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This article describes the work of the Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact Study Commission, a nonpartisan, multidisciplinary group of policy makers, government leaders, and justice professionals that focused on understanding and alleviating the disproportionate incarceration of African Americans and Latinos in Illinois for drug law violations. The study data were obtained from arrest records statewide and court cases in Cook County (Chicago), which were both drawn from calendar year 2005. Results showed that racial disproportionality in arrests for drug crimes is found in urban, suburban, and rural counties of the state and is more pronounced among arrestees with arrest records than among first-time arrestees. Analyses of Cook County court data showed that controlling for other variables, including criminal history, African Americans were approximately 2.2 times more likely than Whites, and Latinos were approximately 1.6 times more likely than Whites, to be prosecuted for drug offenses. Unequal outcomes in court processing compound the disparities at arrest, perpetuating a vicious cycle. The article concludes with the Commission's proposed remedies for racial disproportionality.

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Abstract:This study represents the only broad-based, statewide evaluation of mental health courts (MHCs) conducted to date. Data were collected from 2010 to 2013 at each of the nine active MHC program operating in Illinois at the start of the study. The purpose of the study was to compare and contrast the adjudicatory and supervisory models of each established Illinois MHC program by utilizing a variety of research methodologies. A four-year recidivism analysis of case-level data from three Illinois MHCs was also conducted. Illinois MHCs were largely characterized by the '10 essential elements of an MHC', such as voluntary participation, informed choice and hybrid team approaches to case manage clients. Results of the recidivism analysis suggest that MHCs compare favorably to other types of probation. Overall, findings revealed that Illinois MHCs are delivering services effectively and efficiently in a well-coordinated, clientcentered team approach. Differences found among the MHCs are not evidence of significant variance from the model, and instead represent responsiveness to the unique culture of the court, the niche-filling character of the program, the expectations of the program stakeholders and the nature and extent of the local service environment.