"Ban the Box" in Higher Education
Quintin Williams shares his research on HB 3142 and calls for support to "Ban the Box" in higher education.
Midterm Springfield Update & Advocacy Training
Calling all Faith in Action advocates! We are midway through the 2017 spring legislative session and your voice is needed to bring justice to Springfield.
Immediate Action: Oppose Mass Incarceration Legislation
Illinois senators will soon vote on a bill that would enhance Illinois’ already harsh sentencing policies but not reduce violence. This proposal is a continuation of harmful public policies that studies have shown are ineffective.
Act Now To Expand The Sealing Of Records
Support a bill which would increase employment, housing and educational opportunities for millions of Illinois residents with criminal records.
Immediate Action Needed: Stop Ineffective Sentencing Bill
The Illinois General Assembly will convene for the “Lame Duck” session on Monday, January 9, 2017. Take action now and send an email to your state representatives to oppose legislation that will increase sentences for second time gun possession but not make our communities safer.
New Illinois Employment Laws
As of January 1, 2017 four new laws in Illinois are opening doors for people with past felony convictions to work in Illinois schools, park districts and health care facilities. Take action now and help to spread the word about these new employment laws.
Do You Believe In Second Chances?
On July 29th Governor Rauner signed HB 4360 into law! Urge the Governor to sign the remaining bills to increase employment opportunities in schools for people with criminal records.
HB 4515 passed the Illinois General Assembly!
HB 4515, a bill to create health care job opportunities for people with criminal records, passed the Illinois House on Wednesday, June 29, 71-38! It will now be sent to the Governor.
Three FORCE Victories to Increase Jobs for People with Criminal Records
Three bills have passed the Illinois General Assembly with significant bi-partisan support and will now be sent to the Governor for his signature.
Day of Faith at the Capitol 2016
At the April 12 rally in the rotunda of the Illinois State Capitol, hundreds of faith leaders joined CRS and put their faith into action. We marched, chanted, and prayed outside the Governor’s office demanding a fair budget now! We met with legislators and asked them to: increase job opportunities for people with criminal records; improve police accountability; and enact a fair tax and fair budget that protect the most vulnerable.
Report: IPRA and the Police Board Systemically Failed to Protect Civilians
A new research report from Community Renewal So.ciety finds that the two civilian oversight agencies charged with investigating and disciplining police misconduct in Chicago.
Sixteen shots. Fifty days. No justice. Act now
Fifty days have passed since the video of LaQuan McDonald’s killing was released, and yet Mayor Emanuel and the City Council have taken no decisive action to address the systemic failures of Chicago’s police oversight.
Southsiders: Act to End Police Brutality & Violence
Our communities on the South Side of Chicago experience disproportionate rates of violence and police brutality and we need our elected officials to stand with us for real change. Our efforts to reduce violence and increase police accountability are at a critical moment and we need your voice.
Help Stop Over-Incarceration in Cook County
The Reclaim Campaign will conduct an 8-week Court Watching Project from July 1 to August 25, 2015 to verify that reforms to bond court and pretrial services we won are being implemented.
CRS' Spring Criminal Justice Victories In Illinois
We celebrate important victories as we continue to demand a moral budget that protects Illinois’ families and communities by choosing new revenue.
Illinois Drug Policy Changes May Reduce Jail Population
The Illinois General Assembly passed several bills to reform the Cook County Criminal Justice System. These victories build on our efforts to decrease the Cook County Jail population and divert the savings into community-based programs.
HB 494 Victory Removes Barriers To Jobs In Schools
With strong bi-partisan support, the Illinois General Assembly passed HB 494 to increase job opportunities for people with records in schools. This victory culminates two years of work.
Illinois General Assembly Approves Police Body-Worn Camera Guidelines
Police body-worn cameras can be tools for better police supervision and civilian oversight. Through this legislation, Illinois becomes the first state in the nation to create a single state standard for police body-worn camera programs.
Police Reform Bill Passes the Illinois General Assembly
The Illinois General Assembly took the first step in implementing major police reforms. The police reform omnibus bill includes some of our priorities to create policy guidelines for police body-worn cameras and end stop and frisk discriminatory practices.
Increase Health Care Job Opportunities For People with Records
There’s good news from Springfield! Thanks to 18 months of hard work by FORCE leaders and our criminal justice coalition partners, a new bill is moving. SB 42 House Amendment 1 increases health care job opportunities for people with records. It passed out of the Health Care Licensing Committee yesterday, Monday, May 18, 2015.