Criminal Justice Reform
CHICAGO (AP) — Advocates for domestic violence survivors in Illinois celebrated earlier this month when Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill into law making it easier for those who are incarcerated to get reduced sentences. House bill sponsor Rep. Kelly…
Read MoreBill named for Chicago domestic violence victim allegedly shot and killed by husband this summer By HANNAH MEISELCapitol News [email protected] CHICAGO – As lawmakers prepare to return to Springfield later this month for their annual two-week fall veto session, advocates…
Read MoreHearings have been longer, more deliberative – resembling federal detention proceedings In courtrooms around the state early this week, judges conducted the first hearings under a new system that determines whether a defendant will be jailed while awaiting trial based…
Read MoreCash bail disproportionately impacts communities of color. Illinois is the first state to abolish it
CHICAGO (AP) — It took four and a half months for Shannon Ross’ life to unravel. Ross, who describes himself as Indigenous and a person of color, was arrested in Chicago in October 2019 on weapons charges and ultimately found…
Read MoreAn estimated one in five homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC also reports that about 75% of female domestic violence survivors and 48% of male survivors experience some…
Read MoreCHICAGO, Ill. (CBS) – The Illinois Supreme Court has upheld a state law ending cash bail across the state, giving courts two more months before they must implement the change. In a 5-2 ruling Tuesday morning, the state’s highest court…
Read MoreAnti-criminal violence advocates rallied in the state Capitol on Thursday, pushing a slate of bills they say will better serve survivors and victims in Illinois. Aswad Thomas, national director of Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, was on his way…
Read MoreStates Attorney Haine, I was disappointed to read your letter and watch your television interview defending a criminal justice status quo where accused murderers, domestic batterers, rapists, and other dangerous criminals can buy their way out of jail pending trial…
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