Illinois 2023 2023-2024 Regular Session

Illinois House Bill HB2607 Enrolled / Bill

Filed 05/12/2023

                    HB2607 EnrolledLRB103 25824 RLC 52175 b   HB2607 Enrolled  LRB103 25824 RLC 52175 b
  HB2607 Enrolled  LRB103 25824 RLC 52175 b
1  AN ACT concerning criminal law.
2  Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3  represented in the General Assembly:
4  Section 5. The Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 is
5  amended by changing Section 106B-5 as follows:
6  (725 ILCS 5/106B-5)
7  Sec. 106B-5. Testimony by a victim who is a child or a
8  person with a moderate, severe, or profound intellectual
9  disability or a person affected by a developmental disability.
10  (a) In a proceeding in the prosecution of an offense of
11  criminal sexual assault, predatory criminal sexual assault of
12  a child, aggravated criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual
13  abuse, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, aggravated battery,
14  or aggravated domestic battery, a court may order that the
15  testimony of a victim who is a child under the age of 18 years
16  or a person with a moderate, severe, or profound intellectual
17  disability or a person affected by a developmental disability
18  be taken outside the courtroom and shown in the courtroom by
19  means of a closed circuit television if:
20  (1) the testimony is taken during the proceeding; and
21  (2) the judge determines that testimony by the child
22  victim or victim with a moderate, severe, or profound
23  intellectual disability or victim affected by a

 

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1  developmental disability in the courtroom will result in
2  the child or person with a moderate, severe, or profound
3  intellectual disability or person affected by a
4  developmental disability suffering serious emotional
5  distress such that the child or person with a moderate,
6  severe, or profound intellectual disability or person
7  affected by a developmental disability cannot reasonably
8  communicate or that the child or person with a moderate,
9  severe, or profound intellectual disability or person
10  affected by a developmental disability will suffer severe
11  emotional distress that is likely to cause the child or
12  person with a moderate, severe, or profound intellectual
13  disability or person affected by a developmental
14  disability to suffer severe adverse effects.
15  (b) Only the prosecuting attorney, the attorney for the
16  defendant, and the judge may question the child or person with
17  a moderate, severe, or profound intellectual disability or
18  person affected by a developmental disability.
19  (c) The operators of the closed circuit television shall
20  make every effort to be unobtrusive.
21  (d) Only the following persons may be in the room with the
22  child or person with a moderate, severe, or profound
23  intellectual disability or person affected by a developmental
24  disability when the child or person with a moderate, severe,
25  or profound intellectual disability or person affected by a
26  developmental disability testifies by closed circuit

 

 

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1  television:
2  (1) the prosecuting attorney;
3  (2) the attorney for the defendant;
4  (3) the judge;
5  (4) the operators of the closed circuit television
6  equipment; and
7  (5) any person or persons whose presence, in the
8  opinion of the court, contributes to the well-being of the
9  child or person with a moderate, severe, or profound
10  intellectual disability or person affected by a
11  developmental disability, including a person who has dealt
12  with the child in a therapeutic setting concerning the
13  abuse, a parent or guardian of the child or person with a
14  moderate, severe, or profound intellectual disability or
15  person affected by a developmental disability, and court
16  security personnel.
17  (e) During the child's or person with a moderate, severe,
18  or profound intellectual disability or person affected by a
19  developmental disability's testimony by closed circuit
20  television, the defendant shall be in the courtroom and shall
21  not communicate with the jury if the cause is being heard
22  before a jury.
23  (f) The defendant shall be allowed to communicate with the
24  persons in the room where the child or person with a moderate,
25  severe, or profound intellectual disability or person affected
26  by a developmental disability is testifying by any appropriate

 

 

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1  electronic method.
2  (f-5) There is a rebuttable presumption that the testimony
3  of a victim who is a child under 13 years of age shall testify
4  outside the courtroom and the child's testimony shall be shown
5  in the courtroom by means of a closed circuit television. This
6  presumption may be overcome if the defendant can prove by
7  clear and convincing evidence that the child victim will not
8  suffer severe emotional distress.
9  (f-6) Before the court permits the testimony of a victim
10  outside the courtroom that is to be shown in the courtroom by
11  means of a closed circuit television, the court must make a
12  finding that the testimony by means of closed circuit
13  television does not prejudice the defendant.
14  (g) The provisions of this Section do not apply if the
15  defendant represents himself pro se.
16  (h) This Section may not be interpreted to preclude, for
17  purposes of identification of a defendant, the presence of
18  both the victim and the defendant in the courtroom at the same
19  time.
20  (i) This Section applies to prosecutions pending on or
21  commenced on or after the effective date of this amendatory
22  Act of 1994.
23  (j) For the purposes of this Section, "developmental
24  disability" includes, but is not limited to, cerebral palsy,
25  epilepsy, and autism.
26  (Source: P.A. 99-143, eff. 7-27-15; 99-630, eff. 1-1-17.)

 

 

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