CRS staff and more than 400 people from all across Illinois spoke to legislators and attended a rally where organizers and clergy spoke with passion about the moral mandate for people of faith to advocate for the most vulnerable in our community and to protect the Pretrial Fairness Act.

The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice released a letter that was sent to the Illinois Supreme Court by more than 40 academics calling to protect the electronic monitoring provisions of the Pretrial Fairness Act and to halt the expansion of this harmful technology. Read the letter here.

This year’s theme is Together, We Win! These questions can be used to guide conversation with your congregation after viewing the 2022 Annual Membership Assembly video. We would love to hear from you the thoughts and plans that came out of your discussion.

The Interim Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability held its first public meeting on September 29 at Malcolm X College. The over-capacity crowd of community members underscored the enthusiasm of organizers and community leaders from across the diverse makeup of the Chicago Metropolitan area.

Defy Ventures is a national nonprofit organization operating in 7 states from coast to coast. In 2018, Defy Ventures recognized the opportunity to expand services to Illinois, due to the state experiencing significant recidivism rates and an interest in creating pathways to financial independence for currently and formerly incarcerated residents.

The Illinois name change ban is recognized as one of the most restrictive laws around legal name changes when compared to other states in the nation. The Illinois name change ban is discriminatory in nature, imposes harsh restrictions, and creates barriers for individuals who wish to change their name, in addition to the already long name change process.

On January 1, 2022, portions of the Pretrial Fairness Act will go into effect and expand the rights of people incarcerated in their homes on electronic monitoring (EM).

Executive Director, Rev. Dr. Waltrina Middleton, reflects on all the work we’ve been doing to advocate for social and economic justice and eliminate barriers of race and class over the past year.

Your voice is needed! Grassroots organizing and public policy advocacy requires consistent work by individuals, especially those from communities most impacted by systemic racism and structural inequality.

Congratulations to our member congregations and dedicated volunteers. In the recent lame duck session of the Illinois General Assembly, Community Renewal Society won many historic changes which will help end systemic racism. Join us in celebrating the passing of four monumental victories.

Housing is a critical need, especially during a pandemic. This is even more true for people returning from incarceration who are 10 times more likely to be homeless.

The Restorative Sentencing Act is a measure born out of the inspiration of a group of men confined at the Kewanee Life Skills Re-entry Center, located in Kewanee, Illinois. The measure started as a quest to abolish Truth-in-Sentencing laws. Please urge your legislators to support this Act.

View the first in a series of animated videos about Cassandra's fight to get justice for Nickolas Lee, her husband who died after contracting COVID-19 in Cook County Jail.

Necropolitics: The Religious Crisis of Mass Incarceration in America By CRS board member, Christopher D. Ringer

Publicizing the names of people released from incarceration due to the pandemic, then painting everyone as a repeat offender or exploiting a tragic loss of life, exemplifies a system that demonizes people with records.

Today, landmark legislation for people with records is effective, providing more opportunities to obtain fair housing throughout the state of Illinois and Cook County. Thanks to you, we are celebrating the implementation of two new laws to protect human rights!

New Law Makes Housing Discrimination Illegal for Arrest, Expunged/Sealed, and Juvenille Records!

In the hidden crevices of the city and deeply embedded in the shadows of Chicago's remarkable skyline, there is an unforgivable narrative.

"Pastor, what do you think about everything that happened last week; those four kids trying to rob the house then going on that chase to Chicago?"

How does “It takes a village” apply to a community experiencing trauma? We can no longer afford to inadvertently lead future generations blindly onto a pathway of engulfing racist policies/practices.