When the Pretrial Fairness Act took effect in September, Illinois became the first state to completely eliminate cash bail. Advocates who championed the reform have regarded the victory with caution since the law first passed in 2021, wary that judges might simply replace pretrial detention with house arrest for those who would have walked free—without […]
Tag: Cook County Jail
Posted inNews & Politics
Dying while in the county’s care
Tyler Spratt had a smile for everyone. He’d spin tales with loved ones, trying to get them to bite, and, when they’d discover the ruse, he’d let out a laugh. Spratt was warm and loving, his obituary notes, particularly with his nephew and younger cousins. He took pride in his job as a chef—the 28-year-old, […]
Posted inFilm
WorldScene Film Festival proves that incarcerated people are More Than a Uniform
This week, the WorldScene Film Residency culminates in a film festival curated to illuminate the struggles of young men entangled in the justice system, giving the detainees a voice to share their experiences with their community.
Posted inNews & Politics
ShotSpotter held in contempt of court
Rather than release documents, a ShotSpotter attorney requested the contempt order.
Posted inNews & Politics
On house arrest with Mohawk Johnson
CPD has tried to turn rapper and comedian Mohawk Johnson into a cautionary example to social justice protesters. He has other plans.
Posted inNews & Politics
Coronavirus in jail: The life and loss of Nickolas Lee
A widow tried to save her late husband’s life during his stay at 26th and Cal. Instead she witnessed the explosive spread of COVID-19 inside.
Posted inNews & Politics
‘More people will die’
As the rate of COVID-19 infections accelerates at Cook County Jail, a federal judge has rejected a lawsuit calling for a mass detainee release.
Posted inMusic
Rising drill star King Von refines his storytelling and stunting on Levon James
Sharp songwriting and bombastic delivery have made King Von one of fastest-rising stars in drill, the pummeling hip-hop subgenre born in Chicago. Born Dayvon Bennett, the 25-year-old rapper grew up in Englewood, and he’s been filling his verses with crime-fiction narratives at least since his breakout single, 2018’s “Crazy Story.” As he told Genius in […]
Posted inColumns & Opinion
‘I wasn’t sentenced to die’
As COVID-19 spreads through Illinois prisons, inmates and advocates seek clemencies and medical furloughs to save lives.
Posted inNews & Politics
Celia Colón uses her story to inspire incarcerated women
The founder of Giving Others Dreams aims to transform the lives of prisoners through mental health workshops at the Cook County Jail.
Posted inBlogs
Now you, too, can experience Stuart V. Goldberg’s The Snake Charmer
Chicago’s flashiest criminal defense attorney drops his novel with an Instagram invitation: “Is it fact or fiction?”
Posted inBlogs
Chicago Data Collaborative launches criminal justice data portal
The cooperative connects the dots between data sets about the same person or case buried among various city and county agencies.
Posted inNews & Politics
The trials of Stuart V. Goldberg, Chicago’s flashiest defense attorney
He wears $5,000 suits and is chauffeured to court in a Rolls-Royce. He’s made a fortune off the war on drugs. He claims Oprah once wanted to have his baby. He is the most interesting lawyer in Chicago. But who’s the man behind the megawatt smile?
Posted inBlogs
Analyzing Rahm Emanuel’s rocky and lucky 2017, and other Chicago news
Also, the miserable sub-zero temperatures and wind chills are expected to last through New Year’s.
Posted inBlogs
Masturbation epidemic in Cook County court lockups raises questions about jail conditions, county budget, defendants’ rights
Public defenders, especially women, are being sexually harassed while visiting defendants in lockup.