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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

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SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

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The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

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Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

IL: Criminal Justice

An Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission year-end report said 388 youths, male and female, were admitted into juvenile detention centers as of December 2023. (Adobe Stock)
Digital court hearings cause uneasiness for young offenders

Online conferencing was a lifeline for school lessons and business meetings during the pandemic. However, there is concern about the effects of …

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Eight objectives in a report by European juvenile-justice groups include encouraging the adoption of age-appropriate alternatives to isolation and preventing tensions between peers and detention center staff. (Adobe Stock)
A push to end solitary confinement in IL for young offenders

There is growing concern over what happens to young offenders in Illinois as they await their first court hearing. A report by European juvenile-…

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The Education Data Initiative predicts the average yearly cost of law school tuition between 2024 and 2025 will be nearly $52,000. (Adobe Stock)
A lack of attorneys creates 'legal deserts' in rural IL counties

Labor shortages exist across the country in the medical and teaching professions but not as much is said about the lack of attorneys in some states…

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According to the Illinois General Assembly, at least 318 new pieces of legislation will go into effect in 2024 that will impact every area in the state. (Adobe Stock)
New IL laws usher in policy changes in health care, employment, policing

At the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, Illinoisans will see more than 300 new laws take effect - with changes that impact the state's …

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A 2019 report by the Cook County Advisory Board called for the end of punitive room confinement but Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice officials found in 2022, the disciplinary measure is still used. (Adobe Stock)
Summit paints grim picture of IL juvenile detention centers

At a Wednesday summit, advocates for juvenile justice reform took up the most recent slate of complaints about Illinois' juvenile detention centers…

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Property crime and violence against young people are both up, recent federal data show, but other crime trends are not as clear-cut. (Adobe Stock)
New data: Violent crime is up and also down

By Weihua Li and Jamiles Lartey for The Marshall Project.Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan for Illinois News Connection reporting for the Marshall P…

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This year Illinois lawmakers passed a bill ending life sentences without parole for people in Illinois who were under 21 when they were arrested. (Adobe Stock)
More work needed on juvenile justice reform

Advocates for juvenile justice reform recently gathered in Chicago to find ways to keep young people out of the criminal justice system. Herschella …

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Researchers at Loyola University in Chicago say almost 175,000 people are held in pretrial detention each year in Illinois. (Adobe Stock)<br />
Backers hope IL 'no cash bail' makes justice equitable, less expensive

A set of controversial reforms to Illinois' cash bail system went into effect this week, changing a decades-old system of holding people in jail …

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Illinois has an incarceration rate of 497 per 100,000 people, including prisons, jails, immigration detention and juvenile justice facilities. This means the state locks up a higher percentage of its people than almost any democracy on earth. (Adobe Stock)
Federal Funding Restored to Educate People in Prison

By Max Lubbers for Chalkbeat Chicago.Broadcast version by Terri Dee for Illinois News Service reporting for the Chalkbeat Chicago-Public News Service …

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The New York Times reports six of the nine deadliest mass shootings in the United States since 2018 were by people who were 21 or younger, a shift from earlier decades. (Adobe Stock)
IL Works to Take Youth into Account in Life Sentences

It's only been a few months since Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill ending life sentences without parole for people in Illinois who were under 21 when …

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Young people who are adjudicated as delinquent may be placed in multiple types of facilities, from youth prisons and detention centers, to residential treatment facilities or group homes. (Jan H. Andersen/Adobe Stock)
IL Sees Significant Long-Term Decline in Youth Incarcerations

Illinois is seeing a steady drop in youth arrests and therefore, fewer adolescents locked up in juvenile and adult detention facilities. Josh Rovner…

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Illinois had almost 1,000 juveniles incarcerated in adult correctional facilities in 2021, at an annual cost of almost $33 million, according to a Human Rights for Kids report. (napatacha/Adobe Stock)
IL Lawmakers Pass Bill to Prevent Unfair Youth Sentencing

Illinois could soon be the fourth state to pass a law to prevent unfair youth sentencing. The legislation encourages criminal courts to recognize …

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