Jones Introduces Legislation to Address Violence through Trauma Centers

SOUTH HOLLAND, Ill. – State Rep. Thaddeus Jones, D-Calumet City, is introducing legislation which aims to address violence by creating a pilot program that will study the effect trauma centers have in communities disproportionately impacted with high levels of violence.

“Pervasive violence is a troubling reality impacting certain communities and neighborhoods across our state,” Jones said. “When people are exposed to or directly impacted by the perils of violence, oftentimes there are not sufficient resources in place to address the trauma associated with these events. That is why I am introducing a bill to assess whether trauma centers are a viable long-term solution for certain communities across our state.”

Jones’ House Bill 4028 establishes the Violence as a Disease Pilot Program Act, which calls for the temporary creation of trauma centers to assess whether the data and intelligence they obtain regarding violence is worthy of long-term implementation. These trauma centers would be tasked with sharing intelligence with Illinois State Police (ISP) on a weekly basis. ISP would then be required to identify and review areas of concern based on the data.

“We cannot afford to sit back while countless of victims are counting on us to stand up and address the violence which continues to infiltrate our communities,” Jones said. “This bill moves us closer to saving lives and identifying long-term solutions to prevent the proliferation of violence.”