On Sept. 25 and Sept. 26th, 2009, 22 journalism fellows joined policymakers, advocates, judges and criminal justice practioners for a discussion on sentencing and corrections in Illinois.
Here’s what you can find on this page: resource materials and sources, agendas from this CMCJ conference; multimedia reports and blogs; reporting by Fellows; online forum; podcasts of conference.
Speakers included: Ted Chung, General Counsel, State of Illinois, Michael P. Randle, Director, Illinois Department of Corrections, Michael Jacobson, Director, Vera Institute of Justice, and Leslie Balonick, Senior Vice President, West Care.
Access the full program here.
See a list of panelist contact and biographies here.
Source Materials
Media and Corrections-Memo From Paula Wolff (2 pp)
Illinois Crime Reduction Act-A Strategic Corrections Initiative (7 pp)
Audit of the Illinois State Police Forensic Lab (210 pp)
Stories from Fellows
“Anatomy of a Prison” by Joe Domanick, Los Angeles Magazine
“Benefits outweigh risks of early prison release” by the Chicago Sun-Times
“Prisoner Count: Should US Census tabulations include those incarcerated in the community?” by Jessica Pupovac
“County probation cuts threaten public safety,” by Matt Kiefer, Pioneer Local
“Overworked officers often double as life coaches,” by Matt Kiefer, Pioneer Local
“State funding for probation drying up,” by Matt Kiefer, Pioneer Local
“Editorial: Cuts to probation services endanger public safety,” by Matt Kiefer, Pioneer Local
The following articles on teen suicides in Illinois youth centers were produced under the direction of Pew Panelist George Papajohn.
“Suicides Exposed Safety Breakdown” by Steve Mills and Louise Kiernan, Chicago Tribune
“Few Questions, Fewer Answer” by Steve Mills and Louise Kiernan, Chicago Tribune
Podcasts from Conference
Sept. 25
Part 1