WBEZ’s ‘Prisoncast!’ creates an audio experience for incarcerated people and their families
The broadcast event airs Sunday Sept. 17 from 2 to 4 p.m. on WBEZ, Vocalo and Illinois Public Radio stations around the state.
Criminal Justice
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Downstate leaders say they will need help handling the historic end to cash bail
Judges will be limited in who they can hold in jail pretrial. Rural leaders say they don’t have the staffing to handle the change.
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Cash bail’s end next week could spark an electronic monitoring surge, backers fear
The law, effective Monday, makes Illinois the first state to ban money bonds. Some supporters of the change worry that judges will turn to EM.
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Robberies in Chicago are at a six-year high
Neighborhoods on Chicago’s West and Northwest sides have experienced the biggest increases. Citywide numbers are still lower than 10 years ago.
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What to expect now that cash bail in Illinois is ending
Experts say the doomsday scenarios surrounding the controversial criminal justice reform aren’t likely to materialize. But big changes are coming.
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Got a loved one in an Illinois prison? Here are 20 resources for you.
Lots of groups serve people in Illinois prisons and their families. Here’s what some of them do, and how you can contact them.
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Civilian oversight commission poised to bury CPD’s error-filled gang database
The Community Commission on Public Safety and Accountability also will hold a public forum Thursday with CPD Counterterrorism Chief Larry Snelling, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s choice to become Chicago’s permanent police superintendent.
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Nearly five years after pleading guilty to a felony, a Chicago cop remains on the force
Joseph DeRosa pleaded guilty to resisting and obstructing police. It’s supposed to bar him from being a cop in Illinois.
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At summer’s end, Chicago murders are down 21% from horrendous 2021
Police data show murders are continuing to fall, but the numbers through August remain elevated from what was typical just a few years ago.
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Chicago public safety leader warns against making police discipline cases secret
Anthony Driver said deciding serious police misconduct cases via arbitration would “drive the process of accountability behind closed doors.”
