It’s Time to Coordinate on Diversion

This piece originally appeared at the Huffington Post.  In response to growing concern about violent crime and shrinking budgets, public officials have adopted a number of initiatives to prioritize use of scarce resources. And despite an ordinance requiring a cooperative approach to diversion of of...
August 18, 2012

Summer 2012 Updates on Money and Elections

United States v. Danielcyzk At the end of June, the Fourth Circuit Court decided on United States v. Danielcyzk (.pdf), a case that is important with regards to campaign finance disclosure. The Circuit court decision upholds the current federal ban on corporate contributions that is located in the...
August 7, 2012

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...
July 16, 2012

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...
June 29, 2012

Report Release: Reimagining the Immigration Court Assembly Line

The Obama administration has made progress in improving the U.S. immigration court system, but much remains to be done, according to Reimagining the Immigration Court Assembly Line, a report by public interest justice centers Appleseed and Chicago Appleseed with pro bono counsel Akin Gump Strauss Ha...
May 31, 2012