Left-wing activists are always working to change language to be more “inclusive” and “accepting.” For example, some LGBTQ+ advocates claim that the term “pedophile” is offensive and should be replaced with “minor attracted persons.” On a lesser scale, many “woke” people refer to their significant other with the gender-neutral term “partner.” And, some have replaced the term “homeless person” with “person experiencing homelessness.”
In one blue state, Democrats are working on changing terminology in its criminal code.
Illinois Democrats are working toward changing the term “offender” to “justice-impacted individual,” according to a new bill.
House Bill 4409 will change the Illinois Crime Reduction Act of 2009 to amend "references from ‘offenders’ to ‘justice-impacted individuals,'" Fox News reported. The bill is sponsored by Democrat Reps. Kelly M. Cassidy and Lindsey LaPointe and Sens. Robert Peters, Mike Simmons and Adriane Johnson.
Here is your State of Illinois government remove the word “offender” from State code and replacing it with the word “justice-impacted individual”.
— SafeSuburbsUSA (@SafeSuburbsUSA) May 22, 2024
Voters please wake up and start sending normal, rational people to Springfield. Progressive activists cannot govern. pic.twitter.com/ZXEtjV85zc
State Sen. Terri Bryant, a Republican, urged lawmakers to vote no on the measure, The Center Square reported.
"Over and over again, we keep changing the name of how we are referring to those who have entered into criminal activity and each time we make that change, each agency has to make that change on every one of their documents," Republican State Sen. Terri Bryant reportedly said on Tuesday. "Right now in the Department of Corrections, there's multiple changes that have been made and it’s costing thousands and thousands of dollars just to do a name change. Why is it necessary to make the name change?"
State Sen. Steve McClure, a Republican, added on.
“There seems to be this rush to take away all accountability for people who commit crimes. If a person is going to get on the right path, they have to know they did something wrong. This apologizing for the criminal, the person who chooses to commit crimes to the detriment of our victims, the people who don’t choose to be victims of crimes, is absolutely incredible. Crime is up 38 percent year-to-date since 2019. Crime is up everywhere. We have seen an incredible increase of drugs that have been snuck into prison, we are on pace for a record year" when it comes to drugs in prisons, McClure said.
McClure then inquired if the term “victim” would eventually be changed.