Illinois Justice Project News Summary

Sept. 10 - 16, 2019

SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY
The Marshall Project: "When People with Intellectual Disabilities Are Punished, Parents Pay the Price" . . . "Carol Nesteikis says she has paid over $150,000 to live in the condominium that she purchased to keep her son with intellectual disabilities in compliance with the rules of the sex offender registry."


WE ARE WITNESSES: CHICAGO
The Marshall Project, WBEZ, Chicago Reader and Univision Chicago: "WE ARE WITNESSES: CHICAGO is an immersive short-video series presenting intimate portraits of Chicagoans who have been touched by the criminal justice system. Produced by The Marshall Project in partnership with Kartemquin Films and Illinois Humanities, these films explore the nature of crime, punishment and forgiveness."


GUNS
State Journal-Register by Doug Finke: "Pritzker joins other governors urging federal action on guns"

Illinois Office of the Governor news release: "Gov. Pritzker, 11 Governors Urge Federal Action to Address the Gun Violence Epidemic"

Chicago Tribune column by Blair Kamin: "2 Chicago women, whose sons were killed, champion memorial to hundreds of victims of gun violence"

WGLT-FM, ISU Public Radio, by Ryan Denham: "As Congress Looks To Red Flag Laws, Illinois Tries To Enforce Its Own" . . . "Illinois’ 9-month-old Firearms Restraining Order (FRO) Act offers a case study on the challenges and benefits of implementing a red flag law. The law has been used sparingly so far in Illinois, and advocates are going county by county to introduce it to law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges. Many central Illinois communities surveyed by WGLT have yet to see a single case where a FRO was obtained since Jan. 1."

Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette editorial: "Legislative look at city violence" . . . "Madigan announced Friday that he’s establishing the 'House Firearm Public Awareness Task Force, which will review the issue of gun violence and make recommendations designed to reduce violence.'". . . "It is difficult to be optimistic about how this legislative task force will address this vexing problem. But the status quo is so bad that whatever it does certainly can’t hurt."


CHICAGO VIOLENCE RESPONSE
Chicago Tribune editorial: "A bleeding Chicago can’t afford this Lori Lightfoot-Toni Preckwinkle kerfuffle"

Chicago Sun-Times column by Laura Washington: "Lightfoot and Preckwinkle have to get stuff done — not like each other"

WBEZ, Chicago Public Radio: "Residents, Activists Gather At Spot Where Pregnant Teen Was Killed" . . . "Dozens of Chicago residents, school kids and anti-violence activists gathered on Thursday near the spot in the Back of the Yards neighborhood where pregnant teenager Treja Kelley was gunned down over the weekend."

WLS-TV: "Lightfoot, Preckwinkle meet to discuss city, county cooperation" . . . "The simmering feud between Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle may be cooling off as the two leaders had a face-to-face meeting on Monday to discuss ways they can cooperate on violence prevention and other issues."

WBBM Radio: "More Than 2,000 High School Students Spread Scrutiny On Chicago Gun Violence Murders Since 2016"


CHICAGO POLICE
Chicago Sun-Times: "City will ‘not spare any expense’ to find killer of pregnant woman who was witness in murder case: Lightfoot"

Chicago Tribune: "A hidden cost of Chicago police misconduct: $213 million to private lawyers since 2004"

Chicago Tribune: "City considers $450,000 settlement for man who claimed cops used racial slurs and started a fight in downtown garage"

WBEZ, Chicago Public Radio, by Patrick Smith: "Bill For Police Code Of Silence Case Is $4.5 Million And Counting"

Associated Press and Injustice Watch: "System Slow to Resolve Complaints of Chicago Police Torture" . . . "Many defendants find their cases languishing in the Cook County court system for years. And many more defendants who turned to a commission created by state law to offer defendants a chance to establish credible evidence that they were tortured into confessing to crimes have similarly encountered delays, the agency hobbled by a lack of money and staff."


CHICAGO MAYOR
Chicago Sun-Times: "Aldermen OK guidelines for release of inspector general reports on serious incidents, including deaths of Laquan McDonald, David Koschman" . . . "The ordinance approved by the Ethics Committee widened the rift between Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Fraternal Order of Police."

Chicago Tribune: "Mayor Lori Lightfoot hires longtime anti-violence advocate as Chicago’s $130K-per-year director of violence prevention" . . . "Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s choice to be director of violence prevention is a longtime anti-violence worker in Chicago, her administration announced. Norman Livingston Kerr will start in the $130,000-per-year role Monday, officials said."

WBEZ, Chicago Public Radio: "Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Adds Gang-Outreach Veteran To New Public Safety Office"


CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Chicago Tribune: "Chicago Public Schools agrees to federal oversight of sexual violence protections for students as Education Secretary Betsy DeVos calls CPS failures 'glaring and heartbreaking’"

Politico: "Education Department reaches agreement with Chicago schools after sexual misconduct investigation"

New York Times: "Chicago Public Schools Ordered to Toughen Sexual Misconduct Policies"

WTTW, Chicago Tonight: "CPS Ordered to Overhaul Sexual Violence Policies After Scathing Federal Review"


ILLINOIS SUPREME COURT
Chicago Sun-Times: "Anne Burke ‘humbled and honored’ to become chief justice of Illinois Supreme Court"

Chicago Tribune: "Justice Anne Burke, whose husband faces federal public corruption charges in sweeping City Hall probe, tapped as next Illinois Supreme Court chief justice"

Danville Commercial-News: "DACC displays history of Illinois law" . . . "Illinois Supreme Court Justice Rita Garman was the special guest at Friday morning’s opening ceremony for the Bicentennial of Illinois Law traveling exhibit. The exhibit will be on display at Danville Area Community College until the end of the month."


COURTS
WGLT-FM, ISU Public Radio, by Edith Brady-Lunny: "Beaman Asks Appeals Court To Authorize Jury Trial Against Normal Police" . . . "A former Bloomington man exonerated of murder charges is entitled to a jury trial on his claims that three retired Normal police officers played a significant role in his wrongful conviction, according to arguments by his lawyers Wednesday to the Fourth District Appellate Court."

Chicago Daily Law Bulletin: "Challenge to Illinois’ ‘red flag’ gun law dismissed" . . . "A federal judge dismissed an Army officer’s lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of an Illinois law that allows police and relatives to seek emergency orders barring certain people from possessing firearms."

Belleville News-Democrat: "Retired judge from St. Clair County heading back to the bench"

Chicago Sun-Times editorial: "Choosing Cook County judges, Justice Ginsburg reminds us, should not be a popularity contest"

Chicago Tribune commentary by Cook County Circuit Court Judge Patrick Murphy: "Kids are not helped by the secrecy around juvenile court records"


COOK COUNTY COURTS
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin: "Chief judge vote set for Thursday"

Chicago Tribune: "A secret vote will choose Cook County’s next judicial chief. A $270 million budget, thousands of employees, and the future of a huge court system are at stake."

Chicago Tribune: "Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans retains leadership post and power over $272 million budget, thousands of employees and future of local court system"

Chicago Sun-Times: "Jury’s in, and so is Evans — Victorious veteran chief judge isn’t planning to go anywhere"


COURT REPORTERS
Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette: "Court reporters offering classes at Champaign library in effort to combat shortage"

Bloomington Pantagraph: "A profession of perfectionists: Retirements, lack of career visibility lead to court reporter shortages"


BOND REFORM
WGN-TV: "Fact checking Preckwinkle’s claim ‘less than one percent’ of gun offenders on bond re-arrested"


FELONY MURDER
PBS NewsHour Weekend: "Convicted of murder, but a police officer pulled the trigger"


JUVENILE JUSTICE
Illinois News Connection: "Stage set to end juvenile detention" . . . "Those who support alternatives to detention for children in trouble say the stage is set to bring lasting reforms to the juvenile-justice system in Illinois. A new report shows about 500 fewer young people were admitted to juvenile detention in Illinois in 2017 than in 2016 — a drop of 5 percentage points."


CANNABIS LEGALIZATION
Chicago Sun-Times: "Crime fell near pot shops after marijuana was fully legalized, Colorado study shows" . . . "While those findings are highly localized, Illinois State University criminology professor Ralph Weisheit said the results could be 'magnified in Illinois.' That’s because the state’s 610-page pot law prioritizes criminal justice and social equity and encourages the hiring of people from 'economically-impoverished neighborhoods,' Weisheit said."


HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Daily Herald: "How suburban state rep got hotels joining the fight against human trafficking" . . . "Human trafficking has been at the forefront for (Rep. Terra) Costa Howard since her days as an assistant public defender in DuPage County, when she represented people who might have been trafficking victims."


LEGISLATION
Associated Press: "Lying prisoners: New laws crack down on jailhouse informants" . . . "In November, Illinois lawmakers overrode a veto by then-Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican, and approved one of the nation’s toughest tests for allowing testimony by jailhouse informants. It requires judges to make pretrial inquiries into the veracity of prisoners’ testimony before allowing or barring it."


IMMIGRATION
Chicago Tribune: "ICE plans to create ‘‘Chicago’ style replica’ in new training facility"

Daily Herald: "Inmate in ICE custody dies at McHenry County jail" . . . "Robert Rodriguez-Espinoza, 37, of Mexico, who was in ICE custody, was pronounced dead at 9:35 p.m. Sept. 10 at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield. The cause of death was a subdural hematoma, the release said."


COOK COUNTY STATE'S ATTORNEY
Chicago Sun-Times column by Lynn Sweet: "Kim Foxx interested, wary of working with Trump White House on criminal justice reform"


COOK COUNTY JAIL
Colorado Springs Gazette: "Formerly a hellish, brutal lockup, Cook County jail now known for mental health care"


AROUND THE STATE
Belleville News-Democrat: "East St. Louis group plans action so kids stop seeing shootings, funerals as routine"

Daily Herald: "Sheriff: Body scanner will help keep contraband out of DuPage County jail"

Moline Dispatch and Rock Island Argus column by Scott Reeder: "Like about 50 other Illinois communities, Granite City has a compulsory-eviction ordinance, which allows police to force landlords to evict an entire household after anyone who has ever stayed in the house commits a crime. It’s the sort of “mother knows best” mindset that’s all too common in government."

WAND-TV, Decatur: "Macon County inmates see success with RESTORE program" . . . "It’s a one-of-a-kind program in central Illinois, and it’s getting its start in the Macon County Jail. It’s called the RESTORE Program, and while inmates are serving their time, they’re also restoring their futures. "

Daily Herald: "Elgin police safely get mysterious python out of family's garage"