Criminal Courts Archives - Page 10 of 39 - Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts

Dynamics of Drug Possession Charges in Illinois, from Investigatory Stops to Sentences

B A C K G R O U N D Illinois is one of 18 states that makes possession of drugs (except cannabis) a felony in all cases. This means that possession, even of very small amounts of drugs, can lead to serious criminal legal system involvement. Felony arrests lead to pretrial jail time, often bec...

All People Deserve Access to Their Rights – Especially Those as Foundational as the Presumption of Innocence

Cook County leads the nation in exonerations based on false confessions. Between 1972 and 1991, Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge tortured at least 119 people – most of whom were young Black men – in order to force false confessions. Cook County still lives in that legacy: Between January 1989 and...

Two Years In: Weighing the Costs and Benefits of Remote Court Proceedings

The need to preserve court access during the pandemic moved hearings online. Remote court hearings are expected to continue – even as the courts return to in-person proceedings. While the transition has raised some concerns related to due process and accessibility, there appear to be some benefits t...

“Organized Retail Theft” Bill is an Extreme Approach to an Imaginary Problem

This week, the Illinois Retail Merchants’ Association succeeded in convincing the Illinois General Assembly to introduce legislation targeted at reducing “organized retail theft.” Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers vehemently opposed the bill, HB 1091, which...

Progress Report: First Year of the New Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County

Today, Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, the Chicago Council of Lawyers, and the Civic Federation released our report examining Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez’s first full year in office. This progress report follows a report issued ahead of the November 202...

1 … 8 9 10 11 12 … 39