Economic Accessibility Archives - Page 2 of 17 - Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts

Victory: Pretrial Success Grant Program Preserved, Funding Kept for Critical Pretrial Services

On May 31, the Illinois General Assembly passed its annual budget, including a measure to ensure continued funding of the Pretrial Success grant program. Established in 2024 as part of the Pretrial Success Act, the program funds organizations that provide voluntary services aimed at ensuring individ...

BREAKING – HB 1628 Passes, Marking an Important Step Toward Data Collection and Transparency in Reporting Civil Asset Forfeiture Practices

Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts is celebrating the passage of Illinois House Bill 1628, an important step toward enhancing data collection and transparency in reporting in civil asset forfeiture practices. This bill builds on reforms from 2018 to the civil asset forfeiture reporting process...

BREAKING – SB 108 Passes, Making the Current Cook County Specific Partial Traffic Fee Waiver Program Permanent

We are proud to be members of the Illinois Fines & Fees Coalition and celebrate alongside our partners the passage of SB 108, the Traffic Fee Waiver Sunset Elimination Bill, which makes the current Cook County-specific partial traffic fee waiver program permanent. The bill now moves to Governor...

SB 2447: Advancing Fairness in Illinois Court Costs, Assessments, and Fees

Chicago Appleseed has long fought for fairness in court fines and fees, a source of systemic inequity in the Illinois legal system. These financial penalties impact low-income residents, contributing to cycles of debt and poverty. In 2018, the Illinois General Assembly passed the Criminal and Traffi...

“Waiving the Waiver”: Low-income Defendants Forced to Choose Between Plea Deals and Court Debt

Written by Grace Coolidge, Northwestern University, Class of 2025. In 2018, Governor Rauner signed the Criminal and Traffic Assessment Act (CTAA) into Illinois law, aiming to simplify and standardize court fees and assessments across the state. The CTAA was also intended to protect low-income...

1 2 3 4 … 17