Policy Statement Archives - 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...

Analysis of Eleven Jurisdictions Confirms: Bail Reform Does Not Cause Increased Crime Rates

As the Illinois Supreme Court hears oral arguments on the constitutionality of the Pretrial Fairness Act, it is vital to remember that abolition of money bail - and the decreased jail populations that will follow it - is a safe, just, and effective public policy. A new research report from the Gugge...

Support for SB 1830: Reducing Barriers to Recovery

Updated: February 10, 2023 Illinois has made great strides in reforming its laws and attempting to end mass incarceration, the war on drugs, and other harms caused by the criminal legal system. In January, Illinois made itself a national criminal justice leader by being the first state to com...

TESTIMONY: Comments Against Electronic Surveillance at Cook County Board of Commissioners Meetings

This week, Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts gave testimony at two Cook County Board of Commissioners meetings on September 20 and September 22 to warn against the harms caused by electronic surveillance. At the first Board of Commissioners meeting on September 20, our Director of Po...

Amicus in People v. Moore: There is no justice when access is random or when the rules are unpredictable

In May, Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and Chicago Council of Lawyers joined an amicus brief submitted by the Children and Family Justice Center at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in the Illinois Supreme Court case, People v. Moore. Our Collaboration for Justice is proud to add our sup...

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