Throughout my life and career, as a sister of a formerly incarcerated individual, federal prosecutor, a criminal defense attorney, police reform expert and now as mayor, one of many truths I’ve learned about community safety is if we continue ignoring the issues faced by residents who are returning home from incarceration, we will never achieve long- lasting peace.
Over the last decade, more than 100,000 people returned from the Illinois Department of Corrections and Cook County Jail back to Chicago neighborhoods. Many of these individuals have no tools to help them reintegrate into communities, and return to the same set of circumstances — now with a conviction record, which gives rise to a new set of barriers to establishing a prosperous life and accessing basic needs like housing, health care and employment.
