Illinois Justice Project News Summary

July 23 -- 29, 2019

VIOLENCE
Chicago Tribune editorial: "Every shooting in Chicago expands the circle of trauma" . . . "Chicago’s intolerable violence presents problems of grief, terror and multiplication. Each shooting expands the number of traumatized Chicagoans: family and friends of victims, neighbors, schoolmates. They include the eight children of Grant and Stoudemire who lost their mothers. And Nylia and her brother and cousins. Even children too young to understand are busily absorbing the chaos around them." . . . "Services and support haven’t kept up with science on childhood trauma. Researchers know that early exposure to violence can have lifelong effects, especially before age 5, when the brain is growing rapidly. Children exposed to chronic violence can become fearful, demonstrate aggression, anxiety, depression, sadness and have difficulty feeling secure, according to the Erikson Institute."

Chicago Sun-Times: "2 mothers killed in drive-by shooting had worked to stop gun violence in their neighborhood" . . . "Chantell Grant and Andrea Stoudemire were at their usual spot Friday night, posted on a corner lot in the Gresham neighborhood as part of their effort to curb gun violence in their community. The two women had spent two years working with Mothers Against Senseless Killings (MASK), a team of moms who put on events and offer a safe space for kids in the community."


BOND REFORM
Chicago Sun-Times commentary by Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans: "Defendants released on bond are not driving Chicago’s high rate of weekend violence" . . . "As the city continues to face violent weekends, blame is being placed on the pretrial justice practices in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The criticism is misleading because pretrial defendants released on bond are not driving the weekend crime statistics. In fact, 99.8 percent of felony defendants released on bail do not receive charges of new gun-related violent crime while their cases are pending."

Chicago Reporter column by Curtis Black: "Lightfoot blames bond court reform for gun violence" . . . "After campaigning for office as a staunch supporter of criminal justice reform, Mayor Lori Lightfoot is attacking the effort that’s achieved the most significant gains locally — bond reform in the Cook County courts — and calling for locking more people up as a solution to violent crime."

Chicago Daily Law Bulletin commentary by Matthew Piers and Sharlyn: "Bond reform at Cook County Jail succeeding; now it’s Illinois’ turn" . . . "Circuit court statistics show that people who previously would have spent months or years incarcerated in Cook County Jail are consistently attending their court dates and are not being rearrested while awaiting trial. Because of this historic reform, thousands of people across Cook County, all of whom are presumed innocent as a matter of law, have been able to keep their jobs, homes, custody of their children and more while awaiting their trial, actually strengthening their communities rather than destroying them."

NPR Illinois: "Interview: IL Groups Want An End To Pretrial Detention, Money Bond" . . . "The Illinois Supreme Court’s Commission on Pretrial Practices is expected to make recommendations for reforms to the state’s pretrial justice system in December. To talk about what that means, and what is being asked by state and nationwide advocates, reporter Daisy Contreras spoke to Sharlyn Grace, executive director for the Chicago Community Bond Fund, an organization that works with other partners to end cash bond and pretrial incarceration."

COURTS
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin: "Judge recuses before sentencing amid bias claims" . . . "Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Howard C. Ryan II last week bowed out of the case after a defendant claimed bias because the judge’s wife served as the court reporter who transcribed the proceedings."

Chicago Daily Law Bulletin: "‘Public way’ definition sees drug conviction tossed" . . . "An arrest for drinking beer in a gas station parking lot was unreasonable, a state appeals panel ruled this week." . . . "The decision means evidence of Alvin Brown’s conviction for possession of a controlled substance, which officers found in his pocket after they arrested him in August 2014 for drinking at a gas station in Chicago’s Gresham neighborhood, should have been suppressed, the divided panel ruled."

Injustice Watch: "Illinois appeals court: Chicago police cannot decide on probable cause without judicial review" . . . "A divided Illinois appellate court on Thursday struck down a longstanding Chicago police department practice in which supervisors could order police to arrest suspects they encounter on the street without the need for a search warrant or the officer observing any crime."

Chicago Sun-Times column by Laura Washington: "Was it fair to pass over this African American lawyer for a Cook County Circuit Court seat?" . . . "Pamela Reaves-Harris plans to challenge the woman appointed in the 2020 Democratic Primary, 'going door to door, church to church.'"

CHICAGO POLICE BOARD
Patch, Chicago, by Mark Konkol: "Did Police Board Ruling Include A Secret Message To Chicago Cops" . . . "The dissenters' statement didn't make it into the news stories that I read about last week's four-cop firing. So, if you missed it, here it is: We wish to make clear through this dissent that the Board's goal is to impress upon members the Department of the importance of telling the complete truth inclusive of the relevant circumstances and context. The Board regards a Rule 14 violation among the most significant actions to be judged by the Board. An officer's responsibility to tell the truth is at the heart of Rule 14 and at the heart of community trust in the police."

Chicago Tribune by Jeremy Gorner and Gregory Pratt: "Have you spoken at a Chicago Police Board meeting? The police know more about you than you realize." . . . "The current Police Board chairman, Ghian Foreman, also blasted the background checks, saying the nine-member board found the practice 'incomprehensible.' The controversy has led the Police Board to change its policy, allowing speakers to sign up just 15 minutes before a monthly meeting, not the day before as it had long required, Foreman said. 'I want to be clear, none of the current or immediate past Board members had knowledge of this practice, nor were we provided with the information that resulted from these background checks,' Foreman, a real estate developer appointed to the board by then-Mayor Richard M. Daley in 2010, said in an emailed statement."

Chicago Sun-Times: "‘Damn angry’ Lightfoot orders Police Board to stop conducting criminal background checks on speakers"

Chicago Tribune: "Chicago police issue apology for running background checks on Police Board speakers"


CHICAGO MAYOR LIGHTFOOT AND FOP
WBEZ, Chicago Public Radio: "Hot Mic Highlights Police, Mayor Ongoing Divide"

Fox News: "Police union leader hits back at Chicago mayor after hot mic caught her calling him a 'clown'"

Chicago Tribune: "National police union asks Lightfoot to apologize after hot mic captured ‘FOP clown’ comment"


CHICAGO POLICE 
WBEZ, Chicago Public Radio, by Patrick Smith: "Two Former Chicago Police Superintendents Testify In Lawsuit Over Code of Silence" . . . "Former Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy testified Wednesday that there was no 'code of silence' within the department when he was in charge."

Injustice Watch: "Community groups: toughen rules on when police point guns, or lives in danger"

Reason: "Chicago Police Executed More Than 11,000 Search Warrants in Mostly Poor Neighborhoods Over 5-Year Period" . . . "New public records show Chicago police executed more than 11,000 search warrants over a five-year period, predominantly in the city's low-income and minority neighborhoods, and nearly half of them did not result in an arrest. Data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request filed by Lucy Parson Labs, a police accountability and transparency nonprofit in Chicago, shows that Chicago police executed 11,247 search warrants between 2012 and 2017, most of them heavily concentrated in the South and West Side of the city."

WBEZ, Chicago Public Radio, by Chip Mitchell: "Police Data: Most Fatal Hit-And-Run Crashes In Chicago Go Unsolved" . . . "It means a Chicago driver who fatally injures someone, leaves the scene and does not look back will probably get away with it."

WTTW Chicago Tonight: "UChicago to Study Police-Involved Shootings, Officer Training" . . . "Researchers at the University of Chicago have received $1.2 million to study police-involved shootings in the U.S. and to develop a police training program designed to improve officer decision-making in high-stakes situations."


CHICAGO TICKETING
Chicago Sun-Times: "Lightfoot outlines plan to ease punitive ticketing, towing and booting policy"

Chicago Tribune: "Mayor Lori Lightfoot introduces reforms to address Chicago’s ‘addiction’ to fines and fees"


JON BURGE
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin: "Burge victim can use grand jury testimony in suit against city" . . . "A man whose murder conviction was vacated is entitled to transcripts of grand jury testimony given by the former Chicago police detective the man alleges fabricated his confession, a federal judge held."


ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
The New Yorker: "What do people in solitary confinement want to see? . . . "According to many human-rights organizations, the prolonged lack of human contact and sensory deprivation that inmates experience in solitary confinement qualifies as torture. The legislative campaign that Tamms Year Ten spearheaded succeeded in closing the prison. The photo-request project continued, in affiliation with the watchdog group Solitary Watch."

Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette column by Jim Dey: "Strip-search lawsuit less about how, more about why"

Injustice Watch: "Seventh Circuit opinion rejecting female prisoners' lawsuit over invasive searches under attack"

NPR: "Muslims Over-Represented In State Prisons, Report Finds" Illinois data are on page 37 of Muslim Advocates report.

Illinois Radio Network: "Illinois Inmate Numbers Decline" . . . "(Ben) Ruddell explained that during the administration of Gov. Bruce Rauner, 'there was a lot of time spent and ink spilled' in identifying the problems in the state’s criminal justice system, in addition to devising solutions to reduce the incarcerated population." . . . "A bipartisan commission of experts from across the state appointed by Rauner came up with solutions that his successor, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, has yet to implement, according to Ruddell. 'There’s a road map,' he said. 'We just need to follow it.'”

Bloomington Pantagraph: "Lincoln Correctional Officer charged with sexual misconduct"


IDOC - LOGAN PRISON
Metro East Meteor by George Pawlaczyk and Beth Hundsdorfer: "Inmate alleges search of her body cavity by Illinois guards amounted to sexual assault" . . . "What happened to Talafhah set off a chain reaction at the prison’s highest administrative levels, all the way to the office of Warden Christine Brannon. The State Police conducted a criminal investigation but no charges were filed. And in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, a lawsuit on behalf of Talafhah is pending. It was filed by the Uptown People’s Law Center of Chicago, which for decades has represented inmates in a variety of actions including obtaining treatment for mentally ill prisoners.  The lawsuit alleges that basic protocol required for forced cavity searches of women were not followed and that as a result, Talafhah suffered 'cruel and unusual' punishment and psychological damage."

Metro East Meteor: "Female inmate’s suit over cavity search includes guard accused of pushing wife off St. Louis parking garage"

WICS-TV, Springfield: "Taylorville man accused in wife's deadly fall loses IDOC job"


ILLINOIS STATE POLICE
Chicago Sun-Times: "Moms of slain Chicagoans encouraged by plan to address giant DNA backlog: ‘Something’s being done’"


ILLINOIS CRIMINAL JUSTICE INFORMATION AUTHORITY
ICJIA news release: "ICJIA Welcomes New Executive Director" . . . "The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Jason Stamps to ICJIA Executive Director. Mr. Stamps was nominated by Gov. JB Pritzker to the position and must be confirmed by the Illinois Senate."


LEGISLATION
Associated Press: "Illinois 8th state to lift sex-crime prosecution time limit"

Chicago Tribune: "Illinois eliminates statute of limitations on major sex crimes" . . . "The new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, removes the statute of limitations on criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Previously, prosecutors had 10 years to bring charges if an offense was reported to law enforcement within three years after it occurred."

WGLT, Illinois State University public radio: "New Law Protects Victims From Warrant Arrests When Reporting Sexual Assault" . . . "Previously, when a sexual assault survivor came into contact with police, like when going to the hospital for treatment, they could be arrested for any outstanding warrants, even for minor non-violent offenses or unpaid fines. The new law requires police officials to request a waiver of the required execution of the warrant as long as it isn’t for a violent offense or parole violation."


GUN DEALER LICENSING
State Journal-Register: "Gun dealer: New Illinois law will 'put a hammer' on us"


JUSSIE SMOLLETT
WTTW, Chicago Tonight: "Ex-Judge: Smollett’s Lawyers Not Allowed to Practice Law in Illinois"


COOK COUNTY
Chicago Defender: "Cook County Invests Half a Million Dollars to Support Pregnant Women and Moms in County Jail" . . . "Services provided to the women will include counseling, parenting skills, drug treatment, job placement and medical care."


U.S. DOJ
Chicago Tribune: "Resumption of federal death penalty has implications for two prisoners convicted of crimes in Illinois"


AROUND THE STATE
Belleville News-Democrat: "8 Illinois inmates given a choice whether to renegotiate their sentences" . . . "They could try to renegotiate their prison sentences or keep the plea deals that had been negotiated by Kelcie Miller, a former public defender who was working without a law license when they were her clients. All but one decided to keep the deals they had."

Daily Herald commentary by Yvonne Smith and Shakeel Syed: "Signs of hope for wrongfully held people with mental illness"

Rockford Register Star: "Winnebago County Board settles sheriff's lawsuit" . . . "The settlement agreement approved by the board Thursday effectively amends the county’s fiscal 2019 budget and ensures that 24 sheriff’s deputies will keep getting paychecks, which are now budgeted for, for the remainder of the fiscal year."

Decatur Herald & Review: "Data: Decatur shootings at lowest level since 2013 for first half of the year"

Peoria Journal Star: "Is crime in Peoria really up?" . . . "The prevailing mood in the informal survey conducted by a Journal Star reporter in the city’s older neighborhoods was that crime is increasing, people don’t seem to care and there really isn’t much that can be done. All asked their names not be used. Yet, most crime in the city is roughly on par with 2018 and, in some cases, actually down, according to recent statistics from the Peoria Police Department."

WIFR-TV, Rockford: "Winnebago County Jail adds X-ray body scanner"

Daily Herald: "DuPage jail's welding program yields first inmates graduating with 'hope and purpose'"

Peoria Journal Star: "Dee-Mack student takes front seat in effort to curtail school violence" . . . "High school students across the country are mobilizing in an effort to combat the seemingly never-ending rash of violence in their schools. Deer Creek-Mackinaw High School senior Garrett Forrest has joined the crusade. The 17-year-old is the new national director of events and philanthropy for Students on Safety, a Texas-based student-run and -led not-for-profit organization formed in February that has more than 70 chapters across the country."