Join us in Chicago on January 13, 2017 for a comprehensive look at how implicit racial bias impacts the criminal justice system, including through wrongful convictions based on false identification. Prosecutors, criminal defense attorneys, and others who attend this seminar will better understand: how implicit bias negatively impacts individuals caught in the criminal justice system; how the misidentification of criminal suspects is often a result of witness bias; the purpose behind the Conviction Integrity Unit of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office; why, as attorneys, it’s important to recognize bias within ourselves; the reasons behind false confessions and how the law can help prevent it from happening; the professional ethics issues that can arise during false confession cases; and much more!
Criminal Justice
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December 6, 2016 |
CLE
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March 26, 2015 |
Practice News
One plank of Governor Rauner's campaign platform was criminal justice reform. On February 11, he issued Executive Order 15-14, which establishes the Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform.
The order notes that Illinois' prison system is at 150 percent capacity; the prison population has increased 700 percent over the last 40 years, while the crime rate has decreased 20 percent over the same period. It also observes that overcrowding in our prisons threatens the safety of staff and inmates, thwarting efforts to rehabilitate prisoners for their return to society.
In an effort to address these problems, the newly formed Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform has been tasked with researching and suggesting bipartisan, data-driven reforms to decrease crime and recidivism while maintaining public safety. The Commission's goal is to increase public safety and reduce Illinois's prison population by 25 percent over the next 10 years. Its first report is due July 1 and its final report is due December 31 of this year. Find out more in the April Illinois Bar Journal.
1 comment (Most recent March 26, 2015) -
February 10, 2010 |
Member Services | Practice News
Available now! A must for all criminal law practitioners – the first new edition of this classic in 10 years! This new edition contains thousands of case summaries, with a topical index to help you quickly find the one you need. Compiled and edited by Deputy State Appellate Defenders David P. Bergschneider and Daniel D. Yuhas, and Assistant Defenders Elizabeth A. Botti and Kerry J. Bryson. Published December 2009; 845 pages. Pricing Members always receive the best pricing! Printed Book (Includes tax and shipping)
- Member Advantage: $110.00
- Non-Members: $150.00
- Member Advantage: $107.50
- Non-Members: $147.50
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October 19, 2009 |
Practice News
Judge Gregory Paul Vazquez thinks so, at least in Cook County where he sits. As a result, lawyers are missing a powerful sentencing option, he writes in the latest ISBA Criminal Justice newsletter. "The SCRAM [Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring] device is simply an ankle bracelet that the subject wears to monitors alcohol intake. This monitoring occurs on a 24/7 basis and is measured by the perspiration given off by the human body. More specifically, the device captures transdermal alcohol readings from continuous samples of vaporous or insensible perspiration collected from the air above the skin. The defendant’s monitoring bracelet sends a signal to a remote location and notifies the provider when a violation or alcohol intake has occurred." So how might SCRAM come into play? Judge Vazquez offers an illustration. "For example, an attorney may find himself defending a client who has had a DUI 10 years ago. Jail time, even if a remote possibility, may still be on the table. Here the judge may desire not to send the defendant to jail if doing so may cause great suffering to the defendant’s family, such as loss of defendant’s employment, inability to attend to a sick family member who solely relies upon the defendant, and other similar circumstances. In this situation, use of SCRAM technology may provide a sentencing alternative; a condition that not only protects the public but also provides a step towards rehabilitation." Interested? Read the article.