A U.S. Supreme Court opinion ordering the State of California to reduce its prison population should serve as a warning to Illinois lawmakers, says an Illinois prison watchdog group. In a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court held in late May that California’s overcrowded prisons violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment, so […]
law
Posted inNews
Advocates: ‘Don’t prosecute teens for consensual sex’
If Romeo were alive today, he would be a sex offender. That’s the situation with Illinois sex offender laws, say reformers calling for changes to laws they say unfairly stigmatize low-risk teenage offenders. Illinois law criminalizes so-called “Romeo and Juliet” relationships, in which two consenting teens have sexual contact but one is under the age […]
Posted inNews
Planning a one-stop shop for health insurance
Flash forward to the future: The year is 2014, and Illinois residents are buying their health insurance in a new way. Instead of fumbling with numerous complex health insurance plans, they have the option of buying pre-approved, comprehensive plans through a state-administered website. That’s how a state council on health reform envisions it. The Illinois […]
Posted inNews
Stamping out hate
No more nooses, says the Springfield-based Coalition to Promote Human Dignity and Diversity. No more swastikas, KKK marches or hate-inspired arson. It’s time to stamp out hate expressions in Springfield. That was the message at the coalition’s Nov. 15 public forum on hate activities and hate crimes at Union Baptist Church, 1405 East Monroe St. […]
Posted inNews
Former Springfield firefighter sexually abused granddaughter
Her voice faltered and her arm shook slightly as she identified in court the man who touched her inappropriately and betrayed her trust. The 19-year-old college student wiped away tears as she described how, at age 12, her grandfather had fondled her breast after she confided in him an intimate and embarrassing secret. It was […]
Posted inOpinion
Freedom of Information should include judicial branch
For reporters, the Illinois Freedom of Information Act is both a helpful tool and a stumbling block. It grants access to governmental records and allows the public to hold accountable those who run our communities and our state, but it also lets certain governmental entities escape the public eye by hiding behind exemptions and technicalities. […]
Posted inNews
Dog fight ends with hall pass
A legal battle over a boy and his dog has ended, allowing an autistic second-grader to bring his service dog to school for good. In a ruling released Aug. 24, the Fourth District Appellate Court of Illinois said the Villa Grove Community Unit School District #302, located south of Champaign-Urbana, could not keep seven-year-old Kaleb […]
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Shakeup in juvenile justice
Three weeks after the director of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice announced his resignation, two different studies are calling for major changes in the troubled agency’s operations. Kurt Friedenauer announced his resignation as IDJJ director on July 14, having served in that position since the department’s creation in 2006. Friedenauer oversaw IDJJ’s slow separation […]
