of community peace. The General | |||||||||||||||||||
21 | Assembly further encourages residents of this State to employ | |||||||||||||||||||
22 | restorative justice practices, not only in justiciable | |||||||||||||||||||
23 | matters, but in all aspects of life and law. |
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1 | (b) As used in this Section: | ||||||
2 | "Communication" mean any information received by a | ||||||
3 | party in preparation for, during, or received after a | ||||||
4 | restorative justice practice. | ||||||
5 | "Restorative justice practice" means a convening, such | ||||||
6 | as victim-offender mediation, peace circle, or other | ||||||
7 | conflict resolution sessions, in which parties who have | ||||||
8 | caused harm, parties who have been harmed, or community | ||||||
9 | stakeholders collectively gather to identify harm, repair | ||||||
10 | harm to the extent possible, address trauma, reduce the | ||||||
11 | likelihood of further harm, or strengthen community ties by | ||||||
12 | focusing on the needs and obligations of all parties | ||||||
13 | involved through a participatory process. | ||||||
14 | (c) If a restorative justice practice is convened, neither | ||||||
15 | the fact that it has been convened, nor anything said or done | ||||||
16 | within the practice, is admissible in any court, unless this | ||||||
17 | privilege is: | ||||||
18 | (1) waived, in court or in writing, by the party or | ||||||
19 | parties about whom the information relates; | ||||||
20 | (2) subject to one or more of the exemptions in | ||||||
21 | subsection (f); or | ||||||
22 | (3) used in furtherance of a criminal act. | ||||||
23 | Any waiver is limited to the participation and | ||||||
24 | communication of that party only, and the participation or | ||||||
25 | communications of any other participants remain confidential | ||||||
26 | and privileged unless waived by the other parties. This |
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1 | information is not subject to discovery or disclosure in any | ||||||
2 | judicial or extra-judicial proceedings. | ||||||
3 | (d) Evidence that is otherwise admissible or subject to | ||||||
4 | discovery does not become inadmissible or protected from | ||||||
5 | discovery solely because it was discussed or used in a | ||||||
6 | restorative justice practice. | ||||||
7 | (e) The legitimacy of the restorative justice practice, if | ||||||
8 | challenged in any civil, juvenile, criminal, or administrative | ||||||
9 | proceeding, shall be determined by the judge. The judge, in a | ||||||
10 | hearing conducted pursuant to this subsection, may consider | ||||||
11 | information that would otherwise be privileged to the extent | ||||||
12 | that the information is probative of the issue. | ||||||
13 | (f) No party to a restorative justice practice shall reveal | ||||||
14 | information relating to the practice unless the party or | ||||||
15 | parties about whom the information relates waives this | ||||||
16 | privilege in court or in writing, or the disclosure is | ||||||
17 | otherwise permitted by this Section. | ||||||
18 | (1) Nothing with respect to this privilege shall | ||||||
19 | preclude a party to a restorative justice practice from | ||||||
20 | revealing information: | ||||||
21 | (i) if that person reasonably believes it is | ||||||
22 | necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm; | ||||||
23 | (ii) to comply with other law; | ||||||
24 | (iii) to report on a restorative justice practice | ||||||
25 | session taking place in order to comply with a | ||||||
26 | court-related program; however, this report shall be |
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1 | limited to the fact that a practice has taken place, an | ||||||
2 | opinion regarding the success of the practice, and if | ||||||
3 | further proceedings are to follow. The specific | ||||||
4 | communications elicited in the practice shall not be | ||||||
5 | reported to the court unless waived by the appropriate | ||||||
6 | parties; or | ||||||
7 | (iv) to comply with a court order following a | ||||||
8 | hearing that considers the following factors: | ||||||
9 | (A) the ease of obtaining the information | ||||||
10 | through other methods; | ||||||
11 | (B) the need for the information; and | ||||||
12 | (C) the interest in protecting the privacy of | ||||||
13 | restorative justice practices. | ||||||
14 | (2) A party may reveal information relating to the | ||||||
15 | practice to the extent that the person reasonably believes | ||||||
16 | disclosure is necessary to prevent a participant from | ||||||
17 | committing a crime in circumstances other than those | ||||||
18 | specified in subparagraph (i) of paragraph (1). | ||||||
19 | (3) Any party to a restorative justice practice who, by | ||||||
20 | reason of his or her employment or profession, is legally | ||||||
21 | required to report information shall not be relieved of | ||||||
22 | that duty based on this privilege.
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