Chicago Justice Initiative

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Our Mission The Chicago Justice Initiative contends that a close examination of the American legal system reveals in our country lady justice is neither blind nor objective.  Specifically, harsh sentencing laws, uninhabitable prisons, inadequate public defense and disparate urban law enforcement construct a penal system that is disproportionately punitive towards America's poor and disadvantaged.  The purpose of the Chicago Justice Initiative is twofold: (1) to better educate our members about the legal system generally and particularly its biases towards the poor, and (2) to utilize the knowledge that we obtain to raise awareness on campus regarding the system's inequities.  Through our weekly meetings, publications and major events, we hope to make the case among the student body that the current American justice system is far from truly just.  In doing so, we plan to build the foundation for increased activism on campus for the cause of true justice.   We firmly believe that education about any problem is the vital first step towards rectifying it.  And by informing the country's future leaders about our broken legal system, we ambitiously strive to inspire the reforms that will one day repair it. Weekly Meetings CJI holds meetings every Tuesday during the school year.  Each meeting is an hour long.  For the first half hour of the meeting, we plan future events and service initiatives.  During the second half hour of the meeting, we discuss a topic pertaining to the American legal system.  Meetings beging at 7pm every Tuesday in Bartlett Lounge.  All are welcome! Upcoming Service Projects & Events Inside Public Defense: On Tuesday October 14th, CJI will be hosting a panel event on the topic of public defense.  Prominent law professors and public defenders will discuss the problems with public defense in America.  We hope that our expert panel will not only describe the impact of poor public defense on America's poor, but also suggest alternatives to improve the status quo.  *Location: Harper Memorial, Room 140  *  Time: 6:30-8pm All are welcome!  Food will be served! Legal Book Drive: Across America, thousands of accused men and women sit in jail awaiting trial and appellate cases.  When asked, many inmates express a desire to obtain legal books so they can better understand their cases.  CJI has begun a project to address this need.  We have started collecting useful legal texts from professors at the University of Chicago Law School.  This year we plan to begin sending these books to inmates in need.    CJI Blog Check out the new CJI blog. We use the blog to post interesting articles and topics relating to the justice system and its inequities.  Feel free to post anything of interest.  Click here to take a look.

Contact us: chicagojusticeintiative@gmail.com