“We have individuals who commit violent crimes that have to be punished. We’ve got people who commit financial crimes that destroy people, we have to prosecute them aggressively. “But someone who is recreationally using drugs, we’ve always criminalized it and now we’ve seen that we’ve been banging our heads against a wall and it doesn’t...
The governor has proposed criminal-justice reforms to save Illinois taxpayers $300 million over the next four years while improving outcomes for offenders and their communities.
“I grew up in Roseland. “We lived in a two-flat with a basement and one bathroom: me and 25 other family members. Drug problems, gang violence, all of that was the reality. “Vocational school was vital for me and I thank God I got a job. It’s a cliché but that totally changed my life....
A proposal to criminalize recording and posting fights would violate the First Amendment rights of Illinois residents
Closing the Illinois Youth Center in Kewanee, with its $84,000 per-youth annual operating cost, will help save money and redirect resources toward more effective treatment programs for juvenile offenders.
Issuing state IDs to ex-offenders upon release from prison is a simple reform that can help them succeed in finding work and a place to live.
New polling shows large majorities of Illinois Republican and Democratic voters think the state’s criminal-justice system needs a major overhaul.
“… After I sold my catering business I was going to meetings with young offenders here in Evanston. At every single meeting I heard kids say they wouldn’t have done what they did if they had a job. And I was sick of hearing that story over and over again without having anywhere to send...
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s criminal-justice reform commission urges removing overbroad occupational licensing restrictions that bar ex-offenders from pursuing work in over 118 professions.
Since Chicago officials received a city watchdog investigation recommending six officers be disciplined for their roles surrounding the killing of David Koschman by a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley, three have retired.
The commission’s 14 policy suggestions aim to safely reduce Illinois’ prison population by 25 percent by 2025.
80% of Chicago dashcam audio systems are malfunctioning due "to operator error or in some cases intentional destruction."
Gov. Bruce Rauner highlights the continued need for criminal-justice reform to save taxpayer dollars and restore opportunity. To get there, Illinois must embrace reforms that enable ex-offenders to provide for themselves and their families once they’ve served their sentences.
Ninety-two percent of Americans support a body camera requirement for police officers; to enhance transparency and accountability, Chicago should require its police to use body cameras.