The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that in the year 2021, the state had a murder rate somewhat above the median for the entire country.
[1] Illinois has four different homicide crimes in total, with first-degree murder being the most serious offense.
Illinois law defines first-degree murder as when a person intends to kill, intends to inflict great bodily harm, or knowingly engages in an act that has a strong probability of death or great bodily harm for another individual, causing a person's death.
[2] It is punished by a minimum of 20 years in prison and a maximum of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
[3] The only exception is for offenders under the age of 21, where the maximum sentence is life-with-parole after 40 years.