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* Unconventional Wisdom - Scott Harper’s 13th Congressional Strategy

Scott Harper may be in a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) “targeted race,” indicating that the party thinks he has a real chance of winning, but under traditional campaign standards one has to ask - is what he doing lunacy?

* Hare: Reducing veteran disability claims backlog, one step at a time

* Defense calls no witnesses, says case vs. Rezko weak

* Rezko trial testimony wraps up

* Prosecution rests; Rezko to present no defense witnesses

* I-PASS loophole allows some to escape fines

* Stateville to stay open; Pontiac prison to close

* Fight vowed over proposed Pontiac prison closure

* Group calls for control over Bronzeville development

* ‘I’m not bitter,’ says man who spent 26 years in prison for allegedly murdering a security guard

* Racial Disparities Found to Persist as Drug Arrests Rise

“The way the war on drugs has been pursued is one of the biggest reasons for the growing racial disparities in criminal justice over all,” said Ryan S. King, a policy analyst with the Sentencing Project, who wrote its report, which focuses on the differential arrest rates, not only between races but also among cities around the country.

* Cook County state’s attorney candidate Anita Alvarez blasts County Board for cutting prosecutor office’s budget

* CTA’s bumpy passage

* CTA sued over Grand Theft Auto ads

* CTA to add 18 routes to Bus Tracker system

* A year in review: Huberman’s first year at the helm

* Praise for dramatic gains in schools

* Pointless PSAE not improving education system

* Legislation will fix home wine brouhaha

* Uptown From Space

posted by Kevin Fanning
Tuesday, May 6, 08 @ 8:34 am

Comments

I wonder how many Cook County prosecutor hours are spent processing and prosecuting (mostly minority) nonviolent drug offenders and putting them in jails in (mostly white) Downstate communities which have the increasingly important role of shoring up local Downstate economies.

This expensive method of serious racial discrimination goes unaddressed by state and local politicians of all races, who are no doubt benefiting from those prison patronage jobs and contracts, paid for by us, of course.

Maybe Alvarez could direct some efforts towards
having prosecutors spend the bulk of their time on real crime. Then those cuts might be manageable.
But it’s a lot easier to just lock up drug addicts.

Comment by Cassandra Tuesday, May 6, 08 @ 9:23 am
Cassandra,

Very good point, but as long as those are crimes and police are making the arrests, the prosecutors don’t have much choice. They do have a choice about prosecuting political corruption, but they always ignore it and let the US Attorney do it. Except for one case last month, of course, which is just a show because it became an issue in the state’s attorney race for the first time this year … what a coincidence.

Comment by Snidely Whiplash Tuesday, May 6, 08 @ 9:31 am
Who’s not on the DCCC target list these days. They put everyone on their to get articles like this one.

If Harper really thinks he’s got a chance against Biggert, he needs to take some remedial polisci classes back at Oxford.

Comment by Hanging Chad Tuesday, May 6, 08 @ 9:39 am
Snidely…what about prosecutorial discretion and diversion. With even a modicum of political support, prosecutors and judges could likely stop the flood of these nearly all minority offenders into (Downstate) jails. But pols and their cronies would lose money if that happened. Not to mention those towns where the jails are.

To be fair, it’s not just the penal system. The child welfare system, which removes and places a disproportionate number of African American children both nationally and locally, also provides lots of patronage jobs and contracts to the politically savvy, while causing great harm to the kids involved and huge unnecessary bills to the taxpayer.

Comment by Cassandra Tuesday, May 6, 08 @ 9:54 am
If by lunacy you mean spending $100k of almost entirely your own money to win an uncontested primary in a district with solid GOP Demographics and hard working incumbant like Biggert. It make total sense for the DCCC to “target” this race, press releases are are cheap and that is all he will get because there won’t be any cold hard cash coming (unless of course he wants to write another check himself).

Comment by DuPage Watch Tuesday, May 6, 08 @ 10:28 am
Cassandra-

Why don’t you focus on the subject of the article? The County Board has cut funds for drug diversion programs. Stroger’s 2007 budget proposal eliminated drug diversion. It was later reinstated, but has seen significant cuts over the last 5 years. Do you think that ASAs get off on prosecuting .1 gram cases?

Comment by Mad as Hell Tuesday, May 6, 08 @ 10:32 am
I think that where prosecutors can reasonably exercise discretion, they are influenced by
political and social trends. If ASA’s don’t “get off” on prosecuting minor non-violent drug cases, why are so many minorities in jail for non-violent drug offenses. Somebody is making the decision to prosecute these cases. Do prosecutors charge every case the police bring to them? Of course not.

Clearly, there will be no leadership from Stroger on the issue of racial disparities in drug sentencing. But he is hardly alone. There is no political leadership from any major politicians in this area. They’d rather keep raising our taxes and enjoying the patronage and contract benefits inherent in large government corrections bureaucracies, not to mention taking credit for the economic benefits the current sentencing system confers on on many Downstate communities.

Comment by Cassandra Tuesday, May 6, 08 @ 11:24 am
I would think that the prosecutors would have to dismiss the cases on behalf of the state. That would make them look very bad politically from some points of view. I think it is up to the state legislature to decriminalize minor drug possession offenses, and perhaps make them the sole subject of local ordinances, so that municipalities could just issue civil citations and impose fines.

Comment by Snidely Whiplash Tuesday, May 6, 08 @ 12:42 pm
Correctional facilities are located outside Cook County for a number of reasons: land is too expensive for the state to purchase the 120 acres needed for a medium security facility; higher uses for that much land are always present, along with the higher land prices; NIMBY is in full force - no one in Cook County wants a correctional facility adjacent to their property; it is more difficult to retain staff long-term at facilities north of I-80.

Comment by In the Sticks Tuesday, May 6, 08 @ 9:05 pm