Our areas of focus are court transparency, decarceration and diversion, economic accessibility, and community autonomy. All of our research, advocacy, and community education initiatives fall into one or more of these areas.

Decarceration & Diversion

Decarceration & Diversion

Our decarceration and diversion projects focus on shrinking the reach and impact of the criminal legal system and proposing alternatives to criminalization and incarceration.
Learn more about our decarceration & diversion work

PRESS COVERAGE

Illinois ended cash bail. Who gets held before trial in 2026?

Cook County state’s attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke’s complicated relationship with the Pretrial Fairness Act

“Cook County’s Top Prosecutor Resumes Sending Gun Possession Cases to Restorative Justice Courts” for The Triibe (February 2026)

“Cook County State’s Attorney Reverses Course, Diverts Nonviolent Gun Cases to Restorative Justice Courts” for WTTW (January 2026)

Organizations push back on new charging pilot program in letter to State’s Attorney Burke

Sheriff to shutter electronic monitoring unit

The war on guns

RESEARCH & ADVOCACY

The Pretrial Fairness Act: Explained

NEW REPORT — 500 Days Forward, 10 Years Back: An Evaluation of Eileen O’Neill Burke’s First 500 Days as Cook County State’s Attorney

One Year Later, Still “Punishing Fear”: How the Criminalization of Gun Possession Has Changed in a Year

Open Letter to the Cook County State’s Attorney: Coalition of 136 Organizations and Community Members Oppose the Felony Review Bypass Program

NEW – Restorative Justice, Community, and the Courts: An Analysis of the Impact, Benefits, and Elements “Constantly in Conflict” in Chicago’s Restorative Justice Community Courts

Judicial Discretion in Cook County’s Problem-Solving Courts

View our full research archive