CHICAGO – Illinois lawmakers examined police reform during Tuesday’s joint hearing of the Senate Criminal Law Committee and Senate Special Committee on Public Safety, the seventh hearing on criminal justice reform prompted by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus to examine and address systemic racism in the state.

“We must have a system that is more just and equitable for both communities and police,” Senator Elgie Sims (D-Chicago) said. “If a defendant is guilty, they should be held accountable but there should not be a thumb placed on the scale to make someone plead to something that they did not do. That is not justice. We have to make sure that we are holding the right people accountable.”

CHICAGO — Illinois lawmakers examined bail and police reform during the sixth hearing prompted by the Black Caucus Tuesday.

“The system of cash bail sits at the intersection of poverty and racism,” Sims said. “Blacks and other racial minorities are more likely to be arrested by police, despite evidence showing they are no more likely to commit crimes than their neighbors. If arrested, Blacks are more likely to sit in jail awaiting trial, oftentimes for nonviolent offenses, simply because they cannot afford bail. This reality creates instability for the accused, their families and our communities. Our justice system is supposed to assume innocence until someone is proven guilty, but unfortunately it has not worked this way and for far too long has worked against people of color and the poor.”

CHICAGO—State lawmakers from both chambers discussed prison reform during the fifth criminal justice reform hearing called by the Black Caucus on Tuesday.

“We cannot continue to follow the same prescription and expect different results,” Senate Criminal Law Chair State Senator Elgie R. Sims Jr. (D-Chicago) said. “Prison reform is crucial to ensure Illinoisans of all backgrounds are treated fairly. We must stop monitoring individuals who have served their time and are not a threat to society. I also do not subscribe to putting someone in prison as a means to address substance abuse. Together, I know we will develop meaningful solutions and alternatives to truly deliver justice to people throughout the state.”

CHICAGO—State legislators will discuss violence reduction and sentencing reform during a hearing on Tuesday.

State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (D-Chicago) of the Senate Criminal Law Committee and State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago) of the Senate Public Safety Special Committee will co-chair the joint hearing. State Representative Justin Slaughter (D-Chicago) of the House Judiciary-Criminal Law Committee and other members of the committee will also be guests during the virtual hearing.

CHICAGO – State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago) issued the following statement Wednesday after a Jefferson County Grand Jury failed to indict any of the police officers on charges of murder for the March killing of Breonna Taylor: 

“Breonna Taylor should be alive right now. We keep seeing the same stories over and over again. It is exhausting and upsetting. 2020 has shown just how flawed our institutions are within a system stacked against us. Do not let anyone shut down the fight for a better world.”

CHICAGO – Earlier this week, the US Department of Energy announced $115 million grants for quantum research centers at two facilitates affiliated with the University of Chicago. State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago), who represents the area including the university, is excited and hopeful about the future prospects the grants bring to the district as well as the state as a whole.

“These grants are going to put the University of Chicago and the state of Illinois at the forefront of quantum sciences and research,” Peters said. “Much like how the region of California known as ‘Silicon Valley’ became the hub of technological advances, these grants will make Illinois the place to be when it comes to the emerging field of quantum sciences.”

CHICAGO – State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago), a longtime advocate for clean energy and environmental equity, released the following statement upon hearing Gov. JB Pritzker’s eight principles to move Illinois toward green energy:

“This is a great step toward clean energy, but we still have a long way to go to address the existential threat climate change poses to environmental justice communities, from lakefront erosion to polluted air and lead in water across the state and throughout the world.”