- Al Podgorski / Chicago Sun-Times
- Cook County Board president Toni Preckwinkle (left) says state’s attorney Anita Alvarez (right) has a “narrow” and “punitive” approach to justice.
Not so long ago politicians were afraid of appearing soft on crime, and in many places they still are. But the landscape is shifting rapidly—to the point that everyone who wants to be Cook County’s top prosecutor is promising to keep more people out of jail.
“We ought to be trying to figure out why it is that a handful of communities in the city generate so much of our violent crime,” Preckwinkle said. “What’s our strategy for lifting up those communities? We can’t just arrest everybody and think that’s going to solve our problems.
“Justice is doing the right thing at the right moment for the right reasons,” Foxx said. “And that’s what I think is missing from that office.”
Most jail inmates are African-Americans or Hispanics locked up because they don’t have the money to bail out while waiting for their cases to be disposed of. Preckwinkle, Alvarez, Sheriff Tom Dart, and other stakeholders all agreed to try to cut the inmate rolls.
Meanwhile, Alvarez stepped forward with her own reform plan. In April she announced that her office will stop prosecuting many low-level drug possession cases. Many misdemeanor marijuana charges will be dropped, while those caught with small amounts of heroin or cocaine will be offered drug treatment or counseling.
