At the end of its investigation, the Commission suggested five recommendations to address the concern of disproportionate incarceration of African-Americans to be implemented through legislation. Those recommendations were institute racial & ethnic impact statements, expand sentencing alternatives, reduce barriers to employment, use drug forfeiture funds to address the problem and fund alternatives to incarceration. If passed, Senate Bill 2271 will address the first two recommendations of the Commission.

"The failed ‘war on drugs’ has lead to the direct targeting of ethnic populations in the United States and especially in Illinois where our prisons are overcrowded by non-violent African-American offenders," Hunter said. "The DJIS Commission and the subsequent legislation it has produced are in response to a growing demand from the African-American population for rehabilitation opportunities versus incarceration and ultimately recidivism. The State would benefit from these recommendations both by lowering their prison population and by creating successful, tax paying citizens."

The Commission was established in 2008 through legislation championed by Hunter to examine the impact of Illinois drug laws on racial and ethnic groups. The Commission released a report in January that revealed that African Americans charged with low-level drug crimes were sent to prison at a rate almost five times greater than whites in 2005, the most recent year for which the comprehensive data set was available.