Dan Hinkel, Author at Injustice Watch

Dan Hinkel

Dan Hinkel reports on courts and the legal system. He joined Injustice Watch in 2023 after two decades covering criminal justice and other issues for the Chicago Tribune, the Illinois Answers Project, the Times of Northwest Indiana, and the Janesville Gazette. He also covered Kyle Rittenhouse’s 2021 criminal trial as a freelancer for the New York Times. He is a native of Janesville, Wis., who graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and he lives on Chicago’s Northwest Side.

A photograph of Roberto Almodovar's framed certificate of innocence. Taylor Glascock for Injustice Watch and Bolts.

Denying Innocence

Illinois bill and court ruling could help more people move on after wrongful convictions

Days after an appeals court ruled that some people should automatically get certificates of innocence, state legislators passed a bill to raise compensation for wrongful convictions.

by Dan Hinkel June 11, 2026June 10, 2026

Tyrece Williams, a Black man with a greying goatee and glasses, looks longingly out a window in his home.

Denying Innocence

Cook County prosecutor fights to block exonerated people from clearing their names

Certificates of innocence can help exonerated people get jobs and housing. State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke is making them harder to get.

By Dan Hinkel | Photos by Taylor GlascockApril 30, 2026April 30, 2026

Voters stand at voting booths in front of a wall of dryers at a laundromat.

2026 Primary

No contest: Cook County judicial primary elections draw dwindling field of candidates

For the second straight primary season, more than half the races for Cook County circuit judge on the March 17 ballot are uncontested, with just 45 candidates vying for 28 open seats.

by Dan Hinkel and David Jackson February 13, 2026February 13, 2026

Illustration of a man sitting at a table with a pile of documents. In the background there are two long shadows looming.

Denying Innocence

Cook County’s new prosecutor has weakened an already broken system for freeing the innocent

State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke’s Conviction Integrity Unit hasn’t exonerated anyone in her 10 months on the job, and she has done little to confront more than a dozen coercion allegations against a former Chicago police detective and his partners.

by Dan Hinkel September 30, 2025September 29, 2025

An illustration of a person in silhouette behind a prison cell door.

Denying Innocence

Cook County’s conviction integrity unit repeatedly denied freedom to incarcerated people who were later cleared

Despite its celebrated record of exonerating more people than any comparable unit nationwide, an Injustice Watch investigation found 21 people who were denied relief by the group before flawed evidence later led to their exonerations.

by Dan Hinkel February 27, 2025September 29, 2025

2024 Retention

Three Cook County judges close to losing seats following scrutiny

As of Wednesday, one judge was under the vote threshold and two others were in peril, with tens of thousands of potential votes uncounted. All three were the subject of Injustice Watch investigations about their conduct.

by Dan Hinkel November 6, 2024December 19, 2024

2024 Retention

Judges aiming to keep seats in November include some with notable records

Despite tax debts, arrests, and residency questions, judges running for retention in Cook County have drawn little attention and run a quiet — at times evasive — campaign.

by Dan Hinkel October 8, 2024October 7, 2024

A young Black man in a black hoodie sweatshirt walks down a hallway past a painting with musical notes and peace signs.

Juvenile Justice

5 takeaways from our investigation into youth justice in Chicago

We found Chicago’s $10 million Youth Intervention Pathways program has enrolled a small fraction of kids arrested and relied on nonprofit contractors with past controversies.

by Dan Hinkel and Kelly Garcia June 26, 2024June 26, 2024

Illustration of a progression of mugshots as a young person ages through the criminal justice system.

Juvenile Justice

For kids arrested in Chicago, the city has little to offer

While youth arrests are way down, Chicago has failed to fix its long-broken approach to providing support for kids who get arrested, lagging far behind mayoral promises and serving only a fraction of kids who might need help.

by Dan Hinkel and Kelly Garcia June 26, 2024July 23, 2024

Illinois Supreme Court Justice Joy Cunningham next to a large blue sign that reads "Support our Ward neighbor Joy Cunningham" and "46th Ward Proud"

2024 Primary

Democratic Party’s slate sweeps countywide judicial races

In a primary with historically low turnout, the most controversial candidates in subcircuits lost out to those with stronger reviews from fellow lawyers.

by Dan Hinkel March 20, 2024April 11, 2024

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