Cook County operates the largest consolidated court system in the world. In addition, we run the largest jail in the nation.
Courts
The resources of the County should be utilized to insure that the court system operates in a fair and efficient manner. The State of Illinois must pay for more of the costs of running the largest state court system. County residents should not have to pay the highest court fees in the state and even higher taxes to obtain justice.
Cook County Jail
Operations at the jail are monitored under the 1982 Duran Consent Decree by the U.S. District Court. The Cook County Sheriff must meet the mandates of this decree, ensuring adequate staffing of the facility as well as standards for public, staff and inmate safety and welfare. As a Cook County Commissioner, I am committed to complete compliance with each provision of the decree.
To read Dr. David E. Olson's report An Examination of Admissions, Discharges & the Population of the Cook County Jail, 2012 click here
Dr. Olson is a Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Loyola University, Chicago.
Juvenile Temporary Detention Center
The Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC) needs to ensure that the children it houses are kept safe. The JTDC is under a court decree in the Doe case to provide a healthy and safe environment. Many problems exist in this operation. Continued court monitoring is necessary to improve this situation.
Please see the latest report of the John Howard Association on the JTDC. This report is disappointing since The Board had been assured that many of the issues raised had been corrected. As the link to both the Tribune and Defender Stories on this report indicate, we have a long way to go before we can be proud of the work at the JTDC. I will continue to push for reforms.
The JTDC is now under the office of the Chief Judge:
Main Office:
1100 S. Hamilton Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60612
Telephone: (312)433-7102
Gun Safety
For nearly thirty years, I have fought for sensible gun laws. Whether it was against the NRA or legislative leaders, I fought to pass laws to keep guns off our streets.
In July 2013, the Cook County board tightened its gun safety legislation. We increased the safety provisions that directly impact children: we voted to ban the sale of guns to people under 21 and made restrictions on how people with children at home store their ammunition. We also added additional firearms to the list of banned assault weapons. Read the ordinance here
Also in July 2013, Illinois lawmakers overrode Governor Pat Quinn's veto of concealed carry legislation. However, it will likely be 2014 before all of the procedures are in place that will regulate who may carry handguns in public.
Court upholds right of County to enact gun control laws
On August 19, 2009, the Illinois Appellate court upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit challenging the Cook County Blair Holt Assault Weapons Ban. Click here to read my statement and click here to read the court’s opinion.
Click here to read the Circuit Court’s opinion upholding the right of Cook County to enact gun control.
Suffredin Unveils Ordinance to Rein in Gun Shops
Chicago Public Schools and Gun Violence
Attached is the pledge that was part of the back to school packets given to all CPS students on the first day of school.
