FOIA: IDOC Record Types
This request to Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) is one in a series of FOIA requests aimed at getting a better understanding of the data and records the IDOC maintains and in what format they maintain it. There is section within the FOIA law that requires public bodies to maintain a list of the […]
FOIA: Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC)
This is CJP’s first major set of FOIA requests to the Illinois Department of Corrections, (IDOC). It is clearly well past time that this institution’s work be opened to the public. When you take in to account that IDOC incarcerated 38,259 people as of Jan 1, 2020 and that their fiscal year 2019 budget […]
Chicago’s Million Dollar Blocks
Chicago’s Million Dollar Blocks is an amazing website that details over a five year period how much money the State of Illinois spends on incarcerating people per block in Chicago. In this episode we feature an interview with researcher and author Dr. Dan Cooper from the Metropolitan Planning Council, who together with his colleague […]
IDOC & Their Response to COVID-19
The Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) and their response to the COVID-19 pandemic is the subject of today’s episode. We feature excerpts from a Facebook Live interview we did with Jobi Cates, Founder and Executive Director of Reform Justice Illinois (RJI). RJI was originally created to work on issues solely focused on juvenile lifers, […]
Most Reprehensible Aspect Uncovered by MGT Fervor
When any single agency within the criminal justice system fails us, it is important that we look to assign responsibility beyond the confines of that single agency. Why? Because there is a dialectical relationship between every agency. There is little doubt that the quality of work of the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (the […]
7 vs. 61 – Risk Elimination, Fear Mongering, Victimization, and the Press
With all the press on the Meritorious Good Time Push (MGT) program that was just recently halted by Governor Quinn there has been no discussion about what purpose is really served by incarcerating someone for 61 days rather than just 7? The reporting makes you think that the individuals who recidivated would not have done […]