Public defense reform advances as Illinois moves to hire statewide public defender
Illinois’ 2023 abolition of its cash bail system revealed profound resource shortages in public defender offices around the state.
criminal justice
Former Sangamon County deputy convicted of murder dies while in custody
Sean Grayson was denied compassionate parole just three weeks ago.
Illinois seeks two Crest Hill prisons, leaving Lincoln out of Logan Correctional Center rebuild plan
Logan Correctional Center will not be rebuilt in Lincoln, despite locals’ hopes.
U.S. attorney acknowledges speech to ‘Broadview 6’ grand jury as calls for his resignation mount
U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros on Tuesday acknowledged a speech to a grand jury the morning it indicted the “Broadview Six.”
A year after end of cash bail, early research shows impact less than many hoped or feared
It’s been almost a year since the controversial Pretrial Fairness Act went into effect in Illinois, and new research from ...
Justices consider constitutionality of SAFE-T Act’s pretrial detention provisions
The Illinois Supreme Court debates the constitutionality of the SAFE-T Act’s elimination of cash bail, with arguments from state prosecutors ...
Newly signed laws include creation of tourism districts, criminal justice reforms
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday signed 15 bills into law, tackling policy areas from tourism to prison reform and making ...
Backlog of 3,759 criminal appeals cases has been resolved, state appellate defender says
A backlog of cases before the Illinois Office of the State Appellate Defender that the agency’s leader once described as ...
UPDATED: Criminal justice reform package will head to governor
The Illinois Senate passed a criminal justice omnibus bill early Wednesday morning after a grueling 20 hours of politicking during ...
Pritzker puts criminal justice reforms atop 2020 agenda
In year two, Gov. J.B. Pritzker will focus on ending cash bail, reforming low-level drug crime sentencing and reducing mandatory ...
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