This story was originally published by the Illinois Answers Project as part of their series Making it in Chicago: Detours and Dead Ends on the Path to Opportunity. he day before Christmas eve in 2023, Andrew Ciaccio was up all night trying to soothe his stomach pains. When he woke, he could barely sit up. Something […]
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Posted inJustice
Cook County Jail’s Deadliest Year in Decades Reveals Repeated Lapses and Failed Oversight
Eighteen people died at the jail last year, and half of the deaths featured examples of inadequate supervision and medical care, an Injustice Watch investigation found.
Posted inLatest
Jailhouse Religion
Some faith-based rehabilitation programs offer a rare, non-punitive space for those incarcerated—but do they blur the separation of church and state?
Posted inLatest
Your Guide to the Statehouse Democratic Primary
These are the candidates running to represent the South Side in Springfield.
Posted inLatest, Politics
The Race to Replace Kim Foxx
The Cook County State’s Attorney is retiring after eight years in which she enacted sweeping reforms. Will her successor build upon that legacy—or roll it back?
Posted inLatest
Individuals Incarcerated in Cook County Jail Become Authors
The writing program in Cook County Jail was organized by ConTextos, a non-profit dedicated to using literary arts and education to heal individual trauma and interrupt community violence.
Posted inLatest
Families Reflect on the End of Money Bond
The Weekly spoke to people in bond court before and after the Pretrial Fairness Act abolished money bond.
Posted inNotes
Gentrifying Latinx neighborhoods see staggering increase in property tax bills
The ‘Purge Law’ is rightwing propaganda The Weekly has extensively covered cash bond reform—it was the subject of the last cover story in 2020—but in recent months the topic gained traction after Republicans in Illinois and nationwide weaponized the issue ahead of the general elections in an attempt to push the criminalized narrative about Chicago. […]
Posted inHousing
Returning Citizens Still Face Barriers Despite Protective Policies
Advocates say policies that protect access to housing and employment for the formerly incarcerated must be enforced more consistently
Posted inBook review
Cycles of Imprisonment, Escape, and Healing
fter years of emotional and sexual abuse from family, religious trauma, fourteen years of prison, and a controlling marriage, Lisa Forbes realized she was “stuck in a loop.” This loop, Forbes later discovered, is common among those who have experienced trauma. Patterns of control imprisoned Forbes throughout her life. The memories of family that bullied […]