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    Kelly Garcia

    Juvenile Justice
    Illustration of a youth sitting on the ground up against a wall with his head in his hands, as a guard at the Cook County juvenile jail looks on.

    Teens at Cook County juvenile jail face excessive force, extreme isolation, and other civil rights abuses, watchdog finds

    By Carlos Ballesteros and Kelly Garcia | March 17, 2023

    Interviews, site visits, and records reviewed by a legal advocacy group reveal abusive behavior by staff against mostly Black teens with learning disabilities, according to a new report. Jail officials deny the claims.

    Español
    A judge looks down from the bench and winks at a woman, who is turned away from him.

    El juez del condado de Cook, Raúl Vega, se jubila bajo una nube de acusaciones

    By Kelly Garcia (Chicago Reader) | January 31, 2022

    Vega, ex juez superior de la corte de violencia doméstica del condado de Cook, se jubilará con una pensión vitalicia, a pesar de las acusaciones de maltrato de las mujeres en su sala de tribunal.

    Judicial Conduct

    Cook County Judge Raúl Vega is retiring under a cloud of allegations

    By Kelly Garcia (Chicago Reader) | January 27, 2022

    The former top judge of Cook County’s domestic violence court, Vega will retire with a lifetime pension, despite accusations from women in his courtroom that he mistreated them.

    Judicial Elections

    Chicago alderperson eyes a seat on the bench in 2022 election

    By Kelly Garcia and Amy Qin | August 23, 2021

    West Side Ald. Chris Taliaferro, a former police sergeant, wants a seat on the 11th judicial subcircuit, which covers parts of Chicago’s West Side and nearby suburbs.

    News

    Cook County domestic violence court continues video proceedings under chief judge’s order

    By Kelly Garcia | August 13, 2021

    Advocates have raised concerns about courtroom accessibility and how survivors are treated in the domestic violence division.

    The Courts
    Chief Judge Timothy Evans

    Chicago advocates press chief judge on domestic violence court access, treatment of survivors

    By Grace Asiegbu and Kelly Garcia | August 5, 2021

    Survivors of gender-based violence face barriers to court access that have worsened amid the Covid-19 pandemic, advocates and attorneys say. Chief Judge Tim Evans has pledged to enact changes in response to the criticism.

    News

    More than 30 Chicago high schools will pursue alternatives to police

    By Kelly Garcia | July 21, 2021

    Maira Khwaja, one of the community representatives on Hyde Park Academy’s council, said the vote to remove one of the police officers at her school represented “a huge win for the movement to remove police from schools and support our students in more holistic ways.”

    Juvenile Justice

    Illinois bill would expand civics and voter education to incarcerated youths in state custody

    By Kelly Garcia | May 25, 2021

    A bill expanding voting access and civics education curriculum to incarcerated youths passed unanimously through the Illinois General Assembly thanks to voting rights advocates.

    Juvenile Justice

    3 takeaways from the state’s investigation into special ed at Chicago’s juvenile jail

    By Kelly Garcia | May 1, 2021

    A state investigation sheds light on the conditions for special education students in the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center during the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Chicago Public Schools

    State education officials order CPS to fix special education issues for students behind bars

    By Kelly Garcia | April 14, 2021

    The Illinois State Board of Education issued a corrective action plan for Chicago Public Schools in response to a complaint over alleged failures to serve special education students at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center.

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