Community Courts and the Fight Against Quality-of-Life Crimes

by Brian Gilbert, Summer Intern with Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice On June 27th of this year, as the Chicago Sun-Times reported here, five-term Alderman Michael Zalewski proposed a bill to raise the fines for adult graffiti taggers from $750 to $2,000, and to mandate a minimum of three days in...

Release: Cook County Gets Serious About Diversion

Chicago, IL -- Cook County public safety leaders gathered at a public forum at Roosevelt University on Wednesday, June 27 to discuss ways the County has and will continue to divert nonviolent offenders out of jail and the criminal justice system altogether. Sponsored by Chicago Appleseed Fund for J...

Report: Strategies to Enhance and Coordinate Cook County Diversion Programs

We are pleased to announce the release of our latest report: "Strategies to Enhance and Coordinate Cook County Diversion Programs." Take a look at the Full Report or the Executive Summary to learn about ways for Cook County to employ a smarter, more effective, cost efficient system of administering...

RSVP — Discussing Diversion in Cook County, June 27, 3-5 pm

At the "Getting Smarter on Crime: Discussing Diversion in Cook County Criminal Justice" forum, the Chicago Reader's Mick Dumke will moderate a panel discussion among public safety leaders about recent successes and future opportunities to improve Cook County's criminal justice process. It will empha...