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Illinois Justice Project News Summary

Sept. 24 - 29, 2019



RE-ENTRY HOUSING
Marketplace, American Public Media, by Natalie Moore: "For those exiting the criminal justice system, housing can make all the difference" . . . "(Cook County Judge Charles) Burns said the voucher program is 'an opportunity not only for them to get vouchers, to get clean in stable housing, but to get them out of the neighborhoods — the neighborhoods that had been sucking them in and being like quicksand where they couldn’t get out of this lifestyle.' This summer, the Metropolitan Planning Council and Illinois Justice Project released a report about how the state could save millions of dollars if it did more to help people leaving prison find stable housing."


JUVENILE JUSTICE
WBEZ by Patrick Smith: "Cook County Judges Fighting To Preserve Right To Lock Up Children" . . . "Juvenile justice advocates and experts acknowledged the number of children under 13 who are admitted to the county’s juvenile jail is low — there are none inside currently. But they said it is essential to prevent any young children from being placed in jail because confinement can have long-lasting negative effects."

Chicago Daily Law Bulletin by Sarah Mansur: "Judges split over child detention rules" . . . "Two appellate court justices appeared divided during oral arguments on whether home-rule authority permits the Cook County Board to outlaw pretrial detention in Cook County’s juvenile center for delinquent preteens."

Injustice Watch: "Illinois appeals court ponders: Can Cook County bar detention of pre-teens?"

Peoria Journal Star: "14-year-old indicted again for fatal shooting"



DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION
CBS News by Adriana Diaz: "Who is El Mencho? Mexican cartel boss behind one-third of drugs in the U.S." . . . "Just after sunrise on Chicago's West Side, CBS News watched the morning rush for drugs. Brian McKnight with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) showed what was going on in broad daylight. Last year in Chicago, almost 800 people died from drug overdoses. McKnight said "probably 90%" of the drugs in Chicago are coming from Mexico. The DEA is focused on a Mexican drug lord named Nemesio Cervantes, known simply as El Mencho."


CHICAGO VIOLENCE
Fox News, The Ingraham Angle with Laura Ingraham: "No arrests two years after 15-year-old burned alive on the streets of Chicago" . . . "LAURA INGRAHAM, HOST: I'm Laura Ingraham and this is our 'Ingraham Angle Special: Chicago Town Hall, a City in Crisis.' . . . "Well, we were here in Chicago a year ago and at that time we promised the people in these communities and our office in general that we'd be back and not let the issues go. And tonight, we're here to fulfill that promise. We returned to assess how life has changed or not for the violence-plagued neighborhoods and whether the relationship between the communities and law enforcement, whether it's improved or worsened."

Chicago Tribune: "The same gun used in two Chicago police shootouts and daylight shooting of woman downtown tied to recent shooting in Minnesota, authorities say"

The Trace: "House Judiciary Committee Holds Rare Hearing On Community Gun Violence" . . . "The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Thursday about responses to community gun violence in American cities. It included testimony from Representatives from St. Louis and Chicago, and a panel of activists from gun violence prevention organizations, who said this hearing was the first of its kind."



JOSHUA BEAL
WBEZ by Patrick Smith: "Attorney Blasts Chicago Investigation Into ‘Racially Charged’ Police Shooting" . . . "The amended complaint alleges that Officer Joseph Treacy, who was off-duty when he shot Beal, used the n-word and told Beal and his friends “you black b----es don’t belong here.” The complaint also alleges that Treacy used an unregistered weapon to kill Beal, as previously reported by WBEZ. And that Treacy owned a total of eight guns he failed to register with the Police Department, including an AR-15, which is commonly referred to as an assault rifle."

Chicago Sun-Times: "Chicago cop who shot at Joshua Beal had 8 guns not registered with the department"

Chicago Daily Law Bulletin: "Suit: Fatal shooting by off-duty cop used unregistered gun" . . . "In his amended complaint, Horwitz alleges CPD Officer Joseph Treacy shot Beal with an unregistered gun. Further, Horwitz alleges Treacy owned an seven more firearms, none registered. Horwitz alleges Treacy kept these unregistered guns to use as 'drop guns' to incriminate unarmed civilians."



ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
WBEZ by Shannon Heffernan: "Pritzker Vows Support For Prison Death Transparency, Despite Previous Opposition" . . . "Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker says his administration is committed to passing legislation that will promote transparency around prison deaths, even though the Illinois Department of Corrections under him opposed legislation in the spring that would have done just that."

WAND-TV, Decatur: "Docs: IDOC employee involved 7 inmates in sexual acts"

Chicago Sun-Times: "Illinois corrections employee charged with sexual misconduct"

Reason: "Prisons Are the Hardest Places to Read About Mass Incarceration" . . . "If you think a map of the moon might help an inmate escape, you might be a prison censor."



ILLINOIS PRISON PROJECT
Lake County News-Sun by Jim Newton: "82-year-old Lake County inmate in failing health released early from 55-year drug sentence: ‘I’m just overwhelmed’" . . . "The first inmate released based on a petition from the Illinois Prison Project walked out of the Lake County jail Wednesday after a judge agreed to shave the end of his sentence, due in part to the inmate’s failing health."


DUPAGE COUNTY JUDGE PATRICK J. O'SHEA
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin: "DuPage judge O’Shea bounced from bench" . . . "A judge accused of lying about firing a gun in his home and attempting to retaliate against women who accused him of sexual harassment has been removed from the bench by a state judicial disciplinary panel."

Daily Herald: "DuPage judge O'Shea removed from bench for misconduct"



COURTS
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin: "Dispatcher loses lawsuit over use of gun in shooting" . . . "The city of Chicago did not run afoul of the Second Amendment when it fired a police dispatcher for shooting another woman during a traffic altercation, a federal judge held."

Chicago Daily Law Bulletin: "Parolees can challenge internet-access restrictions" . . . "A federal judge gave the go-ahead for registered sex offenders to challenge an Illinois Department of Corrections policy that restricts their access to the internet."

Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette column by Jim Dey: "Right to possess a gun clear; how to use one is open to debate" . . . "U.S. Judge Thomas Durkin recently found that citizens have the right to bear arms and that the right to bear arms presupposes actions in self-defense. But he said the proper uses of a firearm is a matter of individual states’ criminal and tort laws not contemplated by the Second Amendment."



IMMIGRATION
Chicago Tribune: "Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and activists sue Trump administration over proposed immigration rules that could hurt local health system"

Chicago Daily Law Bulletin: "Judge bars DOJ from conditions on funding" . . . "A federal judge on Thursday permanently enjoined the U.S. Justice Department from withholding public safety money from the city of Evanston and about 350 other municipalities if they refuse to help enforce immigration law. In a written opinion, U.S. District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber held the Trump administration violated federal law and the U.S. Constitution by placing conditions on the receipt of funds from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant."



CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette, First in a Series, by Mary Schenk: "‘Variety of issues’ fueling rise in gun crimes among area teens" . . . "Whatever one’s belief, one thing is certain: Crimes involving boys using guns are on the rise. In 2017, State’s Attorney Julia Rietz said, she filed seven delinquency petitions involving boys under the age of 18 accused of either possessing or using a gun. That number more than doubled in 2018 to 16. As of Friday, there had been 25 such gun-related cases filed in 2019."

Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette: "Six recent cases involve juveniles and guns"



AROUND THE STATE
Daily Herald: "From soup to markers, drug-sniffing airport dog's nose knows narcotics"

Rockford Register Star: "Sheriff Gary Caruana may sue Winnebago County Board for 2nd time in 6 months" . . . "Sheriff Gary Caruana plans to sue the Winnebago County Board for adopting a fiscal 2020 budget that his lawyer says shorts his department by about $3 million."

Associated Press: "Group battles idea shootings, funerals are routine"

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