A spotlight on domestic violence in Illinois may lead judges to enact harsh sentences for any violent offenders in the upcoming months.

Conversations about domestic violence charges were sparked recently after Kendrick Nunn, a guard for the Illini basketball team, pleaded guilty to hitting a woman in the head and shoving her to the ground. He was charged a few weeks ago with misdemeanor battery. Worse, he is the fourth member of the Illini basketball team to be arrested [...]

In January, a Rantoul man was found guilty of hitting a woman and stopping her from leaving her home. Only two months later, he went to county jail to serve three years behind bars – the absolute maximum sentence for domestic battery.

If that timeframe seems fast, you’re not wrong.

The State’s Attorney’s office has put a new initiative in place designed to bring offenders to justice “faster than ever before.” According to Assistant State’s Attorney Claire Sharples [...]