Surrounded by states enacting bans or severe restrictions, Illinois is poised to become a place where out-of-state patients and practitioners seek refuge. Politicians and advocates are seeking ways to welcome what they say could be a record-setting demand for the controversial procedure.
Criminal Justice & Public Safety
Posted inCriminal Justice & Public Safety
Hundreds More Black Chicagoans Are Pleading Guilty to Gun-Possession Charges. Here’s One Possible Reason Why.
As Chicago police have made more gun-possession arrests, prosecutors are using the secretive grand jury process and securing more convictions.
Posted inInvestigations
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Claims Chicago’s ’Tougher’ Gun Laws Fail To Prevent Gun Violence
Chicago is frequently targeted as a city with ineffective, strict gun laws. While the city has a history of implementing tougher laws in comparison to other cities, a Supreme Court decision drastically loosened some restrictions.
Posted inCriminal Justice & Public Safety
Former Police Superintendent Accused of Lying in Murder Case
A man exonerated after 33 years in prison for double murder says records prove then-Lt. Philip Cline lied to jurors during his trial about taking his confession in 1987. He is suing the city.
Posted inCriminal Justice & Public Safety
COVID-19 Again Hits Illinois Prisons, Exacerbating Long-Standing Failures in Medical and Mental Health Care
Despite dramatically reduced prison populations, officials continue to face problems containing the virus because of lagging vaccine rates of prison staff.
Posted inCriminal Justice & Public Safety
The Costly Toll of Dead-End Drug Arrests
In Chicago, thousands of drug possession arrests are tossed out every year because of an unwritten rule in the courts, a Better Government Association/Chicago Sun-Times investigation has found. The cost to taxpayers? Millions. To those arrested? Jobs, housing, freedom.
Posted inSolutions
Oregon Is First State to Ticket Narcotics Users, but New Reform Has Yet To Live Up To Promise
In Illinois, possession of even trace amounts of heroin residue is a felony. But in Oregon, it’s not a crime at all any more. Instead, people caught with drugs get a ticket. Oregon’s new drug reform is keeping users out of jail — but the goal of getting them help for their addictions has been elusive.
Posted inCriminal Justice & Public Safety
Kim Foxx’s Ex-Trainer Caught Up in ‘Unending Cycle’ of Drug Arrests
Drug issue hits every corner of Cook County. ‘It breaks my heart,’ the state’s attorney says.
Posted inCriminal Justice & Public Safety
Dead-End Drug Arrests: How We Reported This Story
The BGA and Chicago Sun-Times analyzed 280,000 total drug possession arrests made in Cook County over nearly two decades. The data used was provided by The Circuit, the collaborative journalistic enterprise led by the BGA and Injustice Watch.
Posted inCriminal Justice & Public Safety
Fewer People in Cook County Are Being Charged With Crimes. Why Are Black People Making Up a Larger Share of Defendants?
An Injustice Watch/BGA investigation broke down the data on specific charges and asked experts to explain why racial disparities are increasing in Cook County criminal court.