Tag Archives: COVID-19

The need to preserve court access during the pandemic moved hearings online. Remote court hearings are expected to continue – even as the courts return to in-person proceedings. While the transition has raised some concerns related to due process and accessibility, there appear to be some benefits t...

The content in this article was originally submitted as testimony to the Cook County Board of Commissioners’ Criminal Justice Committee meeting on January 27, 2020, about peoples’ lengths of stay in Cook County Jail and on electronic monitoring, and the effect COVID-19 has had on the growing jail po...

As we embark on the ‘third-wave’ of the pandemic in the United States, we have tragically learned many things. First and importantly, we have learned that the best and only truly effective way to prevent the spread of this airborne virus is by physically distancing ourselves from others. We have als...

Following a recent report from the CDC that the Cook County Jail has been successful in containing the COVID-19 outbreak within its walls, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart was quick to tell the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday that he responded in the “quickest and most massive way.” Appea...

This morning, the Chicago Tribune published an attack on bail reform in Cook County. Today’s article attacked two respected organizations, the Chicago Community Bond Fund and The Bail Project, a national bond fund. As leaders in bail reform efforts, Chicago Appleseed and the Chicago Council of Lawye...

This morning, Federal Judge Matthew Kennelly issued a court order that extends federal court oversight of the Cook County Jail, requiring Sheriff Tom Dart to make desperately needed changes to the conditions inside and decrease the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus. Chicago Appleseed has provided...

The Collaboration for Justice—Chicago Appleseed and the Chicago Council of Lawyers—works to promote equity and full access to justice for all in our courts and regulatory systems. We promote reforms that recognize the intersection of social, economic justice and the court system. Our judicial system...

Jeffrey Pendleton is the first person known to have died after contracting COVID-19 in the Cook County Jail. His infection and eventual death were avoidable and preventable. Each and every government actor who objected to his release—or contributed to his incarceration in the first place—played a ro...

By Sarah Staudt, Senior Policy Analyst & Staff Attorney for the Collaboration for Justice of Chicago Council of Lawyers and Chicago Appleseed Cook County Jail must immediately, and drastically, reduce its jail population. Over two weeks ago, Chicago Appleseed organized the first e-...