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Foxx, Gordon-Booth, Kelly to co-chair Pritzker’s Restorative Justice and Safe Communities Committee

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* Press release…

Today, Governor-elect JB Pritzker announced the formation and members of the transition’s Restorative Justice and Safe Communities Committee at Safer Foundation, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit organizations that provides employment, educational, and supportive services for individuals with criminal records.

The committee is the eighth of several working groups of the transition made up of subject-matter experts who will advise and guide the incoming Pritzker-Stratton administration. The Restorative Justice and Safe Communities Committee will be chaired by Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, and Congresswoman Robin Kelly and consist of 42 members.

“Across our country – including here in Illinois – our criminal justice system is broken, and throughout the campaign, I listened to Illinoisans impacted by this broken system and witnessed how it’s harmed communities,” said Governor-elect JB Pritzker. “If we’re committed to economic justice, let’s be committed to criminal justice reform and public safety. These problems are not separate from each other. They’re intertwined with each other. It’s time to bring real prosperity to every community, tear down the barriers that block people from opportunity, and move away from a system of imprisonment and build a true system of justice.”

“A core promise of our campaign was the creation of the Office of Criminal Justice Reform and Economic Opportunity,” said Lieutenant Governor-elect Juliana Stratton. “It will build a system of justice that reflects the values of Illinois and listens to the people of Illinois. That’s a system that diverts youth and adults from incarceration in the first place, a system that modernizes sentencing, a system that encourages rehabilitation, and a system that works to reduce gun violence and creates economic opportunity. I know we can achieve meaningful, lasting progress and opportunity and justice that we all believe in – but only if we act together.”

“The state of Illinois needs to reimagine our criminal justice system,” said Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. “This committee will work to challenge and transform the ways our state deals with systemic issues that leave communities of color behind. I look forward to JB and Juliana’s leadership statewide to address gun violence and a more holistic approach to public safety.”

“It’s no secret that Illinois’ criminal justice system has failed communities across our state, and it’s time to fix it,” said state Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth. “We can start by making our state agencies more accountable to the people they serve, and we can build collaboration across agencies to bring interconnected services into communities that need them most.”

“Governor-elect Pritzker and Lieutenant Governor-elect Stratton are ready to reinvent our criminal justice system so every Illinoisan has a chance to reach their full potential,” said Congresswoman Robin Kelly. “They recognize that gun violence is a public health epidemic and have real prevention and intervention plans that will keep our communities safe.”

RESTORATIVE JUSTICE AND SAFE COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Kim Foxx co-chairs the transition’s Restorative Justice and Safe Communities Committee and is the first African American woman to lead the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. She was elected in 2016 with a vision for transforming the office into a fairer, more forward-thinking agency focused on rebuilding the public trust, promoting transparency, and being proactive in making all communities safe. During her first two years in office, Foxx has revamped the office’s Conviction Integrity Unit, resulting in overturned convictions in over 60 cases, led bond reform efforts, and prioritized resources away from low-level offenders. Prior to being elected state’s attorney, Foxx served as an Assistant State’s Attorney for 12 years and as a guardian ad litem advocating for children navigating the child welfare system.

Jehan Gordon-Booth co-chairs the transition’s Restorative Justice and Safe Communities Committee and serves as state representative for Illinois’ 92nd district. In 2014, Gordon-Booth and her husband, Derrick, lost their son, DJ, to gun violence. Two years later, she introduced and passed the “Neighborhood Safety Act” — the most comprehensive and impactful criminal justice bill in Illinois history. The law aimed to address over incarceration and the needs of crime victims by eliminating over 1,000 mandatory minimums and expanding judicial discretion, incentivizing rehabilitation for inmates and establishing trauma recovery centers for victims of crime. She is the first African-Americanwoman ever elected to the Illinois legislature from Central Illinois, the youngest woman to serve in leadership in the House and is a 2013 Edgar Fellow.

Robin Kelly co-chairs the transition’s Restorative Justice and Safe Communities Committee and serves as congresswoman for Illinois’ 2nd district. Since being elected in 2013, she has worked to expand economic opportunity, community wellness, and public safety across the state, championing numerous initiatives to generate job growth, reduce health disparities, and end gun violence. A staunch champion of common-sense gun reforms and responsible community policing, Congresswoman Kelly is a co-chair of the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Taskforce, was tapped to sit on the House Task Force on Community-Police Relations and is the author of the 2014 Kelly Report on Gun Violence in America, the first-ever Congressional analysis of the nation’s gun violence epidemic that offers a blueprint for ending the crisis.

Phillip Andrew, Director of Violence Prevention, Archdiocese of Chicago

Brian Asbell, Sheriff, Peoria County

Charles Bachtell, CEO and Co-Founder, Cresco Labs

Kathy Bankhead, Ombudsperson, Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice

Deanne Benos, Former Assistant Director, Illinois Department of Corrections

Walter Burnett, Alderman, City of Chicago

Annalise Buth, M.R. Bauer Foundation Fellow, Center on Negotiation and Mediation at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law

Kelly Cassidy, State Representative, Illinois General Assembly

Kahalah Clay, Circuit Clerk, St. Clair County

Colleen Daley, Executive Director, Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence

Victor B. Dickson, President and CEO, Safer Foundation

Arne Duncan, Managing Partner, Emerson Collective

Michael Frerichs, Treasurer, State of Illinois

Dr. Nneka Jones Tapia, Leader in Residence, Chicago Beyond

Brendan Kelly, State’s Attorney, St. Clair County

Edith Crigler, Member, Illinois Prisoner Review Board

Era Laudermilk, Deputy of Policy and Strategic Planning, Cook County Public Defender’s Office

Chris Lindsey, J.D., Executive Director, Marijuana Policy Project

Jens Ludwig, Director of the University of Chicago’s Crime Lab, University of Chicago

Tony Munoz, State Senator, Illinois General Assembly

Cliff Nellis, Executive Director, Lawndale Christian Legal Center

Mike Newman, Deputy Director, AFSCME

Katya Nuques, Executive Director, Enlace Chicago

Cheryl Parks, Executive Director, Job Partnerships Peoria

Quinn Rallins, Program Director, Illinois Justice Project

Julia Rietz, State’s Attorney, Champaign County

Elizabeth Robb, Retired Chief Judge, 11th Judicial Circuit

Pamela F. Rodriguez, President and CEO, Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities

Selwyn Rogers, Director, University of Chicago Medicine’s Trauma Center

Kathleen Sances, Executive Director, Gun Violence Prevention PAC

Sean Smoot, Director, Police Benevolent and Protective Association of Illinois

Jason Stamps, Acting Director, Center for Public Safety and Justice at UIC

Joseph Strickland, Associate Director & Senior Researcher, Jane Addams School of Social Work at UIC

Carmen Terrones, Consultant, David Lynch Foundation

Jennifer Vollen-Katz, Executive Director, John Howard Association

Julie Wilen, Executive Director, Pritzker Foundation

Diane Williams, President Emeritus, Safer Foundation

Kathleen Willis, State Representative, Illinois General Assembly

Paula Wolff, Director, Illinois Justice Project

* I hadn’t heard of the David Lynch Foundation, but Carmen Terrones was a Deputy Chief Probation Officer for the Cook County Juvenile Probation Department before retiring from the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice.

So, what is this foundation that she consults for?…

The David Lynch Foundation is working with schools, community organizations, partner foundations and Chicago leaders to:

Improve school climate and academic outcomes
Bring the healing effects of the [Transcendental Meditation] technique to mothers and their families who have lost loved ones to violence
Bring the benefits of the TM technique to non-custodial African American fathers, to better help them connect with their children
Heal the trauma and side effects of PTSD among veterans
Help our youth in juvenile detention centers

* It’s actually kind of interesting. Check out one of their videos…

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Nov 30, 18 @ 1:01 pm

Comments

No Tom Dart or Sheriff Cars Smith…. talk about falling into irrelevance.

Comment by RollCall Friday, Nov 30, 18 @ 1:04 pm
Hard snub for Lashawn

Comment by Iggy Friday, Nov 30, 18 @ 1:07 pm
—Deanne Benos, Assistant Director, Illinois Department of Corrections— Huh? I’m pretty sure she ain’t been there in a loooong time.

Comment by Jimmy Friday, Nov 30, 18 @ 1:19 pm
==* I hadn’t heard of the David Lynch Foundation==

Justice was served well in Twin Peaks (all things considered). I think it was TM that turned Bobby Briggs around.

Comment by Henry Francis Friday, Nov 30, 18 @ 1:22 pm
I’ve heard of Lynch’s foundation before and while I was initially skeptical, it seems to do good work. I get a little concerned if TM is supposed to be the only treatment, but the foundation doesn’t seem to suggest that.

Comment by Archpundit Friday, Nov 30, 18 @ 1:30 pm
Deanne Benos is a great pic, but yes, she has been out of IDOC for years and has been doing incredible work on women’s justice issues. This appears to be a staff mistake. I’m sure they will rectify it soon.

Comment by The young gov Friday, Nov 30, 18 @ 1:38 pm
It’s going to start being easier to announce who is not on these various task forces. They will need to utilize the United Center if the committees ever meet simultaneously.

Comment by List Friday, Nov 30, 18 @ 1:39 pm
===Hard snub for Lashawn===

Assuming you mean LaShawn Ford, once he filed petitions to run for Mayor he took himself out of the running for this.

Benos and Phil Andrew are two excellent choices.

Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Nov 30, 18 @ 1:45 pm
This isn’t everybody on the team, Rich missed some
People

Comment by Facts Friday, Nov 30, 18 @ 1:57 pm
Some of the music that Lynch did with Julee Cruise is quite meditative. The GA probably needed some of that music piped in earlier this week.

Comment by A Jack Friday, Nov 30, 18 @ 2:02 pm
Huh? Deanne Benos? Sure, she may be doing great work on women’s issues but if she is being named as the NEW Assistant Director, this is a big mistake. The female population is less than 5 percent of the overall prison population. What work has she done on behalf of men?

Gladys Taylor has been doing outstanding work at the IDOC. Unless they are moving her up to Director, this is a bad bad move.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Nov 30, 18 @ 2:06 pm
Another day, another excellent Transition Committee. Very very impressed so far. Great balance. Criminal justice advocates, but also Sheriffs, State’s Attorneys, and labor.

Comment by Anonchalant Friday, Nov 30, 18 @ 2:20 pm
“Huh? Deanne Benos? Sure, she may be doing great work on women’s issues but if she is being named as the NEW Assistant Director, this is a big mistake.”

I guarantee that’s a staff mistake. They’ve made other similar mistakes. I’m sure the first position in the new Administration after CoS they’re announcing is NOT Assistant Director of IDOC.

Comment by Anon0091 Friday, Nov 30, 18 @ 2:54 pm
Good to see Jens Ludwig on this, and the inclusion of various stakeholders ought to inform what measures on cash bail, sentencing reform, marijuana legalization, et al get introduced as bills in 2019.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Nov 30, 18 @ 4:01 pm
I would have liked to see a public defender on the committee to bring balance to the prosecuter and law enforcement perspective

Comment by RV Monday, Dec 3, 18 @ 4:38 pm
There is a public defender from cook county on the panel.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Dec 3, 18 @ 7:14 pm