From the Desk of John McLees…
Work continues on all fronts in the fight for justice in the criminal legal system and in the mechanisms by which we impose permanent punishment on those who have been incarcerated.
The revised document at the heading “Getting Involved” also highlights the launch by the Heartland Alliance and others in Illinois of the Fully Free Campaign: https://fullyfree.org/ to end our system of permanent punishment of those who have been incarcerated.
Both that document and the document attached under the heading “Other Sources of Information and Ideas” also contain links to many reports that deserve our attention, including new reports on:
- the reform agendas of Sharone Mitchell, the new Cook County Public Defender, and Kim Foxx, the Cook County State’s Attorney,
- the financial exploitation of inmates and their families by the Illinois Department of Corrections,
- the reality of parole in America as an endless trap and engine for reincarceration,
- the increasing impact of life imprisonment in the United States, even for relatively minor offenses,
- the pitfalls facing counties from well-funded campaigns to build big new costly jails,
- the exploitation and harsh treatment of inmates with disabilities in U.S. prisons, and
- the alarming rise in deaths of inmates in U.S. prisons and jails. xx
There are also links in the document under the heading Advocacy in Illinois to enable you to communicate efficiently with your Illinois legislators on:
- the importance of rejecting any proposals to repeal or modify the Illinois Pretrial Justice Act that was enacted in January, and
- the need for the state senate in Illinois to approve HB 1064 to eliminate life without parole sentences for most people 20 and younger.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on this website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the CDLU.