The Sentinel: Legal News

Bill allows Illinois highway cameras to be used to investigate other crimes

by Jade Aubrey
Capitol News Illinois

Photo: Milan Malkomes/Unsplash

A bill passed by lawmakers would add to the crimes that highway camera images could be used to investigate.

SPRINGFIELD - A bill passed in this year’s legislative session would rewrite the definition of a “forcible felony” to allow Illinois State Police to use images obtained from automatic license plate readers in cases involving human trafficking and involuntary servitude.

Automatic license plate readers are cameras that capture images of vehicle license plates. After obtaining pictures captured by ALPRs, state police software runs the license plate numbers through other law enforcement databases – including the National Crime Information Center, the Department of Homeland Security, the Illinois Secretary of State and National Amber Alerts. The software then alerts ISP officials when a license plate number matches one in the databases.

Current law allows ISP to use the cameras for the investigation of cases involving vehicular hijacking, aggravated vehicular hijacking, terrorism, motor vehicle theft, or any forcible felony, which includes treason, first- and second-degree murder, sexual assault, robbery, burglary, arson, kidnapping, aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm.

House Bill 3339, sponsored by Rep. Thaddeus Jones, D-Calumet City, would add the offenses of human trafficking and involuntary servitude to the definition of forcible felony in that section of law.

“It’s very focused on specific types of crime,” ISP Director Brendan Kelly said in a committee hearing on the bill in March. “It’s not for speeding, it’s not for traffic enforcement, this is for serious offenses, and we use it in a limited and focused way and in a highly effective way.”

The bill is an initiative of ISP that acts as an expansion to the Tamara Clayton Expressway Camera Act passed in 2020, which granted ISP the funds to purchase and install automatic license plate readers along highways in Cook County. The act was in response to the expressway shooting of Tamara Clayton, a postal worker who was shot and killed on Interstate 57 on her way to work in 2019. ISP was ultimately unable to obtain any images of the shooting, and the investigation on her case is still ongoing.

Photo of traffic cameras at an intersection — One new update to the current statutes, the law bars images obtained through the ALPRs from being accessible through the Freedom of Information Act.

“This is not just an effective deterrent, it’s also an effective program, in terms of our ability to solve cases,” Kelly said. “In 2023, for every expressway homicide that occurred in Cook County, 100% of those homicide cases were charged. Not solved, not cleared, charged. And every single one of those cases included license plate reader evidence.”

“That type of solve rate is not something you see very often in any category of crime,” Kelly said. “But is a result of this very effective tool.”

After the passage of the Expressway Camera Act, ISP installed approximately 100 ALPRs along I-94 in 2021 and by the end of 2022, 289 ALPRs were installed in the Chicago area.

Lawmakers expanded the program in 2022. In 2023, ISP installed 139 additional ALPRs in Champaign, Cook, Morgan, and St. Clair counties, and in 2024, ALPRs were installed in 19 counties and along with Lake Shore Drive in Chicago.

“Since it was put into place in 2021, we’ve seen a decrease in interstate shootings,” Jones said in the March committee hearing on the bill. “A 31% decrease from 2023 to 2024, a 53% decrease from 2022 to 2024, and an 71% decrease from the initial year that we did this.”

If signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker, the bill also would add cameras in Ogle, Lee and Whiteside counties to those regulated by the Expressway Camera Act. That means cameras in the counties would be subject to existing law’s prohibitions against using them to enforce petty offenses like speeding, and ISP would be allowed to run the licenses plate numbers captured by ALPRs through its software.

The measure also extended the expressway camera program for a second time, to 2028, after it was initially approved on a pilot basis.

Another aspect of the bill requires ISP to delete images obtained from the cameras from ISP databases within 120 days, with exceptions of images used for ongoing investigations or pending criminal trials. It also bars images obtained through the ALPRs from being accessible through the Freedom of Information Act, expanding on the existing expressway camera law.

A U.S. District Judge ruled against the claim, saying that license plate numbers are not private information, and as such, do not fall under the Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizures.

“It’s also got protections so that someone can’t try to – if someone is in a divorce case and they want to know where their spouse has been all day, that information cannot be FOIA’d, it cannot be released to them, it cannot be subject to that type of activity either,” Kelly said about the bill. “It’s very limited and very focused.”

It also comes after a lawsuit from two Cook County residents in 2024 on the constitutionality of ALPRs. The residents alleged that the use of ALPRs to cross reference information stored in national databases amounted to a warrantless search of drivers.

On April 2, a U.S. District Judge ruled against the claim, saying that license plate numbers are not private information, and as such, do not fall under the Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizures. HB3339 unanimously passed the House in April and passed the Senate on May 30 with only one no vote, by Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville.

The bill is a part of a broader ISP initiative to crack down on human trafficking, as outlined in Senate Bill 2323, which also awaits approval from the governor before becoming law. That bill aims to better educate and coordinate officials across state agencies on how to identify and provide essential services to victims of human trafficking, with a specific focus on the Department of Children and Family Services.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

Challenges to Illinois gun laws could go before the Supreme Court

Arguing the U.S. Supreme Court should have taken the Maryland case, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote AR-15s are arms protected by the Second Amendment.

Woman holding an AR-15 rifle — Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas wrote: "Our Constitution allows the American people – not the government – to decide which weapons are useful for self-defense." SCOTUS refused to take a look at the issue of states regulating which guns people can or can't own legally.

By Greg Bishop .::. Associate Editor
The Center Square

Challenges to local and state gun bans in Illinois could be the next case in front of the U.S. Supreme court on the “AR-15 issue.”

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up a challenge to Maryland’s ban, The Center Square reported. In the order, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said whether a state can ban an AR-15 is a question he expects the court to take up, but not right now.

“Although the Court today denies certiorari, a denial of certiorari does not mean that the Court agrees with a lower-court decision or that the issue is not worthy of review,” Kavanaugh wrote.

Arguing the U.S. Supreme Court should have taken the Maryland case, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote AR-15s are arms protected by the Second Amendment.

“Tens of millions of Americans own AR–15s, and the ‘overwhelming majority’ of them ‘do so for lawful purposes, including self-defense and target shooting,’” Thomas wrote. “Our Constitution allows the American people – not the government – to decide which weapons are useful for self-defense.”

Second Amendment Foundation’s Alan Gottlieb said the justices had a full docket this term but is confident the issue will be addressed.

“I really like what the Supreme Court justices [had] written,” Gottlieb told The Center Square Tuesday. “That's why I have really good faith that they're going to take another case … The question is when. They really overloaded this session and it's a real problem.”

Kavanaugh noted several other cases pending in the federal appeals courts, including a case challenging Cook County and Illinois’ ban. Gottlieb is a plaintiff in Viramontes v. Cook County.

“It's a great possibility that can be one that gets to the Supreme Court or another case out of Illinois, because there are so many of them,” he said. “They're already even ahead of schedule on that one. It's very likely an Illinois case is what the Supreme Court will hear.”

Monday, the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed the district court’s ruling in favor of the state and the county, queuing the Viramontes case for a possible appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Southern District case where a judge found the state’s gun ban unconstitutional is pending in the appeals courts with plaintiffs scheduled to file their reply brief Friday.

Illinois lawmakers pass bill to raise age of senior driving tests

New bill would allow a spouse, parent, grandparent, sibling or child of any Illinois driver to submit medical information about the driver to the secretary of state if they think the person’s medical condition interferes with their driving abilities.

Older driver on the road during a light rain — Drivers 87 and older will have to take an annual driver’s test says new bill waiting for the Illinois governor's signature.

by Jade Aubrey
Capitol News Illinois

SPRINGFIELD - A bill unanimously passed by the Senate on Thursday and on its way to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk will increase the age that senior drivers in Illinois are required to take an annual driver’s test.

Currently, if a driver renews their driver’s license between the ages of 79 and 80, they are required to take a driving test. Drivers between 81 and 86 are required to take a driving test every two years, and drivers 87 and older have to take the test annually.

If Pritzker signs House Bill 1226, sponsored by Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, only drivers 87 and older will have to take an annual driver’s test. Illinois drivers between 79 and 86 won’t be required to take a driver’s test to renew their license; instead, they’ll only have to take a vision test, and if they have a driving violation, a written test.

The bill would also allow a spouse, parent, grandparent, sibling or child of any Illinois driver to submit medical information about the driver to the secretary of state if they think the person’s medical condition interferes with their driving abilities. Currently, only medical officials, police officers and state’s attorneys can submit such information.

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HB 1226, also called the Road Safety and Fairness Act, has garnered bipartisan support. Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced his support for the bill in January alongside lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. The bill was conceived by a constituent of Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, last year.

The bill has 86 cosponsors in the House and 35 in the Senate.

Illinois is the only state that requires seniors to pass a driving test solely due to their age. But state data indicates that older drivers tend to have lower crash rates.

In 2023, the crash rate for drivers aged 75 and older was 24.61 per 1,000 drivers, which was lower than any other age group, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. The low crash rate has been consistent since at least 2018, according to the Secretary of State’s Office’s 2023 Study on Age-Related Driving Abilities.

The crash rate is more than double for many of the other age groups.

Prisoner Review Board reform, changes to police hiring clear General Assembly

A bill in response to Massey’s death that would give Sangamon County residents the power to recall an elected official, like the sheriff. Cook County already has the power to hold recall votes. Here are other Illinois laws in the works.

by Ben Szalinski & Bridgette Fox
Capitol News Illinois

SPRINGFIELD - A long-awaited bill to reform the Prisoner Review Board will soon go to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk after receiving approval in the legislature Tuesday.

The House voted 74-37 to approve Senate Bill 19, which contains a series of reforms designed to include victims’ participation in Prisoner Review Board decisions. The measure now needs only a signature from the governor to become law.

The bill would give victims the right to file victim impact statements ahead of hearings, provide them with additional notice when their offender is granted early release, and allow them to seek an order of protection against an offender who is incarcerated.

It would also create the Office of the Director of Victim and Witness Services, which would ensure the board complies with victims’ rights, and mandates the board provide victims with contact information for the State Victim Assistance Hotline. The bill also extends the terms for PRB members from six to eight years.

“The bulk of this bill is focused on ... making sure that victims, survivors, are more engaged in the process at PRB because unfortunately, too often, we’ve heard from victims and family members that they simply haven’t been given a voice in this process,” bill sponsor Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, said.

Reforms pushed by the General Assembly last year failed to advance to the governor’s desk despite nearly unanimous support from the legislature. Pritzker opposed a requirement in the bill that board hearings to be livestreamed, and the bill was never called for a vote in the final days of last year’s session.

WINDHORST

Guzzardi said the bill passed Tuesday includes many of the portions lawmakers agreed on last year, but many Republicans have expressed concerns the latest version was too weak compared to the previous version.

The reforms come after Crosetti Brand allegedly murdered an 11-year-old Chicago boy in 2024. That February, the board voted to release Brand, finding there was not enough evidence he had violated his conditions of release. His ex-girlfriend, Laterria Smith, was denied an emergency order of protection by a Cook County judge while Brand was imprisoned at Stateville in Crest Hill.

Brand was charged with attacking Smith the day after his release and killing her 11-year-old son, Jayden Perkins, who attempted to protect his mother. Two PRB members, including the board chair, resigned in the wake of the incident.

Response to Sonya Massey’s death

Another bill needing only the governor’s signature to become law would change hiring practices for law enforcement agencies after it passed through the House on May 15.

Senate Bill 1953 would require all law enforcement agencies in the state to obtain all of the investigations, examinations and records about a potential hire from all entities that previously employed them. Previous employers and law enforcement agencies are required to release the information within two weeks of receiving such a request.

Senate bill requires all law enforcement agencies in the state to obtain all records about a potential hire from previous employers to weed out bad actors.

Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, has been pushing for legislation in response to the death of Sonya Massey, a Springfield resident who was shot and killed in her home by a Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy in July 2024.

The former sheriff’s deputy, Sean Grayson, was originally called to Massey’s home in Springfield about reports of a prowler. After not finding anything outside, Grayson and his partner spoke with Massey inside her home.

Grayson was disciplined at a previous job for disobeying orders from superiors, general aggression and posting about drug busts online. Grayson was also found to have lied about being honorably discharged from the Army.

The deputies stood in the living room while Massey, with permission, removed a pot of boiling water from the stove in the adjoined kitchen. Massey said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus” after comments from deputies about the hot water, then Grayson threatened to shoot her. Body camera video showed Grayson shooting her seconds after the threat as Massey apologized.

Grayson is awaiting trial on first-degree murder charges and has pleaded not guilty.

Following Massey’s death, Capitol News Illinois unearthed documents showing Grayson was disciplined at a previous job for disobeying orders from superiors, general aggression and posting about drug busts online. Grayson was also found to have lied about being honorably discharged from the Army.

The measure passed through the House on a vote of 101-12.

JAMES WILBURN

“We can't legislate for judgment,” said the bill’s House sponsor Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, during a news conference last week. “What we can do is make sure that the answer that we got from the Sangamon County Sheriff's Department was that they did not know. That will no longer be the case when we pass this bill.”

Turner sponsored another bill in response to Massey’s death that would give Sangamon County residents the power to recall an elected official, like the sheriff. Cook County already has the power to hold recall votes.

Senate Bill 1954 passed through the Senate but hasn’t made its way through a House committee, meaning its passage could be an uphill battle.

“It's not done for this year,” Buckner said. “We just need to figure out what's going to happen in these next couple of weeks.”

Tornado-safe warehouses

A mile-wide EF3 tornado tore through St. Louis on Friday afternoon before crossing into Illinois and inflicting more damage in parts of Madison County. According to the National Weather Service, the tornado passed less than a mile from a complex of warehouses where a man was killed when a similar strength tornado demolished an Amazon warehouse in December 2021.

In response to the 2021 tornado, Illinois lawmakers convened a task force to issue recommendations on how to make warehouses safer in a tornado. In response to those recommendations, the House voted 83-28 Tuesday to pass House Bill 2987, which creates a series of new requirements warehouses must follow to protect their employees during a tornado warning.

The tornado first impacted the west-facing wall, causing it to collapse. That caused other structural failures, including the roof to collapse.

"It’s very timely that I’m calling this today as I spent part of my Friday and the last three weekends hunkered down in the basement with a tornado coming through my area,” Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, said.

The bill now heads to the Senate. It requires warehouse operators to work with local first responder agencies to craft safety plans for severe weather. New warehouses would need to be built with shelter spaces compliant with building codes for tornadoes and other types of natural disasters.

The 2021 tornado hit as the Amazon warehouse was bustling ahead of the holidays. According to the National Weather Service, the tornado traveled through the south half of the building. The tornado first impacted the west-facing wall, causing it to collapse. That caused other structural failures, including the roof to collapse.

An Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation into Amazon did not find any violations, according to the task force report. OSHA recommended the company review its severe weather procedures, ensure employees are provided training and participate in drills, have site-specific information about severe weather plans, and ensure audible warning devices are accessible. The warehouse was rebuilt and reopened in September 2024.

Happy days for homeschool parents, Illinois HB2827 stalls in the House

House Bill 2827 fails to pass Illinois House. Some Democrats spoke out against bill regulating Illinois homeschool practices while the sponsor says, "it is necessary to ensure homeschool children are protected."

Homeschool student studying with laptop — A young student does research on her laptop at home. According to opponents, House Bill 2827 creates a lot of red tape for homeschooled children. It would make schools pass records up through several layers of government and require tracking down families to review what they’re teaching and whether their kids are skipping school or not. The measure failed to make it out of the Illinois House on Friday.

By Greg Bishop .::. Associate Editor
The Center Square

SPRINGFIELD - Homeschool parents worried about the state of Illinois imposing regulations on the practice have a reprieve after the measure failed to advance.

House Bill 2827 accumulated tens of thousands of opponent witness slips filed against it since the measure was filed earlier this year. Sponsor, state Rep. Terra Costa Howard, D-Glen Ellyn, rose Friday to announce the bill isn’t ready, but said it is necessary to ensure homeschool children are protected.

“To the victims who are out there: We see you, we hear you and we will keep fighting for you,” she said.

Costa Howard said she was keeping the measure held on third leading into the Friday deadline to pass House bills to the Senate. She defended the measure, saying it does not mandate curriculum, but does require homeschool families to report to government officials that they homeschool, or they could face truancy charges.

“It truly is a simple form that can protect families from those nosey neighbors,” she said.

Homeschool parents worried about the state of Illinois imposing regulations on the practice have a reprieve after the measure failed to advance.

The fight isn’t over for opponents.

Tens of thousands of opponents filed witness slips against the measure since it was introduced earlier this year. Some Democrats spoke out against the measure, saying it could criminalize homeschool parents raising and teaching their children how they see fit.

Republican state Rep. Amy Elik said the bill was “doomed from the beginning.”

“A simple form was not so simple was it? It created burdens on families across Illinois, our entire school system,” Elik said, “and nobody seems to care that that was going to cost our schools and our families valuable resources that could be spent instead of fixing our public school system that often fails children.”

Elik said she’s glad the measure is being held, but she said the fight isn’t over for opponents.

“I can tell you our families still feel like they are under attack and walking on eggshells in Illinois,” she said. “That happens all the time in this chamber.”

The measure will be held, but could come back up in some fashion before the scheduled end of session May 31.

Legislators are off next week. The House returns April 22. The Senate returns April 29.

Immigration courts offer many barriers and too few solutions to a complex process

Garcia noted it is a misconception most immigrants speak Spanish. She has heard many other languages, from Arabic to Creole to Mandarin.

courtroom

Photo: Saúl Bucio/Unsplash

by Judith Ruiz-Branch
Illinois News Connection

CHICAGO - As the Trump administration's deportation efforts continue, more people find themselves in immigration court.

Immigration law is complicated, and most immigrants who navigate the court system do so by themselves.

Kelly Garcia, a reporter for Injustice Watch who covers immigration courts in Chicago, said the lack of legal representation and language barriers add to the complexity. Garcia noted almost no one she has encountered in the Chicago court speaks English, yet all the signs and case sheets are in English. Many show up late or miss their hearings because of it.

"If you miss your court hearing, the judge can order your removal," Garcia pointed out. "These barriers have very serious consequences for people - and it's very sad, honestly. It's very sad to witness that."

Garcia noted it is a misconception most immigrants speak Spanish. She has heard many other languages, from Arabic to Creole to Mandarin and said most people do not know they need to request a court interpreter in advance of their hearing or risk having their case delayed. Those who show up late or not at all could be immediately removed from the country.

Research shows those with legal representation fare better in court. But people in immigration court do not have the right to an attorney if they cannot afford one. The burden of proof, to show they were charged incorrectly or request temporary relief through asylum, falls on them.

Groups like the National Immigrant Justice Center and Legal Aid Chicago are on-site to help address some gaps. As the daughter of an immigrant, Garcia emphasized she can relate to the range of emotions she sees in court.

"It just feels very personal to me, because I know how it impacted my mom," Garcia recounted. "I know how hard and difficult that was for her and I also recognize that it's only gotten harder for a lot of people, especially for people who have migrated [from] very dangerous conditions, here."

Garcia added she has seen many people come to the U.S. for reasons beyond their control. She said her time covering the immigration court has prompted her to work on creating an "explainer" story to help answer the many questions she hears from defendants every day.

Other interesting articles:

Farmers say Illinois' John Deere right to repair suit is 'common sense'

Photo: Insa Osterhagen/Pixabay

by Judith Ruiz-Branch
Illinois News Connection

Many states have considered so-called "right to repair" legislation, but only Colorado has passed a law specifically related to farm equipment.

CHICAGO - Some Illinois farmers say a lawsuit against equipment manufacturing titan John Deere is long overdue, and they hope the outcome is not more laws but rather, the right to repair their own equipment.

The Federal Trade Commission and Attorneys General from Illinois and Minnesota have sued Deere for monopoly practices they allege unfairly drive up costs and resolution times for fixing farm equipment.

Rob Larew, president of the National Farmers Union, said manufacturers use intellectual property as an excuse to not share the details of their equipment technology.

"If folks could imagine being told by the manufacturer of their car, their minivan or their pickup truck that they, number one, cannot repair it on their own -- that they have to take it into the dealer and get the dealer equipment every single time and get those repairs made -- that would be outrageous," Larew contended.

As a company, John Deere said it has taken a number of steps to support customers' ability to maintain their machines and called the lawsuit "baseless."

Many states have considered so-called "right to repair" legislation, but only Colorado has passed a law specifically related to farm equipment. Larew noted manufacturers have long used promises or nonbinding agreements with equipment dealers to maintain their autonomy.

"In those agreements, it actually prevents farmers from fighting for their right to repair, and in exchange for that they promise to do better and to grant some additional access," Larew explained. "But I think as farmers, we see this really as pretty straightforward, common sense, and we need this issue completely resolved."

Larew added it is a bipartisan issue and is hopeful for a resolution, either through legal or legislative channels. President Donald Trump's new appointee for FTC chair, Andrew Ferguson, has said while he is in favor of right to repair legislation, he does not agree with the decision to file a lawsuit.

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Researchers find African-Americans receive inequitable sentencing and remain over-represented in Illinois jails

by Terri Dee
Illinois News Connection

CHICAGO - Data show troubling disparities on the number of justice-involved individuals within the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Pew Research figures show Black people remain over-represented in jail populations and receive longer sentences.

The John Howard Association is a non-partisan prison watchdog group that monitors the treatment of justice-involved individuals and says change needs to happen at many levels.

Executive Director Jennifer Vollen-Katz said the population of Black people in Illinois is around 14%. For white people, that number is around 68%.

IDOC's 2024 fact sheet shows a sharp contrast.

"But when you look at the racial makeup of the population in the Illinois Department of Corrections," said Vollen-Katz, "we find somewhere between 52% and 54% of the individuals inside IDOC are black - and about 32% of the people inside our prisons are white."

Conversations with IDOC workers and administrators are part of JHA's research, and pair with inmates' perspectives and experiences.

The goal is to increase public awareness and IDOC's transparency. Illinois.gov lists 29 correctional buildings statewide.

Katz said she wants equal treatment in the justice system - regardless of background or race - and a deeper look at law enforcement's relationships with different communities.

She said prosecutors wielding enormous power in making legal decisions is a huge problem in the early stages of the criminal justice system, and said she feels discrimination should be identified at its source.

"The disproportionate representation in our prison system is reflective of the lack of equity throughout our criminal legal and law enforcement systems," said Vollen-Katz, "and so we can't look at any one system to solve the problem. We need to start at the very beginning and do things quite differently if we're going to address this problem."

Katz affirmed that differences in the outcomes of charges, trials, and plea deals in sentencing are additional areas for reform.

She said more information is needed to improve the back end of the justice system - mandatory supervised releases, parole, and early discharge.

A May 2023 study from the anti-mass criminalization group The Prison Policy Initiative shows 28,000 Illinois residents are in state prisons, 17,000 are in local jails, and 6,100 are in federal prisons.

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Juvenile justice court alternative proves successful in Illinois

by Terri Dee
Illinois News Connection

CHICAGO - Anyone age 18 or younger accused of violating Illinois law, who has formal charges filed against them, has historically had their case tried in a courtroom but some judges are choosing another option in hopes of keeping young people out of the system.

Courts in Avondale, Englewood, North Lawndale and Sauk Village in Cook County use restorative justice for nonviolent felony or misdemeanor cases for people ages 18-26. They attend court-appointed conferences or "peace circles" with family, friends and community members to encourage accountability.

Elizabeth Clarke, founder and executive director of the Illinois Juvenile Justice Initiative, thinks the restorative justice model should be expanded.

"Cook County should be using it, not just in low-level cases, but in really serious felony cases," Clarke contended.

Victims and survivors of crimes may volunteer to participate in the conferences. This Friday, the Juvenile Justice Initiative will host two restorative justice practitioners with the Youth Justice Agency in Belfast, Northern Ireland, speaking at the Adler Institute on Public Safety and Social Justice in Chicago.

The Cook County Circuit Court website said a "Repair of Harm Agreement" lists what a young offender must complete, from performing community service and writing a reflection letter, to attaining a high school equivalency diploma and finishing a substance abuse program.

Joshua Brooks restorative justice hubs coordinator for the Institute on Public Safety and Social Justice at Adler University, said restorative justice is a practice; a way of life borrowed from Indigenous beliefs.

"It's really based on the principle that we belong to each other, and we need to do right by each other," Brooks explained. "There are just several different principles and values that include relationship building, confidentiality, repairing harm, community building, shared power. And the way that it's practiced is usually through circles."

Brooks argued strengthening relationships with community members and bringing them into a place where they can trust one another is also important. If the young person completes the items on their list, criminal charges are dismissed and the case is expunged.

Chicago Appleseed for Fair Courts data show between 2020 and 2023, 100 people completed a restorative justice program. By March 2023, 94% had their charges dropped or dismissed.

League of Women's Voters to discuss recent SCOTUS decision on Social Media Censorship

CHICAGO - Does the First Amendment allow U.S. government officials to intervene and prevent the spread of misinformation and disinformation on social media?

Jill Wine-Banks, a distinguished attorney and MSNBC Legal Analyst known for her prominence in political and legal discourse, is scheduled to speak about the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent action on social media censorship. This virtual event will take place on Tuesday, August 20, at 7 p.m. via Zoom. The program is free and is presented by the League of Women Voters of Illinois’ Mis/Disinformation Task Force.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently had an opportunity to rule on this question. Instead, they declined to issue decisions in two cases, punting them back to officials in Texas and Florida.

Among her many accomplishments, Wine-Banks was named General Counsel of the U.S. Army by President Carter, where she supervised what was, in essence, the world's largest law firm.

She started her legal career as the first woman to serve as an organized crime prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Four years later, she was selected to be one of the three Assistant Watergate Special Prosecutors in the obstruction of justice trial against President Nixon's top aides. Nixon was named an unindicted co-conspirator in that case, but the evidence presented led to Nixon’s resignation.

In 2014, she was named by the Secretary of Defense to the Judicial Proceedings Panel’s Subcommittee on Sexual Assault in the military, where she served until 2017. She was also the first woman to serve as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the American Bar Association.

Those who wish to join the online talk can register for the event here.

To tackle the concerning increase in misinformation and disinformation, particularly its impact on our elections, the League of Women Voters of Illinois established the Mis/Disinformation Task Force in January 2024. The goal of the task force is to educate the public about misinformation and disinformation. For more information, please visit lwvil.org/misdis-info.

Commentary |
State-Level marijuana legalization has been a stunning success

Contrary to some critics’ claims, legalization states have not experienced any spike in either psychosis or mental illnesses.

by Paul Armentano

It’s been over a decade since Colorado and Washington became the first two states to legalize marijuana for adults. With the benefit of hindsight, it’s fair to ask: Has this policy been successful?

Absolutely. A policy of legalization, regulation, and education is preferable to a policy of criminalization, stigmatization, and incarceration.

Let’s be clear. Legalization didn’t create or normalize the marijuana market in the United States. The market was already here.

Illustration by Gordon Johnson/Pixabay

But under a policy of prohibition, this market flourished underground — and those involved in it remained largely unaccountable. They didn’t pay taxes, they didn’t check IDs, and they didn’t test the purity of their products. Disputes that arose in the illicit marketplace were not adjudicated in courts of law.

By contrast, under regulation, cannabis products in many states are now available from licensed manufacturers at retail stores.

Cannabis is cultivated, and products are manufactured, in accordance with good manufacturing practices. Products are lab tested and labeled accordingly. And sales are taxed, with revenues being reinvested in the community. Since 2014, retail sales of adult-use cannabis products have generated more than $15 billion in tax revenue.

Most importantly, millions of Americans — many of them young adults — are no longer being arrested for possessing a substance that is objectively safer than either tobacco or alcohol.

According to data compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the annual number of marijuana-related arrests in the United States fell from 750,000 in 2012 to 227,000 in 2022, the last year for which data is available.

In short, these state-level policy changes have resulted in countless Americans being spared criminal records — and the lost opportunities that accompany them — in the past decade.

Teen use of cannabis has not grown with legalization. A CDC report says use has actually dropped among high school students.

Photo: Dimitri Bong/Unsplash

And contrary to opponents’ fears, cannabis use by teens has not risen in parallel with legalization.

According to data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of high schoolers who use marijuana actually fell 30 percent over the past decade. Compliance check data from California, Colorado, Nevada, and other legal marijuana states show that licensed marijuana retailers do not sell products to underage patrons.

Also contrary to some critics’ claims, legalization states have not experienced any spike in either psychosis or mental illnesses.

According to findings published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association, rates of psychosis-related health care claims are no higher in jurisdictions where cannabis is legal than in those where it’s not. Stanford University researchers similarly reported last year that residents of states where cannabis is legal exhibit no higher levels of psychosis than those in non-legal states.

Legalization is also successfully disrupting the illicit marketplace. According to a 2023 survey, 52 percent of consumers residing in legal states said that they primarily sourced their cannabis products from brick-and-mortar establishments. By contrast, only 6 percent of respondents said that they primarily purchased cannabis from a “dealer.”

Many consumers in non-legal states also reported that they frequently traveled to neighboring legal states to purchase cannabis products rather than buying from illicit dealers in their own state.

Twelve years into states’ marijuana legalization experiment, public support for making marijuana legal nationwide has never been higher. To date, 24 states have legalized the adult-use market.

None of these states have ever repealed their legalization laws. That’s because these policies are working largely as voters and politicians intended — and because they’re preferable to cannabis criminalization.

After a century of failed policies and “canna-bigotry,” the verdict is in. Legalization is a success, and the end of cannabis prohibition can’t come soon enough.

Paul Armentano is the Deputy Director for NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. This op-ed was adapted from an earlier version published at The Hill and distributed for syndication by OtherWords.org.