Statewide Criminal Justice Association Names Director: Edna R. Lee Takes Helm of Justice Advocacy Group

(Chicago) – The Illinois Association for Criminal Justice (IACJ) has named Oak Park resident Edna R. Lee as its inaugural director. Founded in 2010, IACJ is a membership group of criminal justice researchers, advocates, and service providers in Illinois.

Ms. Lee comes to IACJ with more than 25 years of experience in leadership of community-based organizations and correctional programs, including managing offender reentry and employment services within the Crossroads and North Lawndale Adult Transition Centers (ATCs).

“As Illinois seeks answers to reduce prison overcrowding while maintaining public safety, IACJ’s role in positively impacting public policy decisions is more important than ever,” said Diane Williams, president of the Safer Foundation and president of IACJ. “Edna Lee brings a wealth of practical experience, knowledge, and political acumen that will help advance necessary criminal justice reforms in Illinois.”

Prior to joining IACJ, Lee led Positive Anti-Crime Thrust (PACT), which develops community-based programs to interact with police, courts, and corrections to reduce crime. During her career, Lee also has administered numerous programs that serve individuals involved in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

The mission of IACJ is to ensure quality, comprehensive and coordinated services for people with criminal histories. Through public advocacy and community capacity- building, IACJ promotes the use of proven practices to reduce recidivism and restore individuals to stability and productivity within their communities.

IACJ currently has 286 individual and organizational members across Illinois. The Association was founded by the Safer Foundation; Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC, Inc.); Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies; and University of Illinois at Chicago Jane Addams College of Social Work. The IACJ also would like to acknowledge the support of The Chicago Community Trust, which, for nearly 100 years, has connected the generosity of donors with community needs by making grants to organizations working to improve metropolitan Chicago.

For more information about the IACJ, please visit www.illinoiscriminaljustice.org.

Lillian and Larry Goodman Foundation to Honor Partners in Drug Abuse Prevention; Illinois Governor Pat Quinn Scheduled to Attend

10/11/12 Awards Ceremony and Symposium on Stigma in Prevention: TASC’s Peter Palanca will moderate and Tommie Johnson will be recognized

(Chicago, IL) – Illinios Governor Pat Quinn is scheduled to attend the inaugural awards ceremony and symposium on stigma in drug prevention which will be held at Roosevelt University on Thursday, October 11, 2012 from 3 pm to 5:45 pm, followed by a networking reception. This event is free and open to the public. Please register here.

Author and Chicago Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg will deliver the keynote speech and share his own struggles with alcohol, followed by a panel discussion with a team of experts on substance use, abuse, and stigma. Chicago Sun-Times columnist Bill Zwecker will emcee the event, and TASC’s Peter Palanca will moderate.

Ten individuals from across the state of Illinois will be recognized by the Lillian and Larry Goodman Foundation the as Outstanding Preventionists of the year. Among the award recipients, Rev. Tommie Johnson, recovery support services coordinator for TASC (Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities) will be honored for his “Outside the Walls” ministry and his exceptional dedication to prevention and services for people who have been incarcerated.

Where: Roosevelt University, 430 S. Michigan Avenue, 10th Floor, Auditorium (Murray Green) Library
When: Thursday, October 11, 2012 from 3 pm to 5:45 pm, with networking following Cost: Free and open to the public. Advance registration is requested: http://goodmansymposium.eventbrite.com/

The panel discussion will include:

• Peter Palanca (Moderator), Executive Vice President, TASC, Inc.
• Neil Steinberg, Writer, Chicago Sun-Times and author of Drunkard: A Hard Drinking Life
• Sara Howe, CEO, Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association (IADDA)
• Dr. Celeste Napier, Professor, Department of Pharmacology at Rush University and Director of the Research and Recovery Center for Compulsive Behaviors and Addiction
• Dr. Kristina Peterson, Assistant Professor of Counseling and Human Services, Roosevelt University
• Ed Stellon, MS, MA, CADC, senior director of Heartland Center for Systems Change at Heartland Health Outreach

For professionals who register, two CEUs and CPDUs will be available. The event is co-sponsored by the Cebrin Goodman Center and Roosevelt University’s Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy and College of Education.

The Cebrin Goodman Center has awarded millions of dollars in grants to local and national teen drug prevention programs. Ten years ago, Lillian and Larry Goodman’s granddaughter Cebrin lost her battle with drug addiction. “Educating teens, parents, and communities about substance abuse is the answer,” said Larry Goodman, chairman. “Our mission is to spare other families the pain of losing a loved one.”

Rev. Tommie Johnson inspires attendees at “Outside the Walls: A Day of Family Unity and Community Reconciliation,” September 2012

Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. Visits HRDI and TASC Services

(Chicago, IL)– Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) met recently with staff and clients from the Human Resources Development Institute (HRDI) and Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC).  HRDI and TASC are among several nonprofit organizations that work together to provide substance abuse treatment and case management services for Illinois residents with complex social, health, and economic needs.

HRDI President Joel Johnson led Congressman Jackson’s tour of two HRDI treatment facilities in Chicago’s Roseland neighborhood, expressing appreciation for the Congressman’s support of treatment and recovery services in his role as a member of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee.

Working with a statewide network of licensed treatment programs such as HRDI, TASC places nonviolent, court-mandated clients into treatment as an alternative to incarceration, offers ongoing case management and client advocacy, and provides reports to judges and other referring entities. Statewide, TASC significantly improves clients’ success in treatment. Criminal justice clients who receive TASC case management and monitoring services are twice as likely to complete treatment as other criminal justice-referred clients who do not receive TASC services.

Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. speaks to staff and clients of HRDI and TASC. Photo by TASC staff.

 

IACJ to Honor U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, Congressman Danny K. Davis, IL Senator Mattie Hunter and IL Senator Kwame Raoul for Criminal Justice and Racial Justice Legislation

(Chicago, IL) —  Supporters of criminal justice reform are invited to join the Illinois Association for Criminal Justice (IACJ) in honoring legislators who have demonstrated key leadership in advancing racial and criminal justice.

IACJ’s awards will be presented at the Safer Foundation, 571 W. Jackson Blvd. in Chicago on Sunday, March 18, 2012 at 3:00 p.m.

• The association will recognize the work of:U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, for sponsoring the Fair Sentencing Act, signed into law in 2010, which reduces the sentencing disparity in mandatory penalties for possession of crack versus powder cocaine. (Clarisol Duque, Chicago Director for the Office of Senator Durbin, will accept the award on the Senator’s behalf.)
• U.S. Congressman Danny K. Davis, for sponsoring the Second Chance Act, originally signed into law in 2008, which provides federal seed grants for programs that assist individuals released from prison to successfully reenter society.
• IL State Senator Mattie Hunter, for leading the Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact Study Commission, which addresses racial disparities in the justice system’s response to drug crimes.
• IL State Senator Kwame Raoul, for sponsoring the Illinois Crime Reduction Act, which invests in community-based solutions to non-violent, drug-related crime.

Recognizing that corrections reform is at the top of state and federal policy agendas, IACJ will honor legislators whose leadership has been instrumental in improving policy. The awards will be presented by Diane Williams, chair of the IACJ board and president of the Safer Foundation, and Pamela Rodriguez, vice-chair of the IACJ board and president of TASC (Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities). The Safer Foundation and TASC are among the founding members of IACJ.

To confirm your attendance, please send an email with your name, title, and organization/affiliation to: Jon.Kaplan@SaferFoundation.org.

 

ABTC, TASC Open Renovated Reentry Home for Juveniles in Douglas Park

(Chicago, IL) – Alternative Behavior Treatment Centers (ABTC) and Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC) have opened the Douglas Park Transitional Living Program for youth. The program is designed to facilitate safe community reentry for youth who have been in detention by helping them build pro-social living skills and reconnect with their families or positive support networks.

Home Depot volunteer Phillip Richard completes installation of floor tile.

Located at 1335 S. California Avenue in Chicago, the 10-bed, juvenile justice transitional living program will serve young people from ages 15 to 21. The project is a public-private partnership made possible by grants, in-kind product donations and volunteer resources from the State of Illinois, The Home Depot Foundation and The Home Depot.

“We are grateful to the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services for helping to develop this program,” said Robin McGinnis, founder and CEO of ABTC. “We are also so appreciative of the work that volunteers from The Home Depot have done to renovate this home to help get kids safely back into their community. There’s no way we could have done this without their support.”

“All of us at The Home Depot are very honored to work on this project,” said Andy Christiansen, store manager for the Mundelein Home Depot, noting that volunteers have donated more than 500 hours to create a home-like living environment for the youth in the program. “We especially want to thank our volunteers and 11 stores within our district that have been working hard to make this happen.”

Pamela Rodriguez, president of TASC, added that a safe living environment is crucial for young people who are trying to establish a positive life. “We know that young people need safety and support, and sometimes they haven’t experienced a stable living environment until they come to a program like this. From here, we can help them establish their footing as they restart their lives on a more positive path.”

ABTC graduate Cavelle Lewis speaks with Univision reporter Erika Maldonado at opening of the Douglas Park Transitional Living Program for youth.

ABTC was founded in 1995 as a non-profit adolescent treatment agency to work with youth identified as difficult to manage and in need of residential care. Today ABTC operates numerous programs along a continuum of care for children, adolescents, families, and adults located throughout Illinois.

TASC has a 35-year history of promoting social justice and advocating for alternatives to incarceration. The agency serves nearly 20,000 adults and adolescents annually in criminal justice, juvenile justice, and family health programs across Illinois.

(Photos by D. Baille)

Top Researchers Advise on Criminal Justice Reform in “The Prison Journal”; Chicago Experts Arthur Lurigio, Pamela Rodriguez Featured

(Chicago, IL) – The Prison Journal has released a landmark publication on criminal justice reform that is a must-read for policy makers across the country. Chicago’s Arthur Lurigio, professor of psychology and criminology at Loyola University Chicago, and Pamela Rodriguez, president of Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC), one of the nation’s leading prison alternative programs, are featured authors and guest editors of the special edition. 

Harry K. Wexler of the National Development and Research Institutes (NDRI) is also a lead author and guest editor of the special publication.

The issue, Criminal Justice Reform: Issues and Recommendations for Corrections, presents a series of articles by several of the nation’s preeminent researchers in criminal justice. They discuss the nature and consequences of the current criminal justice crisis and strategic solutions that can reverse the costly trends of the past 30 years.

A total of 7.3 million Americans are now incarcerated or on probation or parole, equal to one in every 31 adults, an increase of 290% since 1980. Drug offenders in prisons and jails have increased 1200% since 1980. A significant percentage of these offenders have no history of violence or major drug selling activity.

“Increasingly, the drug war that has been waged for 30 years is seen as a ‘failure’ or a creator of more harm than good,” writes criminologist Alfred Blumstein in the special issue. “Nevertheless, it has been pursued with increasing intensity using arrest and incarceration as its dominant outcome measure.”

“There is a growing U.S. national consensus that with proper attention to the policies that drive the size of prison populations, these populations can be reduced,” add researchers Todd Clear and Dennis Shrantz. “Concurrently, the current fiscal crisis has created enormous pressure to reduce prison populations, with a first-in-decades showing of political support.”

“Sustainable reforms require legislation,” write the guest editors. “Without that leadership, or in the absence of political will or public support for the changes recommended, they will end up as so many other efforts—forward-thinking ideas filed away on a shelf.”

The issue can be downloaded from http://tpj.sagepub.com/content/91/3_suppl.toc. After October 31, it can be accessed with the following user ID: Edtpj and password: Sagetpj. The publication’s articles include:

• Reforming the Criminal Justice System in the United States: Issues and Recommendations by Harry K. Wexler, Arthur J. Lurigio, and Pamela F. Rodriguez
• Bringing Down the U.S. Prison Population by Alfred Blumstein
• Evidence-Based Policies and Practices for Drug-Involved Offenders by Douglas B. Marlowe
• Prisons Do Not Reduce Recidivism: The High Cost of Ignoring Science by Francis T. Cullen, Cheryl Lero Jonson, and Daniel S. Nagin
• People With Serious Mental Illness in the Criminal Justice System: Causes, Consequences, and Correctives by Arthur J. Lurigio
• Addressing Racial Disparities in Incarceration by Marc Mauer 
• Life on the Outside: Returning Home after Incarceration by Christy A. Visher and Jeremy Travis 
• The Benefits and Costs of Early Prevention Compared With Imprisonment: Toward Evidence-Based Policy by Brandon C. Welsh and David P. Farrington
• Strategies for Reducing Prison Populations by Todd R. Clear and Dennis Schrantz 

Many national groups have called for correctional reform, including the Council of State Governments, the Pew Center on the States, the Sentencing Project, and the Vera Institute of Justice.

TASC, Inc. is a statewide, nonprofit organization with a 35-year history of providing alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenders in Illinois.