The Jussie Smollett case left a blemish on Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s career, but her office has helped lower Chicago’s incarceration rate.
The city’s incarceration rate dropped by 19% since Foxx took office in 2016, according to a new study published by The People’s Lobby, Reclaim Chicago and Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice. The report used data provided by Foxx’s office and the FBI for their findings.
“The number of people given sentences of incarceration decreased from 12,262 in 2017 to 9,941 in 2018, a decrease of 2,321 individuals,” the report noted. Reports of violent crime also dropped by 8%.
The report attributed the drops to three factors: a policy relegating felony retail charges to thefts over $1,000, increased use of diversion programs and prosecutors trained in the use of alternatives to prison.
Rev. David Thornton of The People’s Lobby thinks Foxx’s office and the system are finally figuring out prison will not alleviate poverty and other issues affecting Chicago.
“The root causes of many crimes, including poverty and lack of mental health services or treatment for substance use disorder, go unaddressed or are made worse through prison sentences,” Thorton said in a statement to WTTW.
“Incarceration disrupts what little security and stability many people have, hurting entire communities by separating parents from children, workers from employment, and caregivers from the people who need them most,” Thorton said. “The vast majority of people given sentences of incarceration in Cook County are Black and Latinx, so decreasing incarceration is a significant step in addressing the racism of the criminal justice system in Cook County.”
This is good news for Foxx, who has been bombarded with criticism for how her office handled the Jussie Smollett case. Foxx recused herself while Smollett was investigated for his alleged hate crime hoax. Sixteen felony charges against Smollett were eventually dropped. The attorney released a statement expressing pride in the study’s findings.
“I am extremely proud that the smart strategies we have implemented have led to decreases in both violent crime and incarceration rates in communities disproportionately impacted by inequities in our criminal justice system,” Foxx said in a statement. “Through our unprecedented transparency, we will continue to share and be driven by our data as we work for a safer and more just Cook County.”
Still, the Smollett saga isn’t over. Cook County Circuit Court Judge Michael Toomin is in the process of choosing a special prosecutor to investigate the decision to drop the charges, according to The Chicago Sun-Times. Smollett’s lawyers filed a motion to prevent the probe.
