Three years ago today, Illinois made history by implementing the Pretrial Fairness Act and becoming the first state in the country to completely eliminate money bail. Since then, there has been a decr...

We are disappointed but unsurprised to see the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board supporting Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke’s regressive call to repeal the Pretrial Fairness Act’s huma...

On August 19th, 2026, Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and MAMAS hosted a Community Teach-In centered around our report, 500 Days Forward, 10 Years Back: An Evaluation of Eileen O’Neill Burke’s First 500 Days as Cook County State’s Attorney. Research Director Austin Segal gave an overview of the report, and A'Keisha Lee, Rosemary Cade, and April Ward shared how their lives and advocacy have been impacted by these changes in policy.

Learn about State’s Attorney Burke’s policies and their consequences on Cook County residents. Wednesday, August 19 6:00 — 8:00 PM Virtual

Learn about State’s Attorney Burke’s policies and their consequences on Cook County residents. Wednesday, August 19 6:00 — 8:00 PM Virtual

It has been three months since we released 500 Days Forward, 10 Years Back: An Evaluation of Eileen O’Neill Burke’s First 500 Days as Cook County State’s Attorney. A part […]

Learn about State’s Attorney Burke’s policies and their consequences on Cook County residents. Wednesday, August 19 6:00 — 8:00 PM Virtual

The Cook County Board of Commissioners Technology Committee soon will consider a proposal from the Sheriff’s Office to obtain AI video surveillance software known as Briefcam for monitoring people…

Join the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice, Cook County Public Defender Sharone R. Mitchell Jr., State Senator Robert Peters and State Rep. Lisa Davis online on July 30 at 12pm for a discussion…

Written by Austin Segal and Kate Bannister. Earlier this month, the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice published a court-watching report titled Changing Landscapes: Community Court-Watchers’…

Today, the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice is proud to share “Changing Landscapes: Community Court-Watchers’ Observations of the Second Year of Pretrial Fairness Act Implementation,” a new…

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Have you just read our new report on the first 500 days of new Cook County State's Attorney, Eileen O'Neill Burke and have something to say? Fill in this form to: Ask a question, make a comment, tell…

The End Policing for Profit working group is excited to host a screening of When Cops Become Robbers on Wednesday, May 20th from 5:30-7:30pm at UIC Law, at 300 S. State Street, Room S1210. A panel…

Thank you for joining Chicago Appleseed's Spring Luncheon. Your donation goes directly to supporting Chicago Appleseed’s mission for court transparency, economic accessibility, decarceration, and…

Some want Illinois' civil asset forfeiture system abolished. A retired police chief says it’s “one of the few tools that weakens criminal networks financially.” The Chicago Sun-Times went to…

Injustice Watch's guide to the March 2026 Cook County judicial primary elections.

One year ago, Chicago Appleseed published a report about the rampant criminalization of gun possession in Cook County, titled Punishing Fear: The Devastating Impacts of the War on Gun Possession […]

A group of 136 organizations and community members spoke out against Felony Review Bypass. The State’s Attorney expanded it anyway.

In January 2025, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office instituted what they call the “Felony Review Bypass Program,” which allows the Chicago Police Department to file felony charges directly for ...

Civil asset forfeiture is a confusing, costly, and lengthy process that is ineffective at deterring crime, does not have an impact on crime rates, and disproportionately harms lower-income people of color. In this report, we describe the harms experienced by self-represented litigants in Cook County’s CAF courtrooms and advocate for the end of civil asset forfeiture in the state of Illinois.