Illinois Justice Forum tackles problems within Illinois’ criminal-justice system

At the Illinois Justice Forum, experts discussed reforms to reduce the cost of Illinois’ criminal-justice system and improve public safety.

Across the nation, state and local governments are focused on reducing crime rates and incarceration rates. But Illinois has struggled to achieve these goals simultaneously: The state’s crime rate has dropped since 2008, but Illinois’ incarceration rate increased during the same time. Meanwhile, the cost of the state’s criminal-justice system has skyrocketed to $1.4 billion annually.

Illinois needs a criminal-justice system that is smarter, fairer and more cost effective. To address these issues, the Illinois Policy Institute and the Coalition for Public Safety hosted the Illinois Justice Forum on Sept. 22. The panel featured Illinois state Sen. Michael Connelly, R-Wheaton, along with researchers from the Illinois Policy Institute, the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois and the John Howard Association of Illinois. The panelists discussed how Illinois could reduce criminal-justice-related spending and improve the state’s prison system, while meeting public-safety goals.