Insights & Information

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.

SB 2621 passed the Illinois Senate this week, and is now headed to the House for consideration. Sponsored by Sen. Kwame Raoul and Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, the proposal addresses the crowded conditions in Illinois prisons, where the population has spiked to 49,000 in a system designed to hold about 34,000. Forty percent of those currently incarcerated are being held for non-violent offenses. Restoring the prison population to its 2009 numbers will save taxpayers more than $150 million annually. By establishing a responsible sentence credit system, SB2621 will provide a safe, cost-effective way to reduce the prison population. For more information and updates on the bill's progress, visit the Coalition for Prison Reform or the bill's status page.

With the release of his budget recommendations for FY13, Governor Quinn announced the closure of two juvenile justice facilities (Murphysboro and Joliet). While there are mixed review of this plan, some criminal justice reform advocates have come out in support of the plan on the grounds that it could both save the state money and permit youth to receive rehabilitative services and treatments in their communitites rather than behind bars. Additionally, the Governor wants to close two adult facilities (Tamms "supermax" prison, and Dwight) and six transitional centers, which serve as halfway houses for people leaving prison and returning to their communities. To read media coverage of the budget and closures, click here, here, here, and here.

Read responses to the Governor's budget and planned closures from several IACJ member organizations: 

• Safer Foundation
• TASC
• John Howard Association

The University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois, is hosting a one-day Policy and Practice Symposium to examine contemporary issues within the criminal justice system, criminal justice reform efforts, youth and justice, and community collaboration. Internationally known litigator-turned-legal-scholar Michelle Alexander will present an incisive critique of the current social justice system and examine the historical and controversial drug policy referred to as the “War on Drugs” in her keynote address. 1.5 CE units can be earned by social workers and counselors attending Alexander’s keynote address. For more information, click here or here.

April 12, 2012
12:45PM - 9:00PM
University of St. Francis
Joliet, IL

Public policy with regard to sex offenders has been a major point of contention in both state and national politics. Current policies often require sex offenders to register as part of a public registry, despite significant research calling into question the effectiveness of such requirements in increasing public safety and deterring sex offenses. A piece by Jamey Dunn in the September issue of Illinois Issues addresses this topic. One recent study found that, while requiring sex offenders to register with police may significantly reduce the chances that they will re-offend, making that same registry information available to the public may lead to higher overall rates of sex crime. Another finds no evidence that sex offender registries are at all effective in increasing public safety. To read more about these studies, click here.

The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center recently released a guide for policymakers committed to reducing the possibility that individuals on probation will reoffend. This guide provides probation leaders with direction on how to increase community safety and improve compliance among individuals on probation. To access the report, click here.

The Sentencing Project has released a new briefing paper that documents the growing trend of states to close prisons. Authors note that this trend will likely result in a reduction of more than 13,000 prison beds by year end. The report, On the Chopping Block: State Prison Closings, finds that at least 13 states have closed or are considering closing correctional facilities this year, reversing a 40-year trend of prison expansion. Leading the nation in prison closings are New York State, which is considering a reduction of 3,800 beds, and Texas, with plans for a decline of 2,139 beds. Other states that are closing prisons are Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Michigan, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin.  To read the full report, click here.

The most extensive study of drug courts -- a five-year examination of 23 courts and six comparison jurisdictions in eight states -- found that these court programs can significantly decrease drug use and criminal behavior, with positive outcomes ramping upward as participants sensed their judge treated them more fairly, showed greater respect and interest in them, and gave them more chances to talk during courtroom proceedings. To find out more about the study, 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.

Chicago city council officials formally declared on June 6 that former Newark head of police, Garry McCarthy, would take over the Chicago Police Department superintendent position. McCarthy advised the council's public safety committee of his plans for the Chicago community, one component of which is to to reallocate 500 police officers into several neighborhoods to combat summer crime. To read the article by Evelyn Holmes, click here.