State’s Attorney Touts Initiatives; Wants More Money for Additional Positions

2016 Cook County Proposed Budget:  State’s Attorney, October 30, 2015

  

Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez spoke about new initiatives in her office and told the Commissioners that her revised budget request is seeking an additional $1.5 million.  This money would be used to retain 13 current positions (7 Assistant State’s Attorneys and 6 administrative staff), add 10 new positions to staff a new Community Justice Center in Humboldt Park, and retain 6 positions in the Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence Division that was previously funded by a federal grant.  No details were provided during the meeting in support of these positions; this information may be being provided separately outside of the public view.  Note that no employees are being laid off; people are either being reassigned or the positions are unfilled. 

The State’s Attorney said that gang and gun crimes are the top priority.  She is working to increase penalties for repeat gun offenders.  Under a new policy in her office, prosecutors are taking gun cases directly to indictment rather than first to a preliminary hearing, which speeds up the case.  In response to a question, the State’s Attorney said that last year 84% of jury cases involving gun violence ended in a guilty verdict.  This year, the number is down to 69%.  She said that jurors are less likely to find the testimony of police in these cases sufficient; jurors want additional evidence, such as DNA evidence, or as the State’s Attorney put it, the “CSI effect.”  In response, the Chicago Police Department is now assigning a detective to each case to make sure additional evidence is followed up on.  While she does not have numbers on the number of cases involving guns, she did say that out of 191,000 active cases, 65,500 are misdemeanors and 125,500 are felonies. 

Under the new drug prosecution policy, her office is not prosecuting misdemeanor violations in most instances, so seeing 50% reduction in total misdemeanor cannabis cases from last year.  The office is just implementing a drug deferred prosecution for low level felony possession of controlled substances or possession of cannabis at central bond court.  Under this program, those arrested are linked with social services in lieu of normal prosecution.   Upon successful compliance with the court’s recommendations, those in this program will have their cases dismissed.  The State’s Attorney thinks that this will result in thousands of cases diverted each year.

The State’s Attorney defended the drug school program (responding to the President’s remarks that the program is not working).  Since its inception, there have been 50,000 dismissals of mostly felony drug charges and has been seen to reduce the likelihood of participants re-entering the criminal justice system on similar charges.  Moreover, the State’s Attorney said that almost every diversion program in her office has been either independently evaluated in the last 2 years or is undergoing such evaluation.

Commissioner Fritchey asked why the State’s Attorney supported state legislation against the automatic transfer of juveniles to adult courts, but the office is still seeking such transfers.  The State’s Attorney said she supported the end of automatic transfer for a number of crimes, but not murder or rape.  Commissioner Fritchey also asked for information on those who have take-home privileges for county cars and the amount spent on outside counsel, which the State’s Attorney said would be provided.

-- Priscilla Mims, League Observer