Police and Criminal Justice Reform Legislation Will Make Illinois Safer
and Improve Police-Community Relations
Illinois Legislative Black Caucus proposals can break the state’s destructive and dangerous reliance on mass incarceration
Sharone Mitchell Jr., Director of the Illinois Justice Project, issued the following statement concerning the introduction of the police and criminal justice legislative reform package (House Bill 163, SA 2) introduced by members of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus:
This comprehensive package of reforms will enhance public safety, make police more accountable to the people of Illinois and break the state’s destructive and dangerous reliance on mass incarceration. The events of recent months – and even decades – have demonstrated that Illinois has waited far too long for police-community relations to improve as if by magic and has done too little to bring jobs, housing and good schools to communities threatened by violence. Our state’s reliance on mass incarceration has backfired and made us less safe.
Ending the use of money bond for people arrested is a key component of this package. People accused but not convicted of a crime should not be forced to languish in jail because they are too poor to make bond. Those who pose no threat to public safety should be allowed to return to their homes, their jobs and their schools. Fairness is not debatable. The time to enact these reforms is now.
The Illinois Justice Project is a non-profit, non-partisan organization engaged in criminal justice reform efforts that promote policies that will make our communities safer and reduce recidivism among youths and adults.