Barriers to work and employment perpetuate dangerous cycle for ex-offenders and their families

By Bryant Jackson-Green

01/07/2016

Nearly 70,000 Illinois children have incarcerated parents who will need to be able to support their families after serving their sentences.

TAGS: expungement, occupational licensing, record sealing

Illinois’ tax revenues increased more than those of any state but North Dakota since Great Recession

By Michael Lucci

10/19/2015

A new study from The Pew Charitable Trusts shows that Illinois’ tax revenues are up by 20 percent over their pre-Great Recession peak, debunking the oft-repeated mantra that Illinois is just one more tax hike away from solving its fiscal problems.

TAGS: budget, taxes

Illinois leads nation in overcrowded prisons

By Bryant Jackson-Green

10/13/2015

Illinois prisons held 150 percent of their maximum capacity in 2014, the highest rate of crowding of any prison system in the country, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

TAGS: criminal justice reform, prison, prison overcrowding, prison population

Making Illinois smart on crime: First steps to reduce spending, ease offender re-entry and enhance public safety

By Bryant Jackson-Green, Dianna Muldrow, Derek Cohen

08/06/2015

First steps to reduce spending, ease offender re-entry and enhance public safety

Tax growth approaches double the pace of income growth in Illinois

By Austin Berg

06/30/2015

Money flowing to Illinois’ state and local governments grew much faster than the average Illinoisans’ paycheck from 1969-2012.

TAGS: budget, spending

Black men hit hardest by Illinois’ manufacturing losses

By Michael Lucci

06/30/2015

For inner-city families without the luxury of a private education, an Illinois manufacturing job is and always has been the first rung up the economic ladder.

TAGS: jobs, losses, manufacturing

Hey, Speaker Madigan: Illinois’ No. 1 budget problem is taxpayers fleeing the state

By Michael Lucci

06/15/2015

If Illinois had simply broken even on domestic migration, there likely wouldn’t be much of a budget problem.

TAGS: jobs, middle class

Illinois can cut crime and prison-population growth at the same time

By Bryant Jackson-Green

05/14/2015

States across the country have made major gains on both fronts.

TAGS: prison population

Illinois’ middle class shrinking as property taxes shoot to record levels

By Michael Lucci

04/13/2015

Illinois stands out in the Midwest for unaffordable housing – 34 percent of Illinois households spend more than 30 cents per dollar of income on housing, more than any other state in the region.

TAGS: housing, property taxes

Pew study blows hole in myth that Illinois has a revenue problem

By Michael Lucci

04/06/2015

Tax revenues in Illinois are up 22.5 percent over pre-recession highs, while 30 other states are collecting less tax revenue today than they were before the recession began.

TAGS: jobs

The Pew Charitable Trusts

Barriers to work and employment perpetuate dangerous cycle for ex-offenders and their families

Illinois’ tax revenues increased more than those of any state but North Dakota since Great Recession

Illinois leads nation in overcrowded prisons

Making Illinois smart on crime: First steps to reduce spending, ease offender re-entry and enhance public safety

Tax growth approaches double the pace of income growth in Illinois

Black men hit hardest by Illinois’ manufacturing losses

Hey, Speaker Madigan: Illinois’ No. 1 budget problem is taxpayers fleeing the state

Illinois can cut crime and prison-population growth at the same time

Illinois’ middle class shrinking as property taxes shoot to record levels

Pew study blows hole in myth that Illinois has a revenue problem

FAQ: How the federal scholarship program would help Illinois students

Report Archive

Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students