OUR MISSION
Open
Justice system data that we have opened through our advocacy, public policy, and litigation work.
Analyze
Putting data to work to drive best practice and inform evidence based decision making.
Policy Change
Authoring one of a kind national best practice policy on responding to police civil settlements and court judgments.
The problem and our solution
The Problem: The Chicago & Cook County justice system is the 2nd largest in the United States, spanning across both city and county government with budgets totaling in the billions of dollars each year. Tens of thousands of city and county residents come into contact with the system every year. Despite the vital position this system holds in our lives, the ability of stakeholders, policymakers, and communities to understand and validate the practices of our justice agencies is limited by restrictive policies on the access to data these agencies create.
Our Solution: The Chicago Justice Project focuses exclusively on opening big data from across the Chicago & Cook County justice system using our systemic approach to transparency. We believe that connecting data across agency and political boundaries will greatly increase what we can learn about how our justice system operates, and in turn heighten our ability to use the data to educate and empower stakeholders, communities, and policymakers to engage the justice system. We believe a justice system that implements best practices from around the country and evidence-based decision making will serve their communities the best.
Justice Transparency in Chicago
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Latest news
COPA Compliance with Video Release Policy
An audit of the Citizen’s Office of Police Accountability’s (COPA) compliance with the City of Chicago’s video release policy shows systemic failures in the police accountability system in Chicago that lead to COPA failing to live up to the office’s obligations under this policy. The policy was put in to place in the wake of Read more about COPA Compliance with Video Release Policy[…]
FOIA: DC Office of Unified Communications
This request submitted to the Office of Unified Communications is part of our first set of requests in the District of Columbia (DC). This request is targeting meta data on calls to 911 within DC seeking police services. As is CJP’s policy we are targeting data for as far back as the Office of Unified Read more about FOIA: DC Office of Unified Communications[…]
Data Brief: Rape Kit Backlog – What We Do and Don’t Know
The first step to solving the rape kit backlog crisis is to understand the actual extent of the problem. Unfortunately, decades of badly-kept records, unclear legislation, and a lack of transparency has made discerning the exact amount of “backlogged” kits in the state of Illinois difficult. In 2015, the Accountability Project, an initiative by the Read more about Data Brief: Rape Kit Backlog – What We Do and Don’t Know[…]
FOIA: DC Metropolitan Police Department
This is our first set of requests in to the District of Columbia’s (DC) Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). These requests target big data created and maintained by the MPD through the course of their daily work. It is beyond time that that the operations of local justice systems are opened in a manner that allows Read more about FOIA: DC Metropolitan Police Department[…]
MMB: Dart, Gang Database, Lightfoot
Defunder in Charge This is just another clear demonstration of how the Cook County Sheriff, Tom Dart, tries to manipulate and shape the Sheriff’s Office into whatever will allow him to keep or gain additional power. In this article, Dart tries to position the programs he is running in the jail as being exactly what Read more about MMB: Dart, Gang Database, Lightfoot[…]
MMB: Main, Sposato, & Tokenism
This story is just another case of the local media exploiting violence and a salacious headline to get clicks and then not delivering a meaningful story. I would bet very near 99% of guns used on the streets of Chicago start out being purchased legally through a gun store. This is not news. The fact Read more about MMB: Main, Sposato, & Tokenism[…]
Telling Stories About Crime is Hard
Covering issues of crime and violence is very hard but that is no excuse for not doing it better. So says our guest this week on the Chicago Justice Show Jason Cherkis. Cherkis is seasoned reporter who started out working for weekly paper in Washington, DC covering these very issues. Through be told reporters at Read more about Telling Stories About Crime is Hard[…]
MMB: Defunding the Police Without Accountability
So, isn’t Lightfoot not filling vacant police positions actually a move towards defunding the Chicago Police Department (CPD)? There is little doubt that defunding the CPD would require staff reductions. I believe Lightfoot is being disingenuous at best when she says stuff like “if we defunded the police, we would have to cut the youngest Read more about MMB: Defunding the Police Without Accountability[…]
Cook County State’s Attorney Breaks Settlement Agreement and Forces Lawsuit!
Despite commitments to work collaboratively from senior officials within Kim Foxx’s Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office our efforts have instead been stonewalled at every turn. Just like the typical Cook County politician she is not interested in real transparency and true oversight. Our previous lawsuit resulted in a settlement in 2017 in which Foxx’s senior Read more about Cook County State’s Attorney Breaks Settlement Agreement and Forces Lawsuit![…]
MMB: Catanzara, Johnson, & Brown’s Truth
Spielman is at it again with a completely contrived political story devoid of context featuring FOP President John Catanzara. The FOP dropped a notice to her that they wanted a story in the news, and of course, Spielman lapped it up. By seeking and exploiting outrageous quotes (per her usual style), Spielman produces this useless Read more about MMB: Catanzara, Johnson, & Brown’s Truth[…]