COVID-19 Archives - Page 3 of 5 - Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts

Cook County Courts Massively Behind Schedule on Criminal Cases

By Sarah Staudt, Senior Policy Analyst & Staff Attorney The Cook County Criminal courts are disturbingly behind on resolving criminal cases. In April 2020, the Cook County Circuit Court, like many courts around the country, closed its doors for all but the “most urgent matters” – prim...

Examining “Cook County E-Court” and Looking Toward the Future of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Written by Sarah Bloomquist and Allison Leon In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, criminal courtrooms in Cook County were shuttered for all but limited proceedings beginning March 13, 2020, with judges allowed to hear only bond and preliminary hearings, arraignments, and guilty pleas. Th...

We Should Not Declare Victory Prematurely: Fight Against COVID-19 at Cook County Jail is Far From Over

Following a recent report from the CDC that the Cook County Jail has been successful in containing the COVID-19 outbreak within its walls, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart was quick to tell the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday that he responded in the “quickest and most massive way.” Appearing before the Cook...

Cook County State’s Attorney Has Not Agreed to Release in Approximately 80% of Cases during COVID-19 Pandemic

UPDATE: On July 1, 2020, at the request of the States Attorney's Office, this post was updated to include the results of their analysis of a selection of court call transcripts from March 19-April 8. Please see addendum at the end of this post for more information. Since the first case o...

We Can Do More to Protect Individuals, Workers, and Communities In and Around Illinois Prisons

Illinois must ensure that the rights and wellbeing of individuals living and working in prisons and the surrounding communities are protected. While Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) have taken some essential steps toward decarceration and transparency in detention...

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