Champaign County States Attorney Julia Rietz talked about the transition committee she was appointed to by Illinois' new governor, JB Pritzker. It's unclear what role the committee will have after the inauguration yet, but in the interview she described her input during the transition process. from WILL:
Champaign County State’s Attorney: Pritzker Should Take Downstate Concerns To HeartMore at the full article here.
In a recent interview, Champaign County State’s Attorney Julia Rietz said any conversation about criminal justice reform in Illinois must include the concerns of those living outside of the Chicago area.
Rietz was appointed in November to newly inaugurated Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Restorative Justice and Safe Communities Committee. The group is one of eight established after Pritzker won the governor’s seat on Nov. 6...
Rietz said she brought two priorities to the table in discussions with committee members. First, she said, it was important to her that the new administration take into consideration the needs and concerns of downstate residents when it comes to law enforcement and prosecutorial policies.
“We have some different issues (than Chicago). We have some similarities. But we can't just let what's going on in Chicago with the Chicago Police Department, the issues that they face necessarily are not the same and shouldn't entirely run the conversation,” Rietz said.
She added that she also made an effort to represent victims’ needs in discussions about restorative justice...
In a press release announcing the formation of the committee, Pritzker describes the state and the nation’s criminal justice system as “broken.”
Rietz said she wouldn’t describe the system as “broken,” but as one that needs improvement.
"When it comes to dealing with individuals with mental health issues and with substance abuse issues, we find ourselves in the criminal justice system as a primary provider of care when that's really not our role,” she said. “And we're also really evolving as far as whether our role is punishment or whether it's rehabilitation, or whether it's some some combination of the two.”
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