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1		HOUSE RESOLUTION
2		WHEREAS, The State of Illinois, and particularly the City
3		of Chicago and Cook County, have made measurable progress in
4		reducing violent crime over the past several years, yet the
5		rates of homicide and gun violence remain unacceptably high
6		and continue to cause untold human and economic loss; and
7		WHEREAS, According to the Chicago Police Department's 2024
8		year-end data, the city recorded approximately 617 homicides,
9		marking a 12% decline from the prior year, yet this still
10		represents more than one homicide every day within the city;
11		and
12		WHEREAS, In Cook County, over 90% of homicide victims are
13		male, and approximately 80% are Black, with young Black men
14		aged 15 to 34 representing both the overwhelming majority of
15		victims and perpetrators of gun homicides, a tragic and
16		disproportionate burden that devastates families and
17		communities and demands urgent attention; and
18		WHEREAS, The Illinois State Police and the Illinois
19		Department of Public Health report that firearm homicide
20		remains the leading cause of death for young Black men in the
21		State, with rates more than 25 times higher than those of their
22		white peers, underscoring the need for practical,

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1		evidence-based prevention strategies that reach youth before
2		violence occurs; and
3		WHEREAS, In 2025, the University of Chicago Press
4		published Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of
5		American Gun Violence by Professor Jens Ludwig, the Edwin A.
6		and Betty L. Bergman Distinguished Service Professor at the
7		University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and
8		Director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab; and
9		WHEREAS, Unforgiving Places has quickly become a major
10		contribution to the national conversation about public safety,
11		offering a timely and data-driven reframing of the gun
12		violence crisis, arguing that much of America's violence
13		arises not from organized criminal intent but from
14		split-second decisions made in environments of stress, fear,
15		or disrespect and that behavioral science and decision-skills
16		training offer a path forward that is both humane and
17		effective; and
18		WHEREAS, Professor Ludwig's research and that of his
19		colleagues have demonstrated that short, structured
20		cognitive-behavioral intervention (CBI) programs,
21		specifically those designed and evaluated to reduce violence
22		involvement among participants, can produce measurable
23		reductions in arrests and violent offending, improve academic

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1		outcomes, and achieve these results at a fraction of the cost
2		of traditional law enforcement or incarceration; and
3		WHEREAS, Such programs include Becoming a Man (BAM),
4		operated by Youth Guidance in Chicago Public Schools, and
5		decision-making curricula implemented at the Cook County
6		Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC), which have reduced
7		violent offending by up to 45% in rigorous evaluations by the
8		University of Chicago Crime Lab and other researchers; and
9		WHEREAS, Illinois has already embedded Social and
10		Emotional Learning (SEL) into the State's Illinois Learning
11		Standards, including Goal 3: Demonstrate decision-making
12		skills and responsible behaviors, and the School Code requires
13		violence prevention and conflict resolution instruction under
14		Section 27-23.4, yet current guidance does not specify which
15		evidence-based programs meet those goals or direct school
16		districts toward validated, violence-reduction curricula; and
17		WHEREAS, Clarifying that evidence-based, decision-making,
18		and impulse-control curricula specifically demonstrated to
19		reduce violence involvement, including those validated by the
20		University of Chicago Crime Lab and other leading researchers,
21		qualify as approved SEL instruction would empower schools to
22		teach lifesaving skills using existing time, staff, and
23		resources; and

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1		WHEREAS, Likewise, the Illinois juvenile justice system,
2		which includes the Administrative Office of the Illinois
3		Courts (AOIC), the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), and
4		county probation and diversion programs, has the authority to
5		require educational or counseling programs for youth under
6		supervision, but it lacks statewide guidance on validated,
7		violence-reduction curricula that can be implemented at
8		minimal cost; and
9		WHEREAS, Integrating such programs as a standard early
10		touchpoint for youth entering the justice system could help
11		young people develop reflection skills, reduce recidivism, and
12		rebuild community safety more effectively and humanely than
13		punitive measures alone; and
14		WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS),
15		particularly through the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention
16		and the Reimagine Public Safety Act, and the Illinois Criminal
17		Justice Information Authority (ICJIA), particularly through
18		the R3 Program's violence prevention and youth development
19		initiatives, are leading state agencies in funding community
20		violence intervention programs focused on individuals at the
21		highest risk of firearm violence involvement and
22		victimization; therefore, be it

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1		RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
2		HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
3		we urge the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to:
4		(1) Identify and publish a list of evidence-based,
5		decision-making, and impulse-control curricula that have
6		been demonstrated to reduce violence involvement;
7		(2) Make at least one free or low-cost curriculum
8		available statewide for optional integration into existing
9		Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) instruction;
10		(3) Encourage districts to implement these programs
11		using existing resources and staff development; and
12		(4) Develop, pilot, and rigorously test new
13		school-based, decision-making, and violence-prevention
14		curricula that can be easily adopted by ISBE and schools
15		statewide if proven effective in reducing violence; and be
16		it further
17		RESOLVED, That we urge the Administrative Office of the
18		Illinois Courts (AOIC), the Department of Juvenile Justice
19		(DJJ), and county probation and diversion programs to identify
20		and approve evidence-based, decision-making curricula
21		appropriate for minors under supervision, diversion, or
22		detention, to encourage their integration as standard early
23		interventions, and to implement these initiatives within
24		existing budgets and structures; and be it further

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1		RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois Department of Human
2		Services (IDHS) and the Illinois Criminal Justice Information
3		Authority (ICJIA) to coordinate with ISBE, AOIC, DJJ, and
4		local partners to align violence-prevention curricula and
5		community-based interventions across settings; and be it
6		further
7		RESOLVED, That we recognize Professor Jens Ludwig for his
8		groundbreaking research, leadership, and publication of
9		Unforgiving Places, and we acknowledge the contributions of
10		other scholars and organizations advancing behavioral
11		approaches to violence prevention, including Patrick H. Tolan,
12		John E. Lochman, the University of Chicago Education Lab,
13		Youth Guidance, Arnold Ventures, and others; and be it further
14		RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
15		delivered to the Illinois State Board of Education, the
16		Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, the Department
17		of Juvenile Justice, the Illinois Department of Human
18		Services, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority,
19		Professor Jens Ludwig, and the Governor of the State of
20		Illinois.