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JOHN HOWARD ASSOCIATION WEIGHS IN AT HOUSE HEARINGS ON THE NEW DEPARTMENT OF JUVENILE JUSTICE
• On 20 June 2007 the Committee on Juvenile Justice, Anazette Collins, Chair, heard testimony from Kurt Friedenauer, Acting Director of the Department of Juvenile Justice, a number of AFSME union representatives, and Malcolm Young on behalf of the John Howard Association. Some Committee members and union representatives have been harshly critical of the new Department; Young's written testimony which reports on the Association's on-going evaluation of progress at the Department, is available here.
UPDATE: Following the hearing, the Committee passed a resolution which adopts recommendations set forth in our testimony. Read HR0568 here.
HB 1517 PASSES - Increases juvenile court jurisdiction to 18 (from 17) for misdemeanants:
As the result of a remarkable effort by many people, the Illinois legislature passed House Bill 1517, which increases the juvenile court age for misdemeanors from 17 to 18. The bill did not pass both Houses in identical form and an amendment awaits concurrence. Click here for fact sheet. Additional information on this and related juvenile justice legislation will be found at the Juvenile Justice Initiative. Link is: http://www.jjustice.org/template.cfm?page_id=4
OUR REPORT ON THE COOK COUNTY JAIL – The John Howard Association of Illinois has filed its new monitoring report in Duran v. Sheahan, et al, describing conditions at Cook County Jail. Principal concerns noted are with increased confinement to cells and for medical care following the County’s reduction in hospital services. Click here for report. The County’s response has yet to be filed.
Read the CHICAGO TRIBUNE ARTICLE on the Federal investigation into conditions at the jail.
NATIONAL STUDY ON PROJECTED INCREASES IN PRISON POPULATIONS: While the state's overall population is projected to increase by only 1.6% over 6 years, the number of Illinois prisoners will jump by 8% in the same time period.
THE JOHN HOWARD ASSOCIATION WARNS: COOK COUNTY BUDGET BATTLES A THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH, JAIL OVERCROWDING. In a written statement and testimony at public hearings in February 2007, the John Howard Association strongly criticized proposed budget cuts in jail and juvenile detention center health services, in defender services, in the State's Attorney's diversion programs, and in the Sheriff's alternatives and rehabilitative programs. Some of these proposed cuts were restored; some are still in place.
SUPPORTING AN INDEPENDENT PRISONER REVIEW BOARD: The John Howard Association believes that the Prison Review Board too infrequently grants parole to the prisoners sentenced prior to 1978 who are still eligible for parole. Parole is granted to less than 4% of applicants. However, in news conferences and public statements some public officials have criticized the PRB for releasing too many inmates. In an open letter the John Howard Association and other prison reform advocates have asked Governor Blagojevich to ensure the Prison Review Board's independence.
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February 13, 2008
The Illinois Coalition for the Fair Sentencing of Children, of which the John Howard Association of Illinois is a member, today released a report on Illinois' juvenile lifers. The report is the result of two years of research and interviews of most of Illinois' juvenile lifers. To read the press release related to the report, please click here. Download the report here.
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>>August 14, 2008: Duran Report Filed in Federal Court -- Addresses overcrowding, health care issues, security and staffing concerns
The John Howard Association submitted
its new monitoring report to the United States District Court and the parties
in Duran v. Brown, a long-standing civil rights case now before
Judge Virginia M. Kendall in the United States District Court for the Northern
District of Illinois against Cook County and the Cook County Department of
Corrections brought on behalf of inmates at the Cook County jail.
According to the report, the 24th is a series filed since 1988, serious
systemic problems that drive overcrowding and create conditions which put staff
and inmates at risk plague the Cook County Jail. The problems described
in the report include deficiencies in health care services, maintenance,
security staffing, and decisions made in efforts to contend with overcrowding,
the subject of the Duran litigation. Many are the result of budget and
other decisions made by the Cook County Board, of the administration of bond
courts and of felony case processing in Cook County
courts, and by decisions made in other county government agencies. To access the report, click here.
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>>August 14, 2008: Duran Report Filed in Federal Court -- Addresses overcrowding, health care issues, security and staffing concerns
The John Howard Association submitted
its new monitoring report to the United States District Court and the parties
in Duran v. Brown, a long-standing civil rights case now before
Judge Virginia M. Kendall in the United States District Court for the Northern
District of Illinois against Cook County and the Cook County Department of
Corrections brought on behalf of inmates at the Cook County jail.
According to the report, the 24th is a series filed since 1988, serious
systemic problems that drive overcrowding and create conditions which put staff
and inmates at risk plague the Cook County Jail. The problems described
in the report include deficiencies in health care services, maintenance,
security staffing, and decisions made in efforts to contend with overcrowding,
the subject of the Duran litigation. Many are the result of budget and
other decisions made by the Cook County Board, of the administration of bond
courts and of felony case processing in Cook County
courts, and by decisions made in other county government agencies. To access the report, click here.
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>> July 17, 2008: US Attorney Finds Conditions at Cook County Jail Unconstitutional
The Unites States Attorney today released a report describing violence and injuries to inmates, confrontations with correction officers, and inadequate medical and mental health care at the Cook County Jail.
Speaking before a press conference, U. S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald attributed many of the problems and the violence to overcrowding and inadequate staffing at the Jail. Both longstanding problems have been frequently highlighted by the John Howard Association of Illinois, the federal court appointed monitor in a long running civil rights case brought on behalf of jail inmates.
Other issues cited by the U. S. Attorney include: a lack of medical care and mental health services sufficient for the population and safety and sanitation violations, also longstanding problems documented by the John Howard Association.
As the U. S. Attorney notes, medical and mental health services at the jail are the primary responsibility of County government and not fully subject to the Sheriff’s control. In the last 18-months both have been subject to budget-related cutbacks and staffing changes which were vigorously criticized by the John Howard Association. (See testimony presented in February 2007 here).
The jail population is influenced by policing and prosecutorial practices and by the decisions of judges who set the bonds and conditions of release for most persons who are arrested. The John Howard Association has reported critically on the quality of the decision-making process in bond courts after a visit to that court.
The John Howard Association of Illinois will submit its annual report on the Cook County Jail to the federal court next week. That report will be posted on this site once filed with the court.
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For Help with Criminal Case after Conviction
Unfortunately, the John Howard Association of Illinois is unable to provide direct services or legal assistance to our constituents. However, below are some resources that may be of interest to you.
Post Trial Remedies Handbook: Summarizes a prisoner's appellate rights
Illinois Clemency Guidelines: Procedures for filing a clemency petition in Illinois
Certificate of Innocence: For individuals whose cases, either by judgment, dismissal, new trial which is not pursued by the state, or acquittal, resulted in relief of a criminal conviction for which you served some time in prison, you may now file a Certificate of Innocence with the Circuit Court in order to access monetary damages through the Court of Claims.
Sex Offender Registry / Violent Offender Registry
Registration on the sex offender registry is mandated by law for people convicted of certain sex crimes. The times and restrictions vary. Until recently, the law required certain people whose crimes involved minors to register as sex offenders even though their crimes were not sexual in nature. The Illinois General Assembly changed this requirement and created a new registry, the Violent Offender Registry. If you believe that your name should be removed from the Sex Offender Registry and that you should be listed on the Violent Offender Registry instead, please click here for an informational sheet on how to obtain relief.
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>> October 21, 2008: Article cites disproportionate number of technical violators in Illinois contributes to bloated prison population; John Howard Association Director Malcolm Young cited. Read the article by clicking here.
NOTICE: Charlie Fasano, the John Howard Association's Prisons and Jails Director will be speaking at an Illinois Academy of Criminology Panel Discussion about the overcrowding of the Cook County Jail, Federal Court overview of the Jail's conditions and potential solutions to the problem of overcrowding.
Admission is free.
For more information, please download the flyer here.
Where: Northwestern University Law School, 350 E. Superior, Chicago, IL 60611
When: Thursday, October 23, 2008
Time: 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
NEW!! >> The Long-Term Prisoner Policy Project Announces a Pro Bono Opportunity for Attorneys who wish to represent indigent prisoners at parole hearings. For more information, please click here.
>>September 15, 2008: The John Howard Association of Illinois issues the first comprehensive report of parole rates for prisoners sentenced before 1978-- 95% of prisoners eligible for parole in Illinois are denied parole, a new report shows
The John Howard Association of Illinois today issued a report that reveals that of the less than 300 pre-1978 sentenced prisoners who remain in prison and who can seek parole each year, on average less than 3.5% are actually granted parole. The findings of this report show that perceptions that prisoners eligible for parole are liberally paroled is a myth.
The remaining 300 prisoners who are still eligible for parole in Illinois are aged 50 to mid-80s, many are chronically ill, and pose little or no risk to society were they to be paroled. The parole board’s own statistics note that the procedural, non-criminal recidivism of these prisoners is a minuscule 6% in contrast to 54% recidivism among the general prison population.
The report documents that the parole rate plummet from 28% in 1983 to 3% in 1984. In 1984, Daley complained to the media regarding two specific prisoners paroled and subsequently pushed for legislation to render the parole process more difficult. The Daley-backed measures required a majority approval from the full Prisoner Review Board rather than a majority present at hearings.
Since 1984, the parole rate has averaged 3.5%.
Click here to read the report: To Set the Record Straight
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