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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
IN SUPPORT OF THE WHITE HOUSE’S DATA DRIVEN JUSTICE INITIATIVE
WHEREAS, in July 2016 the White House launched the Data Driven Justice Initiative which focuses on utilizing “data-driven strategies to divert low-level offenders with mental illness out of the criminal justice system and change approaches to pre-trial incarceration, so that low-risk offenders no longer stay in jail simply because they cannot afford a bond”; and
WHEREAS, “these innovative strategies, which have measurably reduced jail populations in several communities, help stabilize individuals and families, better serve communities, and often save money in the process”; and
WHEREAS, the Data Driven Initiative is supported by a coalition of 67 city, county, and state governments; and
WHEREAS, the bipartisan coalition includes the state of Illinois, Champaign County, Lake County, and McLean County, Illinois as well as Los Angeles County California, Miami-Dade County Florida, Ramsey County, Minnesota, Mecklenburg County North Carolina, Camden County New Jersey, Bexar County Texas, King County Washington, Denver Colorado and New York, New York; and
WHEREAS, the Data Driven Initiative “encourages communities to implement strategies proven to be effective in reducing unnecessary incarceration in jails such as using data to identify and proactively break the cycle of incarceration, specifically to bring data together from across criminal justice and health systems to identify individuals with the highest number of contacts with police, ambulance, emergency departments, and other services, and link them to health, behavioral health, and social services in the community, with a goal of reducing overreliance on emergency healthcare and encounters with the criminal justice system”; and,
WHEREAS, “the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority and the Illinois Health & Hospital Association have committed to collaborating to host a convening of participating and interested Illinois counties to help identify opportunities for engagement with hospitals and relevant stakeholders at the local level to share best practices to reduce hospital readmissions and preventable emergency-room visits, and improve health”; and,
WHEREAS, the National Association of Counties (NACo), The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the National Alliance on Mental Illness have committed to working with the White House Data Driven Initiative;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the President and the Cook County Board of Commissioners support the White House Data Driven Initiative and encourage Cook County government’s public safety stakeholders to work collaboratively through the Cook County Justice Advisory Council to further the goals of the initiative.
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