THE PROBLEM AND OUR SOLUTION
A justice system that is transparent and evidence-based leads to better outcomes for all. We’re striving to force transparency in the City of Chicago and Cook County in order to create safer and better-informed communities.
We empower
Chicagoans to create
safer communities
through government
transparency.
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.
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The Latest News


Susan Lee on Chicago Crime
On today’s episode we sit down with Susan Lee who is currently Chief of Strategy and Policy at Chicago CRED but was previously Deputy Mayor for Public Safety under the Lightfoot administration. Lee is known as an expert on violence prevention and was doing this same work in Los Angeles


How Much Does the CPD Cost?
On today’s episode we feature a discussion about the real cost of the Chicago Police Department and how the City of Chicago uses corrupt budget practices to hide some of the cost from taxpayers and the media. These practices are not new to the city but Mayor Lightfoot’s administration has


“Subtle but Pervasive Problem” of the Absence of News
On today’s pod we focus on the problem of the absence of news and how humans fill that hole with their beliefs rather than facts. We dive deep in to these issues with Professor Sandy Goldberg from Northwestern University’s Department of Philosophy. Goldberg recently authored an opinion editorial in the


Chicago Justice Podcast
This is our Chicago Justice Podcast that covers crime, violence, and justice issues in Chicago. We will feature deep dives in to justice system data, interview with researchers and justice system reform advocates, as well as evaluations of justice system practices.