Forum on the Forgotten Guantanamo Detainees

This program will focus on half of the men still detained in Guantánamo. For at least 3 years, these 86 men have been cleared for release by unanimous agreement of the nation’s top intelligence, national security, law enforcement, and military officials. Yet taxpayers continue to spend $70 million p...
January 8, 2013

Testimony: Justice Advocates Oppose Videoconferenced Criminal Proceedings

Last week, Chicago Appleseed, Chicago Council of Lawyers, and several other criminal justice advocates submitted testimony objecting to an Illinois Supreme Court Proposal 12-01 (P.R. 0196). Proposal 12-01 creates a rule permitting a criminal defendant to appear in many different proceedings via clo...
December 4, 2012

Policy Brief: Use of Data in Criminal Court Performance Measurement

Our latest policy brief, "Use of Data in Criminal Court Performance Measurement" is now available. This brief explores the benefits of measuring criminal court performance, shares two case studies of where doing so has been successful, and then offers one potential application to Cook County: t...
December 3, 2012

“Services Not Jail”

In a recent column, Rev. Alexander Sharp, who is Executive Director Emeritus for Protestants for the Common Good, calls for a "New Paradigm" for drug policy. The paradigm prioritizes treating the underlying cause of crime--e.g., poverty, homelessness, addiction, or abuse--over jailing the individual...
November 27, 2012

New York Times Joins Advocates in Opposing Costly Jail Telephone Calls

The New York Times lent its voice to a growing advocacy effort combating exorbitant telephone call fees from jail, from which many municipalities, including Cook County, generate considerable revenue. Spurred in part by the Prison Policy Initiative's latest report, "The Price to Call Home: State-Sa...
September 24, 2012