Resource-strapped public defenders can usually only provide direct client services. Meanwhile, police and prosecutors get to lobby for legislative changes. In Illinois, we are upending that status quo.
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The following op-ed was published in the Chicago Tribune on October 11, 2023. This month, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Director Marc Smith resigned. The conversation has since focused on DCFS failures to protect children in its care.
We in the Juvenile Justice Division of the Cook County public defender’s office share in the outrage that led to the Cook County public guardian suing DCFS for allegedly failing to find appropriate placement for these children. In any given month, there are children in detention who have been ordered released — children who are among the most vulnerable members of our society.
Assistant Public Defenders Margaret Armalas and Megan Tomlinson discuss the shocking pattern of racist enforcement of gun possession laws in Chicago in an op-ed published in the Chicago Tribune.
We need rational and effective criminal justice policy-making based on facts. Denying thousands of people access to essential movement because of a few anecdotes is bad policy.
Civil asset forfeiture is a tool ripe for abuse. It raises civil liberties concerns and offers little public safety value. It would be a step backward for Chicago after other jurisdictions have abandoned or reformed such tactics.
Why public defenders are standing with the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association in the Supreme Court.
Assistant Public Defender Takenya Nixon Brail writes in Teen Vogue to explain why rising crime large urban cities like Chicago ought not lead to more policing.