decarceration Archives - Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts

What We’re Supporting This Legislative Session—Spring 2026

As the Illinois Legislature settles into its spring session, advocates have begun sharing legislative priorities and asking for individuals and organizations to support pending legislation. Chicago Appleseed is supporting a number of bills, listed below, focused on court transparency, family courts,...

Understanding Barriers to Representation for Civil Contempt in Child Support Cases & Examining Rule 13.8(b)

Parents who fail to pay court-ordered child support can face a range of penalties, including civil contempt of court and misdemeanor or felony charges, which could result in fines or even incarceration. The data is incomplete, but it's estimated that at an average of 50,000 parents (mainly fathers)...

Save the Date—Monday, November 10: Cultivating Seeds of Change

From policy to practice, we’re planting the seeds that transform courts, communities, and culture. Join Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers for our annual fall fundraiser on Monday, November 10 at 6:00 pm at the Ivy Room (12 E Ohio St, Chicago, IL 60611) to ce...

Statement from the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice: “Illinois defends the Pretrial Fairness Act. We will not bow down to Trump.”

Yesterday, August 25, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Orders targeting jurisdictions that have implemented reforms to money bond or ended it entirely, like Illinois did in 2023 with the Pretrial Fairness Act. One order "instructs DC police to charge suspects with federal crimes and hold them...

VICTORY: Sheriff’s Electronic Monitoring Program Will be Phased Out!

This morning - Thursday, November 21, 2024 - the Cook County Board of Commissioners voted to pass a budget amendment that significantly reduced funding for the Cook County Sheriff’s pretrial electronic monitoring (EM) program. This puts the county on track to consolidate the two EM programs into one...

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