Four pieces of legislation signed in mid-July by Governor George Ryan are the latest in a series of enactments augmenting the Illinois DUI law, 625 ILCS 5/11-501, and other DUI-related provisions.
Public Act 90-122 mandates a six- to 28-year prison term for a defendant found guilty of reckless homicide involving two or more deaths in a single course of conduct when the defendant is under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
"Gunrunning'' constitutes the "violation of any of the paragraphs of section 24-3'' of the Illinois Criminal Code, 720 ILCS 5 et seq, when three or more firearms are transferred.
According to 720 ILCS 5/24-1.2, "aggravated discharge of a firearm'' is, inter alia, firing a gun at a person, or into a building or vehicle when the shooter knows it is occupied.
PA 91-18 will penalize a person who knowingly leaves a firearm where a minor under 14 years of age can access it if the minor later causes death or serious bodily harm with it.
On May 20, 1999, the Illinois Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the appellate and circuit courts and found insufficient evidence to convict the defendant of aggravated discharge of a firearm (720 ILCS 24/5; 1.2(a) (West 1994)) under a theory of accountability (720 ILCS 5/5-2 (West 1994)).
When Illinois re-enacted the death penalty in 1977, the General Assembly and the criminal justice system made a legal and moral commitment to the people of Illinois that, if executions take place in their name, they would be done right.
Sponsored by Senator Kirk W. Dillard, Public Act 90-735 makes it a battery to administer a controlled substance to a person without his or her consent, or by threat or deception, for non-medical purposes.
On November 19, 1998, the Illinois Supreme Court reversed the trial court's holding that section 11-501.1(a) of the Illinois Vehicle Code (625 ILCS 5/11-501.1(a) (West 1996)) .
According to Public Act 90-734, domestic battery committed by a defendant with a prior conviction for violating an order of protection is a Class 4 felony.
