The Illinois Senate approved legislation meant to address record gun violence in Chicago.
It's intended to push judges into imposing longer prison sentences on repeat gun offenders.
It passed on a vote of 35 to 9, but several legislators voted “present” — or didn’t vote at all.
Democrat Jackie Collins of Chicago, says “locking up more people is not the solution to gun violence.”
“What is needed is economic development, police reform, and stopping the flow of illegal guns in communities ravaged by deep concentrations of poverty and hopelessness.”
Senator Kwame Raoul disagrees.
“If this saves one life, just one life, I think it’s worth it," he says.
An analysis by the Illinois Department of Corrections says this could conceivably result in a 1300 person increase in the state prison population. However, the legislation also lets judges impose shorter sentences if they spell out a reason. This makes the measure's true effects hard to predict.
