THE ILLINOIZE: Thursday Free for All...Mr. Johnson goes to Springfield...Sex abuse allegations in Dept. of Juvenile Justice...Is the end of cash bail working?
May 9, 2024
Good morning, Illinois.
We taped an interview with House Republican Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) yesterday for this week’s podcast. We’re talking to our pal Jeremy Gorner from the Chicago Tribune this morning to get the skinny on Brandon Johnson’s Springfield trip. Paid subscribers will get the podcast first tomorrow and everyone else gets it Saturday.
Speaking of paid subscribers…they got an exclusive story yesterday on steps being taken by the Pritzker administration to plan for $800 million in budget cuts.
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The Senate is in at 11. The House is in at noon. There is nothing on Governor Pritzker’s public schedule.
Let’s get to it.
YOUR THURSDAY FREE FOR ALL
(note: we’re not responsible for paywalls and restrictions from other news outlets, because good journalism isn’t free)
Mayor Brandon Johnson talks school funding, Bears stadium and ‘less high-profile budget needs’ during Springfield visit (Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson met with Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state lawmakers on Wednesday to make his pitch for more state funding for critical city operations such as the public schools, and to discuss the Chicago Bears’ $3.2 billion domed stadium proposal.
Johnson is backing the Bears’ proposal, while Pritzker has labeled it a “nonstarter” in large part because of its large public funding component. Meeting with reporters late Wednesday afternoon, Johnson said conversations are ongoing but stressed the need to replace Soldier Field.
“You have a 100-year-old building that is millions of dollars in debt. And so you have this asset that is not getting the full benefit for the people of the state of Illinois,” he said. “And as the Bears continue to have these conversations with leadership, as well as the rank-and-file members, that’s the case that they will have to make, but understanding that we have a structural, damaged situation that really needs a solution.”
Johnson’s budget requests at the Illinois State Capitol came on the same day a state Senate committee approved legislation opposed by the mayor’s key ally, the Chicago Teachers Union, that would extend a school closure moratorium for all of the city’s public schools by two years. The CTU has labeled the measure, initially drawn up to protect selective-enrollment schools, as “racist,” as the union presses to invest more money in neighborhood schools.
“We want an equitable school district that speaks to the needs of the people of the city of Chicago,” Johnson said when asked about the bill. “And as these amendments continue to be assessed, we’re going to create more space for these conversations so that we ultimately get to the goal that we want, which is an equitable school district.”
Johnson previously has said his Springfield wish list includes $1 billion in state funding that’s “owed” to the “families of Chicago.” That money would include greater state aid under the evidence-based funding formula and additional teacher pension funds.
Related: More buddying up than budgets and Bears in Johnson’s first trip to Springfield as mayor (Chicago Sun-Times)
Johnson visits Springfield with over $100M in funding requests beyond $1B ask for CPS (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Full video of Johnson’s availability with reporters (WLS-TV)
Lawsuit alleges decades of child sex abuse at Illinois juvenile detention centers statewide (Associated Press)
Child sexual abuse at Illinois juvenile detention centers was pervasive and systemic for decades, according to disturbing accounts in a lawsuit filed Monday by 95 men and women housed at the youth centers as children.
The lawsuit details alleged incidents of abuse from 1996 to 2017, including gang rape, forced oral sex, beatings and groping of children by corrections officers, sergeants, nurses, therapists, a chaplain and others at nine youth centers. Many plaintiffs said they were threatened or rewarded to keep quiet.
“The State of Illinois has allowed a culture of abuse at Illinois Youth Centers to flourish unabated,” the 186-page complaint said.
The lawsuit, filed in the Illinois Court of Claims, follows similar harrowing allegations of child sex abuse at juvenile detention centers in Maryland, New Jersey, New Hampshire, California and New York City. Some cases have gone to trial or resulted in settlements; arrests have been infrequent.
The Illinois lawsuit contends the state failed to supervise, discipline, remove or investigate alleged abusers, enabling the abuse to continue. The complaint alleges the abuse happened at youth centers in locations all over the state including Chicago, Joliet, Harrisburg, Murphysboro and Warrenville. Several locations have since closed.
The lawsuit names the state of Illinois, the state’s Department of Corrections and Department of Juvenile Justice as defendants. It seeks damages of roughly $2 million per plaintiff, the most allowed under law.
In an emailed statement, the Department of Juvenile Justice said the alleged incidents took place under former department leaders but that the current administration takes youth safety seriously and that “all allegations of staff misconduct are immediately and thoroughly investigated” with other agencies, including state police.
Related: Lawsuit alleges sexual abuse was rampant in state-run juvenile detention centers (Capitol News Illinois)
End of cash bail in Illinois showing early signs of success in reaching 'better and fairer system' (Chicago Sun-Times)
Cook County Judge Charles Beach has presided over hundreds of pretrial hearings since Illinois became the first state in the nation to eliminate cash bail last fall.
Despite all the anguish over the Pretrial Fairness Act, Beach says he has been struck by how proceedings have significantly changed for the better in his courtroom.
“I think we’ve come a very long way in the right direction,” he said in an interview last week. “Things are working well.”
Under the old system of cash bail, Beach — a supervising judge in the pretrial division — was often tasked with setting a dollar figure a person would have to post before being released, a decision that could force a family to skip the rent to post a bond.
It was a process that could seem arbitrary, depending on the judge, the time of day and where in the state the hearing was held, even after Cook County implemented its own pretrial reforms in 2017.
“There’s a sense in the courtroom that taking money out of the equation has leveled the playing field,” Beach said.
In the months that have followed, what was novel has quickly become normal as courthouse personnel have settled into the new rhythms. Beach said hearing lengths have stabilized, with judges allowing longer times for detention hearings in particular where “a person’s freedom is on the line.”
Even so, the courthouse has not been hit with backlogs, and judges generally have not struggled to handle days with heavy caseloads when extra judges sometimes share the duties.
A study based on courtroom observations by Loyola University researchers has found that pretrial hearings before the reforms averaged four to six minutes in four counties studied. After the reforms, most hearings increased by just a minute or so when a person’s release was uncontested.
Detention hearings saw a significant jump, with median lengths of 10 to 30 minutes, even up to an hour. The researchers also reported that judges were providing more detailed explanations for their rulings.
The 1st District Appellate Court has handed down hundreds of decisions, helping to iron out legal questions about the new law. And early data indicates that defendants released ahead of trial are showing up for hearings and largely are not being charged with new crimes.
Related: Months after cash bail ended in Illinois, more changes could be coming. What to know. (State Journal-Register)
Opinion: Pretrial Success Act: A $15 million investment in our communities’ renaissance (Champaign News-Gazette)
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State Representative and Calumet City mayor promises to pay back disputed credit card charges after aldermen flag spending (Daily Southtown)
House GOP advances 2 human trafficking victim protection bills as others remain in limbo (Capitol News Illinois)
Illinois utility spending will greatly increase consumer bills, a new report warns (WBEZ)
Secretary of state’s office urges residents to get a Real ID as federal deadline is a year away (Chicago Tribune)
Is Roosevelt crossing close to state funding for light? Residents implore senators to fix ‘dire’ situation (Daily Herald)
Biden headlines Chicago fundraiser, bringing in more than $2 million for reelection campaign (Chicago Sun-Times)
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson headed to Peoria for event this summer (Peoria Journal Star)
Editorial: Democrats ramrod questionable election bill in midst of ongoing campaign (Daily Herald)
Editorial: Stop mandatory driving tests for Illinois' seniors (Chicago Sun-Times)
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