Insights & Information

A new report published by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) offers a snapshot of recidivism in the State juvenile justice system. Selected key findings from the report include the following: 86% of youth were re-arrested within 3 years of release; 95% of youth sentenced for a drug offense were re-arrested within 3 years of release; 68% of youth were re-incarcerated within 3 years of release; and 34% of youth were re-incarcerated as adults. Click here for the full report.

Cook County's Justice Advisory Council has published a report with results from its study of the county's bond court and pre-trial services. County President Toni Preckwinkle announced on July 12 that implementation of initiatives recommended in the report are already underway. The study was conducted with cooperation by Chief Judge Timothy Evans, Clerk of the Court Dorothy Brown, Sheriff Tom Dart, State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, and Public Defender Abishi Cunningham, with a goal of improving conditions for people who have contact with bond court. President Preckwinkle has repeatedly noted concerns about the number of people with low-level charges detained in jail who do not truly represent a threat to public safety but are not released simply because they cannot afford to pay their bond. To read more in a piece by Sebastian James on Cook County's blog and to access the full report, click here. To read a July 17 letter to the editor in the Chicago Tribune co-authored by IACJ Chair and Vice Chair, click here.

Illinios state law has banned the practice of shackling pregnant, laboring women since 1999. This week, a federal judge approved a $4.1 million settlement to approximately 80 plaintiffs claiming that they were shackled during labor, according to an article by Colleen Mastony posted on ChicagoTribune.com. The Cook County Sheriff's Office, which operates the jail, denies the claims, and attributes its agreement to settle to the prevention of further costs of a lawsuit to taxpayers. Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers (CLAIM) senior policy director, Gail Smith, said, "We're very pleased the Sheriff Dart has implemented stronger protections for pregnant women. We look forward to a day that women throughout Illiois will have similar protections." Earlier this year, the use of shackles on pregnant detainees was banned in Cook County, when the Governor signed a new law. 

In times of austerity, it can be very difficult for elected officials to advance any significant agenda items while also balancing a budget. The Cook County Board of Commissioners president, Toni Preckwinkle, is trying to reduce the number of individuals (currently 100,000 in Cook County annually) in the Cook County jail and the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center. Ms. Preckwinkle cites the high costs of incarceration at $143 per inmate per day at Cook County jail and over $600 per person per day at the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center. Ms. Preckwinkle has set specific goals to reduce the prison population, and currently, many other different proposals are being considered as well. To read more of this New York Times article by Adrienne Lu, click here.

Join State Representative La Shawn Ford (D-8th District) for a public discussion on the important issue of conceal and carry of handguns.

Town Hall Meeting on Conceal and Carry of Handguns
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
4630 W. Augusta
Chicago, Illinois
For more info, click here.
To RSVP, call (773) 378-5902

The Cook County Human Trafficking Task Force presents the First Annual Human Trafficking two-day conference. Topics include building strong cases for prosecution, labor trafficking, sex trafficking, immigration, forensic interviewing, street outreach, and more.

August 23 and 24, 2011
8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Loyola University of Chicago
Downtown Campus

To register for the conference, click here. (Registration closes on August 15.)

The Cook County Sheriff's Reentry Council has released a research bulletin describing the characteristics of the inmates of Cook County Jail. The bulletin provides a detailed description of the volume and characteristics of those admitted to and discharged from the jail during 2010 and illustrates a number of challenges facing the facility. For the full bulletin, click here.

At a rally in downtown Chicago on June 17, Cook Country Board President Toni Preckwinkle called the country’s war on drugs a failure and “…devastated lives, families and communities. For too long we’ve treated drug use as a criminal justice issue, rather than a public issue, which is what it is.” To read the full article in the Chicago Tribune by Hal Dardick, click here.

Together the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice and the Chicago Council of Lawyers have authored a report outlining a plan to implement a Cook County Diversion Court. The court would divert non-violent offenders with substance abuse or mental health issues to supervision and treatment and provide the opportunity to avoid a felony conviction upon successful completion. According to the authors, the diversion court could save money while reducing crime, incarceration, and unemployment among graduates. For more on this report, click here.