Latest News - Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts

Legislative Victory: Fair Probation Drug Testing (SB 1886) Signed into Law!

We are thrilled to announce that SB 1886, the Fair Probation Drug Testing bill sponsored by Illinois State Senator Robert Peters and Representative Lilian Jiménez, has been signed into law by Governor Pritzker! Blanket drug testing doesn’t help people who are on probation succeed. Research shows...

BREAKING: Illinois Supreme Court Affirms Constitutionality of the Pretrial Fairness Act

We are thrilled to share that the Illinois Supreme Court has officially handed down a decision upholding the constitutionality of the Pretrial Fairness Act! The community-led, multi-year effort to end wealth based pretrial jailing as punishment from our legal system has won yet another victory over...

Prison Reform Advocates Call to End Civil Commitment in Illinois

A new report from the Prison Policy Initiative (PPI) focusing on U.S. systems of confinement calls for the end of civil commitment. Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts supports this call. In Illinois, for example, the Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities are overseen by the John...

Launching our online merchandise shop!

We are so excited to announce the launch of our online store! Help support our work by publicizing our mission while you're out and about and by gifting our merchandise to your friends. Go to chicagoappleseed.org/shop to shop available products, such as Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair C...

Looking Forward to the End of Chicago’s Contract with ShotSpotter

The City of Chicago’s contract with ShotSpotter, which was set to expire in August, was recently quietly extended by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to February of next year—while Chicago’s new Mayor-Elect Brandon Johnson was campaigning in the fall. This maneuver is disappointing in terms of exhibiting the ci...