Pritzker unveils criminal justice reform plan
Thursday, Nov 2, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Today, JB Pritkzer and Juliana Stratton outlined their plan for criminal justice reform at a speech and panel discussion at the DuSable Museum of African-American History. They were joined by Roseland Ceasefire Project Executive Director Bob Jackson, Director of NEIU’s Master of Social Work Program Dr. Troy Harden, Father Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Church, and Enlace Chicago Executive Director Katya Nuques. Read the full plan here.
The proposal lays out what JB will do as governor to end mass incarceration, give communities the support they need to thrive, address gun violence and build a true system of justice through four key policies:
1. Legalize marijuana and modernize sentencing practices, especially for low level drug offenses.
2. Reduce recidivism by removing economic barriers to employment, affordable housing, human services, and family reunification.
3. Reform our juvenile justice system and end the criminalization of children.
4. Treat gun violence like a public health epidemic and make police more accountable to the communities they serve.
“With vision and compassion, we can make real progress and put Illinois on course to become a model for criminal justice reform,” said JB Pritzker. “I intend to reverse the damage Bruce Rauner has done to community organizations and social service agencies that work to strengthen the communities they serve. I’ll fight every day to bring economic opportunity to every corner of our state.
“But most importantly, I think we need a governor who listens. There are organizations and advocates in this room who have devoted their lives to these problems. There are communities, especially communities of color, impacted every day by the deficiencies in our criminal justice system. There are families whose lives have been forever altered by gun violence. There are no solutions without their input. There is no path forward until those affected voices in our communities are brought to the table. Only then can we move forward together.”
“So many of our communities are not heard. Many have been ignored and suffered decades of disinvestment,” said State Representative Juliana Stratton. “We don’t need more band aids – we need real solutions. I’m proud to be on this ticket with someone ready to provide real solutions. I’m proud to be running with someone who recognizes the strengths in our communities and wants to be a partner in the path forward.”
* A couple of points from his sentencing ideas…
Abolish the monetary bail system and replace it with a validated risk assessment tool that is fair to all of our communities.
Stop the unjust application of fees and fines that burden those who can’t afford to pay and can lead to further incarceration.
* A bit of his recidivism proposal…
Connect people in prison early with evidence-based rehabilitative services including job training, education, mental health and substance abuse treatment.
Encourage and facilitate positive relationships between people in prison, their families, and their communities to reduce the likelihood of recidivism after release.
* From his section on treating gun violence as a public health epidemic…
Empower the Illinois Department of Public Health to expand their treatment of gun violence as a public health epidemic.
Fight for public health research on gun violence by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) at the federal level.
Focus on prevention and intervention by investing in community programs that interrupt violence and encourage non-violent conflict resolution.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 2:34 pm:
5. Pardon Rod Blagojevich.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 2:40 pm:
7. Try to make sure everyone wakes up happy.
- DuPage Saint - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 2:41 pm:
For non violent offenders especially, first time offenders automatically seal and give opportunity to expunge felony convictions, if no further offenses affter 7 years off parole. This would not limit access by police or states attorneys.
- RNUG - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 2:41 pm:
Interesting.
Criminal Justice reform is one of the few achievements / bright spots in the Rauner administration.
I’m a bit nervous about the gun violence as a health issue. His language is the same as what was used / attempted as a back door gun control issue in other states.
If he wanted to reposition that as wanting to address all violence caused by mental health issues, I could be on board with it. But right now, it sounds more like a sneaky attempt at gun control.
- Shemp - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 2:49 pm:
2. Reduce recidivism by removing economic barriers to employment, affordable housing, human services, and family reunification.
—the biggest barrier is a willingness to work and be a good employee without feeling entitled before even being hired. Good luck. Yes, cynical, but so many employers will tell you the same.
3. Reform our juvenile justice system and end the criminalization of children.
— Sounds good until a 14year old holds up a 7eleven or bullies pound another kid in the ground, or some teen mugs a senior on the sidewalk…
4. Treat gun violence like a public health epidemic and make police more accountable to the communities they serve.
—yes, because 95% of police are not accountable to chiefs and mayors. It’s hard enough to recruit police and for them to do their work as laws have changed and they have their morale beaten down endlessly by rearresting the same dirtbags over and over. Whatever.
- Downstate - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 2:51 pm:
I applaud JB’s efforts to try to tackle a tough problem.
My understanding is that #3 is already partially in place, as children are no longer subject to any type of incarceration, or even a record except for the most heinous crimes.
Our local States Attorney has mentioned that parents are now sending their children in to shoplift, as there are no serious consequences for the child, if caught. It’s not an epidemic, but sadly there are those who will use the relaxing of laws to double down on their nefarious activities.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 2:53 pm:
Marijuana is becoming legal in certain parts of the country. Let’s not be too quick to do this. How does this impact our lower income communities? Will dealers go on to new criminal activity?
- Fiercely Independent - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 2:54 pm:
—Treat gun violence like a public health epidemic —
I’m sorry, what?
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 3:02 pm:
===I’m sorry, what? ===
Try the google before leaving comments like that here. Thanks
- Arsenal - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 3:06 pm:
A suitably deep plan from a candidate who’s already done work on these issues.
- independent - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 3:12 pm:
Gun violence is comparable with and has characteristics of other types of public health issues. Unfortunately, at the federal level the NRA has successfully stopped most research on gun violence. The NRA cannot take the chance that good research might lead to less guns being sold, which is the NRA’s bread and butter. The NRA has successfully engineered an upward death spiral, of more guns in the communities, and with more guns, comes more gun deaths, from suicide, accidental shootings, new mass shootings and homicides which leads to more people buying guns which continues the upward spiral. If had 30,000 deaths a year in the US from Ebola, you can bet we would declare it a public health emergency and fix it.
- don the legend - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 3:12 pm:
…Marijuana is becoming legal in certain parts of the country. Let’s not be too quick to do this. How does this impact our lower income communities? Will dealers go on to new criminal activity? …
Are you kidding me?
You’re worried about the dealers. Jeez, take the criminal activity out of a transaction that happens millions of times a day. That would help the “low income community”.
- Peters Post - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 3:19 pm:
I would also like to see delayed prosecution used as a tool to incentivize people charged with crimes to obtain work and stale housing.
- Chris Widger - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 3:26 pm:
What a nightmare. Terrible messaging, completely unresponsive to the problems the state faces.
- don the legend - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 3:26 pm:
Anonymous (please pick a nickname, we still won’t know who you are)
So repealing prohibition was a bad thing? It didn’t reduce mob or gang violence, get poison off the streets and stop making criminals out of everyday working citizens. Okey dokey.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 3:35 pm:
I thought Cook County had already made some changes in the bail system. Also thought that many fewer kids were in the juvenile justice institutions. But these are certainly worthwhile goals for enhancement.
Significantly reducing jail time for low level drug offenders is fine, but it’s going to take more than that to reduce incarceration numbers. This would include reducing jail time for elderly offenders who are no longer a risk, and for other types of offenders as well. The latter could be
especially difficult politically.
- Norseman - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 3:35 pm:
The idea of treating gun violence as a public health issue relates to the importance that field puts on prevention. It also involves the application of epidemiological techniques to address the problem.
- Rod - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 4:06 pm:
JB will gain zero votes by advocating for treating gun violence like a public health epidemic. He already had the votes of most people who share that perspective. A worthless move that will cost him votes a year from now assuming he is the Democratic candidate.
- Actual Red - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 4:09 pm:
As a lefty who has been skeptical of Pritzker, this all looks pretty good to me. I think the public health model is a step in the right direction for controlling violence. Historically the response has usually leaned more towards increasingly authoritarian policing, which a) isn’t all that effective at reducing violence, b) furthers the rift between police and non-police, especially in low income black and latinx communities.
- MG85 - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 4:23 pm:
==JB will gain zero votes by advocating for treating gun violence like a public health epidemic.==
I completely disagree. The Democratic primary is made up of diverse individuals and a section of those individuals are African American communities who are tired of hearing the solution gang violence is tougher gun laws, harsher sentences, and more incarceration recidivism all the while the opoid crisis should be treated with kid gloves because (statistically) the opoid crisis has a tremendous impact on white communities more so than any other.
The kind of policies advocated for by JB on these issues express an empathy that these kinds of voters are looking for in a candidate.
Candidates who win usually fight the war in front of them not the ones yet to come. JB needs to consolidate the Democratic Party around him and the policies he set forth today, I think, set him apart from the pack. He also has the funds to make sure every Democratic voter in the state knows where he stands on criminal justice reform.
That pays dividends in the general election because it will be turnout that wins the general. As the old saying goes, “Republicans fall in line, Democrats fall in love.” Whoever is the Democratic nomine, he’ll need the base to love him or they will stay home.
- JoanP - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 4:31 pm:
The use of risk assessment tools in bail decisions and sentencing is problematic. Unless you know the factors/algorithms used, it’s impossible to properly evaluate them, and to argue that the conclusions are wrong. But the companies that create the tools claim that the algorithms are proprietary and refuse to disclose them.
Furthermore, they are not individualized, but are based on statistics and probabilities. They don’t actually evaluated the individual standing in front of the judge, but merely compare him to others.
- Sweet Chicago Lou - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 5:26 pm:
Agree with #1. And use the revenue from taxing the sale of marijuana to fund #2.
I like #2, but it will be extremely costly. Training of criminals is the only way out of the repeat offender problem. Find out where this is being done with success and copy it. Affordable housing would be another costly undertaking. How high will JB raise taxes to accomplish all this.
I need to know more about #3. A child’s life wasted is a terrible thing, but so is the death of others at the hands of a hardened teenage gangbanger. What is the plan for dangerous criminals under the age of 18. Maybe they can all live with JB in the mansion.
I’m all for addressing gun violence, but I don’t think it is appropriate to take a shot at the police, no pun intended. Continue to work with local law enforcement agencies, but gun violence is not a police problem. Look at the numbers.
- Arthur Andersen - Thursday, Nov 2, 17 @ 8:16 pm:
Would have been nice to have a cop or SA on the Task Force.
- union thug gramma - Friday, Nov 3, 17 @ 12:39 am:
What needs to be added is more education in the prison system, both GED and college. There have been many studies that show that if someone in prison gets even just a GED, his/her recidivism rate drops considerably. If s/he starts college or trade training? The chance of that person coming back to prison is under 25%
- @MisterJayEm - Friday, Nov 3, 17 @ 9:02 am:
“My understanding is that #3 is already partially in place, as children are no longer subject to any type of incarceration, or even a record except for the most heinous crimes.”
Your understanding is incorrect, e.g. http://ijjc.illinois.gov/sites/ijjc.illinois.gov/files/assets/IJJC%202015%20Detention%20Data%20Report.pdf
“Our local States Attorney has mentioned that parents are now sending their children in to shoplift, as there are no serious consequences for the child, if caught.”
Your local States Attorney has mislead you.
– MrJM
- Biker - Friday, Nov 3, 17 @ 9:18 am:
Pritzker gets it.
- Anonymous - Friday, Nov 3, 17 @ 10:29 am:
independent- “The NRA has successfully engineered an upward death spiral, of more guns in the communities, and with more guns, comes more gun deaths, from suicide, accidental shootings, new mass shootings and homicides…”
You failed to mention police killings of citizens, which statistics no one collects comprehensively, and which some sources place at over 1,000 deaths per year. Effectively these deaths are non-judicial executions without trial, like Philando Castile in Minnesota.
NRA contributes to these deaths by playing the race game. For example, in Illinois, NRA recruits Otis McDonald from the south side of Chicago as a lead plaintiff against the city of Chicago handgun ban in 2007. Then in 2012 when the 7th Circuit U.S. Federal Appeals court strikes down IL’s UUW weapons statute based on the McDonald v. Chicago Supreme Court case, NRA puts up Brandon Phelps concealed carry bill with criminal penalties for all violations, no public transit carry, and Duty to Inform, all of which endanger black and brown residents of Chicago and Cook County during police contacts.
NRA runs a race hustle, while posing as a “the nations oldest civil rights organization.”
- logic not emotion - Friday, Nov 3, 17 @ 10:40 am:
Law enforcement officers are the experts on this issue. Public health has other issues with broader implications upon which it should focus its efforts.
- DeseDemDose - Friday, Nov 3, 17 @ 12:16 pm:
JB Pritzker is both consulting and surrounding himself with smart and good people. Illinois will get on board this Love Train.
- Dee4Three - Friday, Nov 3, 17 @ 2:29 pm:
Law enforcement has projected themselves to be the experts on this issue. We’ve followed their lead as a result. Where has it gotten us?