Cook County will expand its restorative justice court program to the suburbs for the first time with a new court planned for the south suburban Sauk Village, Chief Judge Tim Evans announced Thursday.
The expansion signals the county’s continued investment in experimental neighborhood courts that seek alternative approaches to address low-level, nonviolent offenses for young adults. Evans did not specify a timeline or further details for the south suburban court, saying in a news release that more information is expected by the end of the year.
The county piloted its first restorative justice court in 2017 in North Lawndale, and has expanded to two more areas, with courts in Englewood and Avondale.
The courts — located in neighborhood settings away from the bustling Leighton Criminal Court Building on the Southwest Side — focus not on punishment but on trying to help the defendant atone for the harm they have done to people or the community. Upon successful completion of the program, participants have their charges dismissed and arrest expunged.
Participants sit in peace circles, where they talk to each other and to moderators about what they’ve done. They do art projects and have frank conversations with judges about how their lives are going. The program offers wraparound services, such as help obtaining jobs and education, with the goal of putting the defendants on a different path.
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The county also on Thursday announced a housing program, partnering with Heartland Human Care Services to address difficulties in helping participants of the program secure safe and affordable housing. The program plans to offer housing for 15 people or families, with the goal of eventually expanding.
“The Restorative Justice Community Courts give individuals charged with low-level offenses a second chance at rebuilding their lives and becoming productive citizens,” Evans said in a news release. “We do not want problems obtaining housing to interfere with their progress, so we are pleased that Heartland is working with our courts to address this issue.”
Between 2020 and 2022, more than 200 people were admitted to the restorative justice programs in Cook County, more than 80% on a weapons possession charge, according to data from the county.
An internal study undertaken by the courts found that about 13% of participants who had been released from the program for at least a year were charged with a new offense, compared with about 65% in a peer control group of defendants with similar characteristics and charges. Of those, one restorative justice participant was charged with a violent offense, compared with seven in the control group, including one charged with murder, the study said.
In an interview with the Tribune earlier this year, Evans said he hoped to eventually expand the program into neighborhoods across the city and county.
“We could see that system was not working,” Evans said at the time, adding that the results of the study were promising in showing a reduction in recidivism. “I thought this was a good way to try something else.”