12.23.07 Report on Chicago's Felony Courts
By William Ford
December 23, 2007
The Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice recently released "A Report on Chicago's Felony Courts." It's a lengthy report at 123 pages - I just skimmed it - and it clearly provides an extensive look at Chicago's felony courts, relying in part on interviews and/or surveys of judges, prosecutors, public defenders, private attorneys, victims, and defendants. (The Chicago Police Department didn't respond to requests to participate.) The researchers also relied on 160 hours of courtroom observation conducted by law students. Oddly, three law students didn't bother to turn over their materials after doing the observations. (See footnote 9.)
I didn't see the actual surveys, interview schedules, or court observation forms anywhere in the report or on the website. I would like to see these materials made available somewhere, if they are not already.
The general findings in the report do not sound surprising. For example, the legislature criminalizes more and more behavior without sufficient attention to the costs; there is a problem with patronage jobs in staffing the courts (patronage in Chicago?); and the drug war is overburdening the courts ("The courtrooms hear more than 28,000 cases per year, half of which are non-violent, drug-related charges." (p. 6) (my emphasis)). These and other findings come with specific recommendations.