Cook County President Preckwinkle Declares “War on Drugs” a Failure

At a noontime rally in the Chicago loop last Friday, Cook County President Preckwinkle condemned the increasingly unpopular “war on drugs.”  She was the lone elected official openly criticizing the enforcement strategy, which dates back to Nixon’s presidency. Preckwinkle emphasized the excessive an...
June 20, 2011

Court Reform is Cost Reform

New Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle initially called for budget cuts of up to 21 percent, to combat a budget deficit of nearly 500 million dollars. In the last weeks of 2010, the Board president was still waiting for ideas from the Sheriff’s Office, the State’s Attorney, and the Clerk o...
January 10, 2011

The JPC’s Work Continues After the Election

For most of us, as the adrenaline rush of watching a close election wears off, we forget about the returns and put aside the research into candidates we did prior to the election. But at the Judicial Performance Commission (JPC), our work continues. All judges on the retention ballot were retained....
November 10, 2010

The Economic Case for Diversion Court

Cook County, like most metropolitan areas, has been hit hard by the recent financial crisis. Services are being cut, city staffers are being laid off and taxes are rising. Many of you may be asking why Chicago Appleseed is pushing for a new diversion court in this difficult financial environment. Ho...
June 23, 2010
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