“Bailing Out of a Medieval System”

As Chicago searches for ways to reduce its exploding jail population, it need look no further than neighboring Rockford. Tom  Warkowski, a former Winnebago County Assistant State's Attorney was appointed Jail Population Analyst under a court order by the U.S. District Court of Northern Illinois to r...

Testimony: Justice Advocates Oppose Videoconferenced Criminal Proceedings

Last week, Chicago Appleseed, Chicago Council of Lawyers, and several other criminal justice advocates submitted testimony objecting to an Illinois Supreme Court Proposal 12-01 (P.R. 0196). Proposal 12-01 creates a rule permitting a criminal defendant to appear in many different proceedings via clo...

Links of Interest: September 24-28, 2012

Judicial Performance and Elections The National Center on State Courts e-courts project reports that Florida's paperless electronic filing system is "is saving money, making the judicial process more efficient and gaining international interest." Criminal Justice The Illinois Criminal Justice...

Bond Court Reforms: A Second Look for Diversion Programs

By Michael Levy, Staff Attorney at Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice At a press conference on July 13, 2012, County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced a major step toward reforming Cook County’s criminal justice system with the implementation of a coordinated diversion program in central bo...

Research Capsule: State of the Science of Pretrial Assessment

Article: State of the Science of Pretrial Assessment (pdf) March, 2011 Author / Publication: Cynthia A. Mamalian, PhD -- Bureau of Justice Assistance Summary: "The most important decision that is made with respect to a newly arrested defendant is whether to release that defendant into the communit...
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