Statement from the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice: "Illinois defends the Pretrial Fairness Act. We will not bow down to Trump." The post Statement from the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice: “Illinois defends the Pretrial Fairness Act. We will not bow down to Trump.” appeared first on Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts.| Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts
A scandal at a University of Illinois Chicago forensics lab reveals a crisis of oversight in the state’s crime labs. The post How a rogue Chicago forensics lab got people convicted for driving high appeared first on Injustice Watch.| Injustice Watch
Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has decided to scrap her office's do-not-call and disclosure lists, which call out problematic and dishonest cops, and we have serious concerns. Do-not-call and disclosure lists include the names of discredited officers who can't be trusted to testify truthfully. This decision increases the likelihood of constitutional violations and wrongful convictions—especially in Chicago, where the issue of dishonest police in court ("testilying") i...| Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts
Our new report, The Impact of the Pretrial Fairness Act on Electronic Monitoring in Cook County, examines the impacts of the legislative reforms on Cook County’s pretrial electronic monitoring system. The post NEW—The Impact of the Pretrial Fairness Act on Electronic Monitoring in Cook County: Report appeared first on Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts.| Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts
Written by Emily Drevdahl, Loyola School of Law, and Julian D. Cohen, Brown University. Over the past several years, gun possession charges have surged to become one of the most […] The post The Arbitrary Divide: Understanding Simple vs. Aggravated Unlawful Possession of a Weapon appeared first on Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts.| Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts
This investigation was reported in collaboration with the Chicago Tribune. In a flurry of contracts inked a decade ago, some of Illinois’ most powerful political figures declared it was time to fix their obsolete and expensive computer systems. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle called for an online method to deliver error-free property records and […] The post Costs triple, delays mount in vital tech contracts appeared first on Injustice Watch.| Injustice Watch
Still in prison after 18 years despite the flimsy evidence of his guilt, Kevin Jackson tore open the letter from the Cook County conviction integrity unit — a squad in the prosecutor’s office set up to dig into cases such as his and free the wrongfully convicted. He was filled with hope prosecutors in the […] The post Cook County’s conviction integrity unit repeatedly denied freedom to incarcerated people who were later cleared appeared first on Injustice Watch.| Injustice Watch
The Cook County Board of Commissioners held a hearing Wednesday on the health and safety of people incarcerated at the Cook County Jail in response to an Injustice Watch investigation which found 2023 was the deadliest year in the jail in at least three decades. In its investigation, published in June, Injustice Watch looked into […] The post Sheriff Tom Dart skips hearing on Cook County Jail deaths as families offer tearful testimony appeared first on Injustice Watch.| Injustice Watch
The second floor of Cook County’s main criminal courthouse on the corner of 26th Street and California Avenue is unlike the other floors, weirdly cramped. Its winding, narrow hallways lead to low-ceilinged rooms that feel like they were inserted into the building as an afterthought. In late August, I walked into Judge Joanne Rosado’s courtroom, […] The post Reporter’s Notebook: Snapshots from watching 8 Cook County judges at work appeared first on Injustice Watch.| Injustice Watch