(Chicago) — TASC President Pam Rodriguez has been named to Governor-elect JB Pritzker’s Restorative Justice and Safe Communities Committee, which will advise the incoming administration on criminal justice reform and public safety.
Pritzker announced the formation of the committee at a press conference at the Safer Foundation on November 30.
The committee is the eighth of several working groups of the transition made up of subject-matter experts who will advise and guide the incoming Pritzker-Stratton administration. The Restorative Justice and Safe Communities Committee will be chaired by Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, and Congresswoman Robin Kelly and consist of 42 members.
“If we’re committed to economic justice, let’s be committed to criminal justice reform and public safety,” said Pritzker. “These problems are not separate from each other. They’re intertwined with each other. It’s time to bring real prosperity to every community, tear down the barriers that block people from opportunity, and move away from a system of imprisonment and build a true system of justice.”
“A core promise of our campaign was the creation of the Office of Criminal Justice Reform and Economic Opportunity,” said Lieutenant Governor-elect Juliana Stratton, envisioning a system of justice that diverts youth and adults from incarceration, modernizes sentencing, encourages rehabilitation, and works to reduce gun violence and create economic opportunity. “I know we can achieve meaningful, lasting progress and opportunity and justice that we all believe in – but only if we act together,” she said.
“The state of Illinois needs to reimagine our criminal justice system,” said Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. “This committee will work to challenge and transform the ways our state deals with systemic issues that leave communities of color behind. I look forward to JB and Juliana’s leadership statewide to address gun violence and a more holistic approach to public safety.”
“It’s no secret that Illinois’ criminal justice system has failed communities across our state, and it’s time to fix it,” said State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth. “We can start by making our state agencies more accountable to the people they serve, and we can build collaboration across agencies to bring interconnected services into communities that need them most.”
“Governor-elect Pritzker and Lieutenant Governor-elect Stratton are ready to reinvent our criminal justice system so every Illinoisan has a chance to reach their full potential,” said Congresswoman Robin Kelly. “They recognize that gun violence is a public health epidemic and have real prevention and intervention plans that will keep our communities safe.”
“I am honored to be part of this transition committee,” said TASC’s Rodriguez. “Working with Governor-elect Pritzker’s administration, the committee co-chairs, and colleagues from across the state, I look forward to helping to advance a criminal justice reform agenda for Illinois.”
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE AND SAFE COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Co-Chair – Kim Foxx, Cook County State’s Attorney
Co-Chair – Jehan Gordon-Booth, State Representative, Illinois General Assembly
Co-Chair – Robin Kelly, U.S. Congresswoman for Illinois’ 2nd District
Phillip Andrew, Director of Violence Prevention, Archdiocese of Chicago
Brian Asbell, Sheriff, Peoria County
Charles Bachtell, CEO and Co-Founder, Cresco Labs
Kathy Bankhead, Ombudsperson, Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice
Deanne Benos, Co-Founder, Women’s Justice Institute
Walter Burnett, Alderman, City of Chicago
Annalise Buth, M.R. Bauer Foundation Fellow, Center on Negotiation and Mediation at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
Kelly Cassidy, State Representative, Illinois General Assembly
Kahalah Clay, Circuit Clerk, St. Clair County
Colleen Daley, Executive Director, Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence
Victor B. Dickson, President and CEO, Safer Foundation
Arne Duncan, Managing Partner, Emerson Collective
Michael Frerichs, Treasurer, State of Illinois
Dr. Nneka Jones Tapia, Leader in Residence, Chicago Beyond
Brendan Kelly, State’s Attorney, St. Clair County
Edith Crigler, Member, Illinois Prisoner Review Board
Era Laudermilk, Deputy of Policy and Strategic Planning, Cook County Public Defender’s Office
Chris Lindsey, J.D., Executive Director, Marijuana Policy Project
Jens Ludwig, Director of the University of Chicago’s Crime Lab, University of Chicago
Tony Munoz, State Senator, Illinois General Assembly
Cliff Nellis, Executive Director, Lawndale Christian Legal Center
Mike Newman, Deputy Director, AFSCME
Katya Nuques, Executive Director, Enlace Chicago
Cheryl Parks, Executive Director, Job Partnerships Peoria
Quinn Rallins, Program Director, Illinois Justice Project
Julia Rietz, State’s Attorney, Champaign County
Elizabeth Robb, Retired Chief Judge, 11th Judicial Circuit
Pamela F. Rodriguez, President and CEO, Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities
Selwyn Rogers, Director, University of Chicago Medicine’s Trauma Center
Kathleen Sances, Executive Director, Gun Violence Prevention PAC
Sean Smoot, Director, Police Benevolent and Protective Association of Illinois
Jason Stamps, Acting Director, Center for Public Safety and Justice at UIC
Joseph Strickland, Associate Director & Senior Researcher, Jane Addams School of Social Work at UIC
Carmen Terrones, Consultant, David Lynch Foundation
Jennifer Vollen-Katz, Executive Director, John Howard Association
Julie Wilen, Executive Director, Pritzker Foundation
Diane Williams, President Emeritus, Safer Foundation
Kathleen Willis, State Representative, Illinois General Assembly
Paula Wolff, Director, Illinois Justice Project
IL Governor-elect JB Pritzker (podium) announces the formation of the transition’s Restorative Justice and Safe Communities Committee. Left to right: State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, Lieutenant Governor-elect Juliana Stratton, Governor-elect Pritzker, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. Photo courtesy JB Pritzker Transition Team.