>> THANKS.
THE CITY'S HOMICIDE AND SHOOTING
RATE HAVE RISEN SINCE THE ONSET
OF THE COVID PANDEMIC
CULMINATING IN A DEADLY FOURTH
OF JULY WEEKEND WHERE MORE THAN
100 WERE SHOT AND 18 KILLED.
MAYOR LORI LIGHTFOOT AND
SUPERINTENDENT DAVID BROWN
CONSISTENTLY POINTED THEIR
FINGERS IN ONE DIRECTION: COOK
COUNTY'S CRIMINAL COURTS.
>> I'M CALLING UPON OUR COUNTY
PARTNERS, AND PARTICULARLY THOSE
IN THE CRIMINAL COURTS.
OPEN UP THE COURTS.
PEOPLE NEED TO GET THEIR DAY IN
COURT.
JUSTICE DELAY SECOND JUSTICE
DENIED.
AND YOU'RE HURTING NOT ONLY
THOSE WHO ARE CHARGED BUT ALSO
THOSE IN THE COMMUNITY, THE
VICTIMS, THE SURVIVORS AND THE
WITNESSES WHO NEED TO HAVE A
MEASURE OF JUSTICE.
>> WHEN YOU ASK THE QUESTION
WHETHER OR NOT OUR WORK IS
EFFECTIVE, CHICAGO POLICE
OFFICERS ARE DOING THEIR JOB BY
ARRESTING PEOPLE AND CHARGING
THEM WITH MURDER.
THAT IS DOING OUR PART.
AND WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE
COURTS IS CREATING THIS UNSAFE
ENVIRONMENT FOR ALL OF US.
>> AND THERE IS NO CONCLUSIVE
EVIDENCE THAT DEFENDANTS OUT ON
PRETRIAL RELEASE WHAT
SUPERINTENDENT BROWN WAS
REFERRING TO THERE, ARE DRIVING
THE HIGH VIOLENCE RATE.
AND JOINING US TO RESPOND TO
THESE CLAIMS IS CHIEF JUDGE OF
THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY
WELCOME BACK TO "CHICAGO
TONIGHT".
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
IT IS A PLEASURE TO BE HERE.
THANK YOU FOR THE INVITATION.
>> YOU'VE HEARD THE FINGER
POINTING TO THE COURTS WHICH YOU
LEAD THE ACCUSATIONS FROM
SUPERINTENDENT BROWN THAT TOO
MANY FOLKS OUT ON PRETRIAL
RELEASE ARE COMMITTING VIOLENT
CRIMES.
YOUR RESPONSE TO THE ALLEGATIONS
FROM THE MAYOR AND THE POLICE
SUPERINTENDENT?
>> WELL, NOTHING COULD BE
FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH.
AND FIRST WITH RESPECT TO THE
QUOTE-UNQUOTE CLOSED COURTS, WE
NEVER CLOSED.
AND DURING THE PANDEMIC PERIOD
THAT WAS HIGHEST BETWEEN MARCH
OF 2020 AND MARCH OF 21, WE
RESOLVED 128,000 CASES.
13,000 PLEAS.
A THOUSAND BENCH TRIALS.
27 JURY TRIALS.
SO WE NEVER CLOSED.
WE TOOK INTO CONSIDERATION AND
BALANCED SAFETY THE SUPREME
COURT, OF COURSE, ASKED US TO
DEAL WITH THE EMERGENCIES FOR A
PERIOD OF THAT TIME.
BUT WE NEVER CLOSED.
AND THEN SECONDLY WITH RESPECT
TO THE ACCUSATIONS THAT PEOPLE
WHO ARE RELEASED ON ELECTRONIC
MONITORING ARE SOMEHOW
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE VIOLENCE IN
THE COMMUNITIES AND WHILE THESE
COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN HIT BY
TERRIBLE VIOLENCE, THERE IS NO
DATA, NO PROOF AT ALL THAT
PEOPLE WHO ARE RELEASED ON
PRETRIAL ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR IT.
AND I WOULD RUSH TO SAY FOR
EXAMPLE, THAT WE HAVE EXAMINED
SOMETHING LIKE 86,000 CASES
BETWEEN 2017 AND 2020 AND WE
HAVE FOUND THAT IN MOST OF THOSE
INSTANCES, WE ARE VERY
COMFORTABLE WITH THE RESULTS
THAT TOOK PLACE.
FOR EXAMPLE, FURTHER, THERE WERE
SOMETHING LIKE 181 CASES OF
MURDER OR ATTEMPTED MURDER OR
EVEN RECKLESS HOMICIDE AND MOST
OF THOSE PEOPLE STAYED IN JAIL.
1150 OF THEM STAYED IN JAIL.
>> AND TO THAT EFFECT AS WE
CITED THERE ARE STUDIES DONE BY
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY AND OTHERS
THAT SHOW THERE ISN'T A SPIKE IN
CRIME FROM FOLKS OUT ON PRETRIAL
DETENTION EITHER FROM BEFORE
COVID OR AFTER COVID.
DO YOU BELIEVE LIGHTFOOT AND
BROWN ARE SCAPEGOATING THE COURT
SYSTEM?
>> WELL, I WOULDN'T CALL IT
SCAPEGOATING AS MUCH AS I WOULD
SAY THEY DON'T SEEM TO BE
WELL-INFORMED.
AND THAT STUDY THAT YOU
MENTIONED AND OUR STUDY 94% OF
THE PEOPLE RELEASED PRETRIAL
WERE NOT ARRESTED FOR ANY NEW
CRIME.
AND EVEN THOSE WHO WERE
ARRESTED, 99% OF THEM WERE NOT
ARRESTED FOR VIOLENT CRIME.
THAT MEANS THAT THIS PARTICULAR
POINTLESS THAN 1% PEOPLE
RELEASED PRETRIAL IN THAT GROUP
ENGAGED IN ANY VIOLENT CRIME AT
ALL.
>> AND I WANT TO GET BACK TO THE
NUMBERS.
AT THE SAME TIME, JUDGE,
ACCORDING TO THE SHERIFF'S
OFFICE THERE ARE 3500 DEFENDANTS
OUT ON ELECTRONIC MONITORING
RIGHT NOW.
72% AWAITING TRIAL FOR VIOLENT
CRIME.
101 FOR HOMICIDE.
WHY ARE THERE SO MANY DEFENDANTS
CHARGED WITH VIOLENT CRIME AND
HOMICIDE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY?
>> WELL, LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT.
FOR EXAMPLE, THIS HOMICIDE
FIGURE MURDER, THE STATISTICS
THAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO WERE
DELIVERED BY THE SHERIFF'S
OFFICE ABOUT MAY OF THIS YEAR.
AND IT SEEMED THAT HE WAS
TALKING MAINLY ABOUT MURDER AS
DID THE SUPERINTENDENT OF
POLICE.
AND THIS PARTICULAR PERIOD, 1287
PEOPLE CHARGED WITH MURDER ARE
IN CUSTODY AT THE JAIL AT 26TH
AND CALIFORNIA.
ONLY LESS THAN 100 ARE CHARGED
WITH MURDER WHO ARE IN CUSTODY
IN HOME CONFINEMENT BEING
WATCHED DAY AND NIGHT BY
ELECTRONIC MONITORING AND GPS
SYSTEMS.
AND PEOPLE THEY NEED TO KNOW WHY
THAT TAKES PLACE.
AND LET ME EXPLAIN.
THE LAW SAYS THAT ANYBODY WHO IS
ARRESTED IS ENTITLED TO BAIL
UNLESS THE PROOF IS EVIDENT AND
THE PRESUMPTION IS GREAT THAT
THEY DID NOT COMMIT THE CRIME
AND IF THEY DON'T POSE A CLEAR
AND PRESENT THREAT THEY ARE
ENTITLED TO BE RELEASED
PRETRIAL.
>> AND THESE ARE THE THINGS THE
JUDGES ARE WEIGHING IN THE BAIL
DECISIONS.
BACK TO THE PERCENTAGES,
ACCORDING TO NUMBERS FROM YOUR
OFFICE FROM 2017-20203% OF
FELONY DEFENDANTS RELEASED
PRETRIAL AND 5% OF MISDEMEANOR
DEFENDANTS WENT ON TO BE CHARGED
WITH ANOTHER VIOLENT CRIME
DURING THEIR RELEASE.
THESE ARE SMALL PERCENTAGES.
BUT IN TERMS OF NUMBERS, WE
ADDED IT UP AND WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT 2600 INDIVIDUALS OUT ON
BOND WHO ALLEGEDLY COMMITTED
ANOTHER VIOLENT CRIME, 2600
VICTIMS IS THAT A CONCERNING
NUMBER?
>> WELL, I WOULD PUT IT THIS
WAY: ANYTIME ANYBODY IS
RESPONSIBLE FOR HURTING ANYONE
ELSE, YES, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT
THAT.
BUT LET'S TAKE THOSE FIGURES.
3%, 5%, THAT MEANS THAT 95% WHO
WERE RELEASED DIDN'T DO THAT.
SO WHAT KIND OF SYSTEM WOULD YOU
HAVE THAT WOULD KEEP 95% OF THE
PEOPLE IN JAIL PRETRIAL WHEN
THEY ARE PRESUMED INNOCENT, WHEN
3 OR 5% OF THE PEOPLE ARE
VIOLATING THE LAW.
AND WHEN THEY VIOLATE THE LAW,
WHILE THEIR CASE IS PENDING AND
THEY ARE ARRESTED FOR DOING SO,
THEY ARE NOT RELEASED AGAIN.
THEY ARE PUT IN JAIL AND THEY
ARE HELD IN CUSTODY UNTIL THEIR
TRIAL TAKES PLACE.
SO THAT'S THE HUMANE RESPONSE
AND THAT IS THE WAY IT SHOULD
BE.
IT SHOULD NOT BE BECAUSE LESS
THAN 5% OF THE PEOPLE COMMIT
CRIMES THAT MEANS YOU SHOULD
LOCK UP 95% OF THE PEOPLE WHO
DON'T.
>> WE HAVE A FEW SECONDS LEFT.
AS YOU KNOW IN OCTOBER, THE
STATE SUPREME COURT IS GOING TO
LIFT ITS SUSPENSION ON THE RIGHT
TO A SPEEDY TRIAL.
STARTING IN OCTOBER, DEFENDANTS
WILL HAVE TO HAVE A TRIAL
BETWEEN 120-160 DAYS AS WE READ
THERE ARE 33,000 OPEN CASES.
WILL THE COURTS BE ABLE TO
HANDLE GETTING FULLY BACK?
>> YES, I THINK SO.
I'M GLAD YOU ASKED THAT QUESTION
BECAUSE AS OF THE 16TH OF THIS
MONTH, I EXPECT TO ENTER A
GENERAL ORDER WHICH WILL CHANGE
THE WAY THINGS ARE.
WE ARE SADDLED WITH THE SOCIAL
DISTANCING BECAUSE OF THE
CORONAVIRUS RIGHT NOW OF SIX
FEET BECAUSE OF INFORMATION I'M
GETTING NOW FROM Dr. RUBEN
FROM THE BOARD OF HEALTH WE ARE
ABLE TO REDUCE THAT TO THREE
FEET AND THAT WILL ENABLE US TO
MOVE UP THE CAPABILITY OF HAVING
JUST EIGHT JURY TRIALS PER WEEK
WE CAN NOW HAVE 76 COURTROOMS
THAT WILL BE RESTRIPED FOR THREE
FEET.
AND WE WILL HAVE 10 ADDITIONAL
COURTROOMS THAT WOULD BE
AVAILABLE FOR BENCH TRIALS.
86 COURTROOMS FOR BENCH TRIALS
AND 76 FOR JURY TRIALS.
AND RIGHT NOW WE ARE DEALING
WITH A QUOTE-UNQUOTE BACKLOG OF
159 CASES WHERE THERE'S BEEN A
WRITTEN DEMAND AND WE ARE
WORKING ON THOSE RIGHT NOW AND
WE EXPECT THOSE TO BE KNOCKED
OUT BETWEEN NOW AND THE OCTOBER
FIRST DATE THAT YOU MENTIONED.
SO WE WILL DO EVERYTHING WE CAN
POSSIBLY DO TO BE READY AND WE
HAVE ESTABLISHED A COMMITTEE
THAT INCLUDES THE STATE'S
ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, THE PUBLIC
DEFENDER'S OFFICE AND THE
SHERIFF AND THE CLERK, PRIVATE
BAR AND ALL OF THE JUDGES WHO
HANDLE THESE CRIMINAL COURT
CASES WE WILL DO EVERYTHING WE
CAN DO TO BE READY.
>> IT WILL BE BUSY.