Public Safety, Crime, and Justice Strategy Summary

Every day, thousands of dedicated men and women in blue risk their lives to keep the residents of the sprawling Chicago metropolitan region safe. Unfortunately, the criminal justice system in the Chicago metropolitan region and across the United States has been heavily criticized for not always meeting the "Big Three E's:" Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Equity.

Table of Contents

• Acknowledgments
• Executive Summary
• Issues, Challenges, Opportunities
• A New Vision for Crime and Justice Planning
• Recommendations
• Endnotes

This strategy paper proposes "redefining our understanding of the causes of crime and delinquency." It analyzes the current state of the problem, and proposes a new vision for crime and justice planning in our region, offering several specific recommendations aimed at developing a more comprehensive and effective response to the issues, challenges, and opportunities in criminal justice.

A sample of findings:

Crime Trends in the Seven-County Region

Between 2001 and 2006, the overall decrease for violent crime in the seven-county region was sharper (3.9%) than the decrease for property crime (2.5%).

Family Risk Factors

From 2002 to 2007, the rate of reported domestic violence incidences decreased 23% in the Northeastern Illinois region.

Research has found that abused and neglected children have delinquency rates 47% higher than children who are not abused or neglected.

Drug Offenses

Between 1983 and 2005, the number of drug offenders in Illinois prisons rose from 547 to 11,179, a 20-fold increase.

Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) data on the recidivism rate of offenders released after serving time for drug offenses shows that, of the 13,067 drug offense exits in 2001, 54.5% returned to prison within three years.

The public dollars spent annually to incarcerate drug offenders in Illinois is estimated at just over $240 million.

Treatment and supervision of drug offenders in lieu of incarceration results in cost savings: $5,925 per year for probation, case management and drug treatment 52 versus $22,278 for one year of prison followed by one year on parole at a cost of approximately $1,000 per year.

If you're interested in learning more about public safety, crime, and justice, please review the following CMAP strategy report. Comments and criticism are encouraged.