Association Recognizes Senator Dick Durbin, Congressman Danny Davis, and IL Senators Mattie Hunter and Kwame Raoul for Racial Justice Efforts

(Chicago, IL) –The Illinois Association for Criminal Justice (IACJ) presented awards on March 18 to U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, Congressman Danny K. Davis and Illinois State Senators Mattie Hunter and Kwame Raoul for legislative leadership in criminal justice policy.

Left to right: Illinois State Senator Kwame Raoul; IACJ Chair Diane Williams; Clarisol Duque on behalf of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin; Congressman Danny Davis; Illinois State Senator Mattie Hunter; IACJ Vice-Chair Pamela Rodriguez. Photo by David Ormsby.

The association’s inaugural event, held at the Safer Foundation in Chicago, featured a room filled to capacity with audience members who lauded legislators for their commitment and sponsorship of key legislation to advance fairness in the justice system.

The association recognized Senator Durbin for authoring the Fair Sentencing Act, which was signed into law in 2010 and reduces the sentencing disparity in the mandatory penalties for possession of crack versus powder cocaine.

IACJ awarded Congressman Davis for sponsoring the Second Chance Act, which provides federal seed grants for programs that assist individuals released from prison to successfully reenter society

Senators Hunter and Raoul also received the group’s recognition for state legislative drug crime reform efforts in Springfield. Hunter successfully sponsored the Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact Study Commission law that addresses racial disparities in justice system’s response to drug crimes.

Raoul won approval for Illinois Crime Reduction Act, a measure that invests in community-based solutions to non-violent, drug-related crime.

“At the heart of our mission, our goals are to advance criminal justice reforms that guarantee equality for all under the law, create safer communities, and reduce the financial burden of expensive and unnecessary incarceration on taxpayers,” said IACJ President Diane Williams. “Congressman Davis and Senators Durbin, Hunter and Raoul embody those goals.”

“Our mission is to ensure that services and public policies are in place that will reduce crime and restore individuals to stability and productivity in their communities,” said Pamela Rodriguez, president of TASC (Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities). “We’re here today because it’s vital to recognize legislative leaders when they take courageous stands in matters of fiscal responsibility and social justice. We care about these issues, we understand the impact of public policy in our communities, and we’re paying attention to what happens in Springfield and Washington.”

Founded in 2010, the mission of the Illinois Association for Criminal Justice (IACJ) is to ensure quality, comprehensive and coordinated services for people with criminal histories through the education of the public, advocacy, and community capacity building. TASC and the Safer Foundation are founding member organizations of IACJ.

Gov. Pat Quinn’s Illinois Budget: Close Some Illinois Prisons, Invest More Money in Illinois Community Care

(Chicago, IL) – Illinois Governor Pat Quinn laid out plans for Illinois’ FY’13 budget on Wednesday, calling for cost-cutting measures that decrease reliance on expensive Illinois prisons and other Illinois institutions while increasing the use of transitional services and community-based care.

The details of the Illinois budget will be discussed and debated in the Illinois General Assembly throughout the spring legislative session.  On principle, TASC and its Center for Health and Justice support the Governor’s commitment to provide community-based, individualized care to achieve budget savings for Illinois.

According to the Governor Quinn’s proposed Illinois budget, a number of state institutions will close, including two adult prisons, two juvenile justice centers, and six adult transition centers. “From both a fiscal standpoint and a social responsibility standpoint, it makes sense to close some Illinois prisons,” said TASC President Pamela Rodriguez. “It is critical to do so in a way that doesn’t exacerbate crowding in other Illinois prisons, and in a way that ensures responsible reentry when people are released.”

Illinois’ prison population stands at record-high of nearly 49,000, of whom approximately 70 percent are incarcerated for non-violent crimes. More than half meet the clinical criteria for alcohol or drug dependence.

 

“Especially when we’re talking about nonviolent offenders with substance use or mental health problems, it benefits both the systems and individuals to redirect people to appropriate interventions,” said Rodriguez.  “As an agency concerned with both public safety and public health, we support strategies that combine accountability with clinical interventions.”

 

TASC provides transition and clinical reentry services for individuals released from the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC). As part of IDOC’s designated team of community-based providers, TASC’s services are core to the success of IDOC’s Sheridan and Southwest Illinois reentry programs. A year after release, Sheridan releases had a 44% lower risk of returning to prison than those who did not receive treatment and TASC.

 

“The bottom line is that we’re talking about reducing costs while maintaining public safety,” said Rodriguez.  “Any plans to reduce Illinois prison populations must be accompanied by carefully planned transition services and evidence-based services in the community.”

Gov. Pat Quinn OK’s Restoration of Illinois Substance Abuse Treatment Funding

(Springfield, IL) – Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation Monday that restores $28 million to Illinois substance abuse treatment services that were cut inadvertently earlier this year.

The legislation, Senate Bill 2412, reallocated money within the current Illinois budget to reinstate the treatment funding.

The following budget line items were restored:

• Addiction Treatment Medicaid: $7.6M
• Addiction Treatment Services: $16.9M
• Addiction Treatment for DCFS Clients: $2M
• Addiction Treatment for Special Populations: $1.5M

The bill also includes $30 million for community-based mental health services, mental health centers, burial services for the homeless and the poor, homelessness prevention programs, and need-based financial aid for college students.

Finally, the legislation will ensure that no state-run mental health or developmental disability centers will be closed this fiscal year.

“The successful effort to restore funding to Illinois substance abuse treatment services had many legislative champions, especially Speaker Michael Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton, State Representatives Sara Feigenholtz, Barbara Flynn Currie, Kenneth Dunkin, Patricia Bellock, and Rosemary Mulligan, as well as State Senators Heather Steans, Dan Kotowski, Jacqueline Collins, William Delgado and Mattie Hunter,” said TASC President Pamela Rodriguez. “We are deeply grateful to them, and to all who voted to restore funding for these essential services.”

The current state budget runs until June 30, 2012.

 

Illinois Lawmakers Vote Overwhelmingly to Restore Illinois Substance Abuse Treatment Money

TASC, Inc. President Pamela Rodriguez

(Chicago, IL) – The Illinois legislature on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to restore nearly $30 million to community substance abuse treatment providers throughout Illinois, drawing praise from advocates.

“This supplemental budget immediately restores substance abuse treatment money to community care providers who received less money than intended in the state’s original budget,” said State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago), chair of the House Human Services Appropriations Committee.

The budget fix, Senate Bill 2412, which shifted money from various state accounts without increasing state spending, added $28 million to substance abuse treatment care and restored spending to other key state programs.

The bi-partisan bill passed the House 92-20, and in the Senate, 50-5.

“We focused on the 99%,” said Feigenholtz. “Our budget priorities reflected their needs.”

The restoration of the substance abuse treatment money for community providers drew deep praise from a top treatment advocate.

“The successful effort to restore funding to Illinois substance abuse treatment services had many legislative champions, especially Speaker Michael Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton, State Representatives Sara Feigenholtz, Barbara Flynn Currie, Kenneth Dunkin, Patricia Bellock, and Rosemary Mulligan, as well as State Senators Heather Steans, Dan Kotowski, Jacqueline Collins, William Delgado and Mattie Hunter,” said TASC President Pamela Rodriguez. “We are deeply grateful to them, and to all who voted to restore funding for these essential services.”

The legislation also included $30 million for community mental health services.

Governor Pat Quinn is expected to sign the bill.

Lawmakers Dennis Reboletti, Adam Brown, Mattie Hunter Open Way for Seized Drug Money to Help Fund Addiction Treatment

(Chicago, IL) – A bi-partisan group of Illinois state lawmakers this year opened the door to a possible new source of funding for addiction treatment agencies: money seized from drug dealers.

The legislation, House Bill 2048, was introduced by State Representative Dennis Reboletti (R-Addison) and sponsored by State Representative Adam Brown (R-Decatur) and State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago). It empowers local state’s attorneys with the discretion to make grants to Illinois treatment agencies and half-way houses from the monies and the sale proceeds of all other property forfeited and seized under state drug laws.

The bill, which won unanimous support from both legislative chambers, was signed by Governor Pat Quinn on August 4.

“As government budgets for substance abuse treatment continue to shrink, it is deeply encouraging that lawmakers can work together to develop creative solutions to address the need for treatment funding,” said Pamela Rodriguez, president of Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC).

“The gap between the treatment need and availability is widening,” added Rodriguez. “I want to thank Representative Reboletti, Representative Brown, and Senator Hunter for their hard work and Governor Quinn for approving the new law, which is a step toward reducing that gap.”

The new public act is a direct outcome of recommendations made by the Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact Study Commission, a statewide, bipartisan group established in 2008 to examine the impact of Illinois drug laws on racial and ethnic groups.

The Commission’s final report, released to the Illinois legislature in December 2010, recommended that local jurisdictions define a fixed portion, or criteria that would trigger the allocation of a portion, of existing drug asset forfeiture funds to support treatment and diversion programs in addition to enforcement and prosecution activities.

In addition to Brown and Reboletti, House sponsors included State Representatives Connie Howard (D), Jim Sacia (R), Chapin Rose (R), Esther Golar (D), Rita Mayfield (D), LaShawn Ford (D), Monique Davis (D), and Camille Lilly (D).

In addition to Hunter, Senate sponsors included State Senators Jacqueline Collins and Donne Trotter.

The new law takes effect on January 1, 2012.

TASC, Inc. has a 35-year history of promoting social justice and providing alternatives to incarceration in Illinois. TASC’s Racial Justice Initiative, including dissemination of the findings of the Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact Study Commission, has received generous support from The Chicago Community Trust.

State Panel to Address Data Gaps in Racial and Ethnic Identities of Arrestees

(Chicago, IL) – Illinois lawmakers concerned about incomplete demographic profiles of arrestees have created a panel to develop a comprehensive system to collect and analyze police data.

On August 16, Governor Pat Quinn signed Senate Bill 2271, which creates the Racial and Ethnic Impact Research Task Force. This panel will develop a method for the standardized collection and analysis of data on racial and ethnic identity of arrestees by law enforcement. The bill was sponsored by State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) and State Representative LaShawn Ford (D-Chicago).

The panel came about following the recommendations of the Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact Study Commission, a statewide, bipartisan group established in 2008 to examine the impact of Illinois drug laws on racial and ethnic groups. Through its independent research efforts, the Commission found gaps in relevant data that would allow for a comprehensive statistical analysis of the impact of these laws.

As an example of data gaps, 99 percent of Illinois State Police arrestees currently are classified as either Black or white, with unknown percentages of people of Latino or other ethnic origins.

“We know it’s essential for public policy to be built on data and research, not on anecdotes and intuition,” said Pamela Rodriguez, president of Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC). “The absence of a standardized method to collect and analyze arrestee data impedes both a fair assessment of the extent of the problem and a rational basis for a sound solution to advance racial justice in Illinois.”

The new task force will also work on the development of a process that will provide Racial and Ethnic Impact Statements to state legislators. Such statements will provide a prospective analysis of the likely racial and ethnic identity of arrestees under any proposed future changes to the state’s criminal laws.

“I would like to congratulate Governor Quinn, Senator Hunter and Representative Ford for their leadership and support,” said Rodriguez.

In addition to Representative Ford, House sponsors included State Representatives Mary Flowers (D), Esther Golar (D), and André Thapedi (D).

The task force, which will be staffed by TASC’s Center for Health and Justice, will hold at least one public hearing and will provide a final report with policy recommendations to the Illinois General Assembly.

TASC, Inc. has a 35-year history of promoting social justice and providing alternatives to incarceration in Illinois. TASC’s Racial Justice Initiative, including dissemination of the findings of the Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact Study Commission, has received generous support from The Chicago Community Trust.