TASC

Related Issues | Feb-20-2025

TASC Joins Hundreds to Rally Against Medicaid Cuts

Recently, TASC joined more than 500 advocates for the Hands Off Medicaid Day of Action, a virtual event hosted by Protect Our Care Illinois. This powerful hour-long gathering educated participants, mobilized action, and reinforced the urgent need to protect Medicaid from funding threats.What We...

TASC in the News | Jan-28-2025

TASC’s Center for Health and Justice Joins Global Efforts to Expand Alternatives to Incarceration

Big news! The Center for Health and Justice at TASC (CHJ) is playing a key role in a new global initiative to expand alternatives to incarceration.Why it matters: More countries are looking for solutions to reduce prison populations and address substance use in the justice system. In March 2024, 5...

TASC News | Jan-15-2025

Celebrating A Year of Progress: The Pretrial Fairness Act

by Dion McGill, Director of Communications & MarketingThis time four years ago, members of the Illinois House cast votes that changed the course of justice in our state. They passed the Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA) as part of a larger push to make our legal system more fair and just. Now,...

TASC News | Oct-04-2024

Reimagining Successful Reentry - 1115 Medicaid Reentry Waiver by Maureen McDonnell, MPH

Yesterday, the MacArthur Foundation's Safety and Justice Challenge released a major paper on the implementation of the 1115 Medicaid Reentry Waiver in county jails. TASC's Center for Health and Justice (CHJ) is proud to have partnered with Justice System Partners (JSP) and the Health &...

Related Issues | Oct-04-2023

Ending Money Bond and Its Impact on Illinois Families: South Side Weekly Article

The Pretrial Fairness Act recently took effect in Illinois, abolishing money bond- a change that directly affects individuals and families throughout the state. By expanding access to pretrial freedom, people can stay connected with their children and loved ones while awaiting trial. This also...

TASC News | May-27-2022

Biden 2022 Drug Strategy Cites TASC’s Specialized Case Management; Boosts FY23 Treatment, Prevention Funding

(TASC) – The rollout last month of the Biden Administration’s inauguralNational Drug Control Strategy showcases TASC’s pioneering specialized case management model as a “critical element” in advancing both alternatives to incarceration and harm reduction for justice-involved individuals as...

TASC News | Apr-29-2022

TASC Applauds POTUS Announcement and Congressman Davis’ Role in Second Chance Act Creation

This week President Joe Biden announced measures to improve educational and workforce opportunities, as well as expanded access to healthcare and housing, for formerly incarcerated individuals. TASCapplauded the announcement and the Administration’s efforts to provide important resources and...

Related Issues | Apr-22-2022

Analysis: As Teen Mental Health Worsens, Schools Learn How to Help

Pew (4/18/22) Teen mental health already was deteriorating before the coronavirus pandemic. In the two years since, the isolation, grief and anxiety created by school closures, deaths and loss of family income have led to even steeper declines in children’s mental health, experts say…. Last year...

Related Issues | Apr-18-2022

Medicaid Expansion Boosted Coverage for Adults with Legal Involvement

Xtelligent Healthcare Media (4/18/22) Medicaid expansion was associated with a significant increase in health insurance coverage for low-income individuals with recent criminal legal involvement, according to a study published in JAMA Health Forum. More than 80 percent of Americans with crimina...

TASC News | Mar-07-2022

TASC Featured in White House Release of Model Law to Expand Deflection Programs

(Washington, DC) – TASC’s Center for Health and Justice (CHJ) was featured in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s (ONDCP) March 3 release of theModel Law Enforcement and Other First Responders Deflection Act, a resource for states that encourages the development and us...

TASC News | Jan-07-2022

2021 Health & Justice Legislative Scorecard: A Review of IL General Assembly Advancing Community Needs

(TASC) – Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC) has issued its second Health & Justice Legislative Scorecard, a tally of how Illinois state lawmakers voted on selected bills responding to community needs and advancing health and justice. The review of General Assembly votes...

TASC News | Oct-28-2021

TASC Calls for Equitable Reimbursement Rates for Behavioral Health Services

(Chicago) – Pressing for equitable payment rates for the behavioral health services workforce, TASC President and CEOJoel K. Johnson testified at a recent hearing of the Illinois Senate Committee on Behavioral and Mental Health. Johnson’s testimony, excerpted below, called attention to...

Related Issues | Sep-23-2021

Report shows decreases in opioid prescribing, increase in overdoses

American Medical Association (9/21/21) The American Medical Association (AMA) issued a report (PDF) today showing a 44.4 percent decrease in opioid prescribing nationwide in the past decade. At the same time, the country is facing a worsening drug-related overdose and death epidemic. To...

Related Issues | Sep-20-2021

There Are Fewer People Behind Bars Now Than 10 Years Ago. Will It Last?

The Marshall Project (9/20/21) Nearly two million adults were incarcerated across the country, according to the 2020 Decennial Census. The latest figures show a 13% drop in the total number of incarcerated people, or nearly 300,000 fewer people, compared with the 2010 Census. Roughly...

Related Issues | Sep-17-2021

What Will Happen to Unprecedented High Medicaid Enrollment After the Public Health Emergency?

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation | Urban Institute (9/15/21) Following unprecedented Medicaid enrollment during the public health emergency, analysis projects that 15 million people could lose Medicaid coverage when the emergency declaration ends. Medicaid enrollment has risen substantially since...

TASC in the News | Sep-01-2021

On the record with TASC’s Joel Johnson

Health News Illinois (8/27/21) TASC CEO Joel K. Johnson recently spoke to Health News Illinois about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on substance use disorders and why policymakers must do more to help grow the care workforce. Excerpt: HNI: How has COVID-19 impacted your...

TASC in the News | Aug-30-2021

Do 911 calls ensure public safety? Experts reimagine crisis responses in UChicago event

UChicago News (8/27/21) As cities across the country try to ensure that a 911 call summons the right kind of help—including for those with mental health and substance use issues—a [July 27] University of Chicago event explored ways to “reimagine and improve crisis response.”.... That conversatio...

Related Issues | Aug-24-2021

The Business Case for Criminal Justice Reform: Second Chance Hiring

U.S. Chamber of Commerce (8/18/21) An estimated 70 million people in the U.S. have an arrest or conviction record, and over 600,000 men and women are released from jail each year. Successfully reintegrating these individuals brings many advantages. First, there are advantages to these individuals...

TASC News | Jul-15-2021

Record Overdose Deaths Call for Urgent and Comprehensive Solutions

(TASC) –Last year was the worst year in the history of overdose deaths in the United States. The number of overdose deaths leapt by more than 20,000 in just one year, with a staggering 93,331 lives lost in 2020, according to new provisional data by the Centers for Disease Control and...

Related Issues | Jul-08-2021

Reducing Jail Populations Didn’t Increase Crime, Studies Show

The Crime Report (7/2/21) Studies produced from the Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC) show that reductions in arrests and jail populations do not lead to an increase in crime or adversely impact community safety, reports Essence. The two studies, The Impact of COVID-19 on Crime, Arrests and Jail...

TASC News | May-17-2021

Gun Violence, Public Health, and Racial Justice

(Chicago) – Last week, the American Medical Association (AMA)released its strategic plan to combat racial injustice and advance health equity. Likewise, the American Public Health Association is working to actively address racism as a public health crisis. When it comes to the public...

TASC News | Mar-08-2021

TASC Marks 45 Years of Advancing Health and Justice

(Chicago) – Incorporated on March 8, 1976, TASC, Inc. of Illinois is 45 years old today. Across the decades, TASC has grown from a small pilot program in Cook County to an independent nonprofit reaching nearly 30,000 people across Illinois annually, and providing consulting and public policy...

TASC News | Jan-25-2021

Criminal Justice Reform: Non-Law Enforcement 1st Responders—EMS and Fire—Eligible to Lead Deflection Programs

(Chicago) –Last fall, the Black Caucuslaid out four pillars in their legislative plan to dismantle systemic racism in Illinois: (1) criminal justice reform, violence reduction and police accountability; (2) education and workforce development; (3) economic access, equity and...

Related Issues | Nov-02-2020

Expanded Access to Naloxone Can Curb Opioid Overdose Deaths

Pew (10/20/20) Although the opioid crisis has resulted in approximately 450,000 deaths since 1999, evidence shows that increasing the availability of naloxone—a prescription medication that reverses the respiratory depression caused by an opioid overdose—reduces the rate of opioid overdose deaths...

TASC News | Oct-19-2020

TASC Offers Criminal Justice Reform Recommendations to Illinois Lawmakers at Joint Hearing

(Chicago) – TASC PresidentPam Rodriguez presented testimony last week at a joint legislative hearing, offering subject-matter expertise on diversion and reentry programs in Illinois’ criminal legal system. Held virtually on October 13, the hearing was the fifth in a series on criminal...

Related Issues | Oct-16-2020

Most people in jail can vote. Here’s why many don’t.

Injustice Watch (10/8/20) Most people locked in U.S. jails retain the right to vote. But many detainees still face barriers to the ballot box that exclude them from the electoral process, according to a report released last week by the Prison Policy Initiative, a nonprofit organization that...

TASC News | Sep-21-2020

TASC’s Pam Rodriguez Part of National Conversation on Crime, Race, and Politics during COVID-19

The Sentencing Project recently hosted an online conversation featuring TASC President Pam Rodriguez and other national experts in a Q&A-style webinar exploring the intersecting topics of crime, race, and politics in the unique era of COVID-19. The panel of criminal justice experts...

TASC News | Jun-16-2020

Federal COVID-19 Small Business Loans Denied to Applicants with Criminal Legal System Involvement and Histories

(Chicago) – In March 2020, in the midst of the advancing COVID-19 pandemic, some small businesses and nonprofits were offered access to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) authorized under the federal government’sCARES Act. The PPP was devised to deliver hundreds of billions of dollars to...

Related Issues | Jun-04-2020

US Legislatures slow to pass laws limiting use of force

Associated Press (6/3/20) A wave of police killings of young black men in 2014 prompted 24 states to pass some type of law enforcement reform, while many declined to address the most glaring issue: police use of force. Six years later, only about a third of states have passed laws on the...

TASC News | May-26-2020

NAATP Spotlight: TASC President on Public Policy

(Chicago) – Public policy plays a critical role in nearly every field of service, including substance use treatment. Its importance for the field was the topic of a recent interview with TASC PresidentPam Rodriguezby National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP)...

TASC News | Mar-05-2020

Illinois Lawmakers Graded: TASC Releases Legislative Health & Justice Scorecard

(Chicago) – TASC has issued its inauguralHealth & Justice Legislative Scorecard, a tally of how Illinois state lawmakers voted on selected bills related to health and justice last year, especially for individuals and families impacted by contact with the criminal legal system.A...

Related Issues | Jan-31-2020

Top Trends in State Criminal Justice Reform, 2019

The Sentencing Project (1/17/20)The United States is a world leader in incarceration and keeps nearly 7 million persons under criminal justice supervision. More than 2.2 million are in prison or jail, while 4.6 million are monitored in the community on probation or parole. More punitive...

TASC News | Jan-28-2020

TASC Releases Substance Use Treatment Capacity Expansion Series, Offers Strategies for Collaborative Efforts to Increase Capacity, Access, and Coordinated Care

(Chicago) – The opioid crisis has accelerated local and national conversations about how communities can meet the demand for quality, evidence-based substance use treatment, and how to coordinate access to services. Indeed, as jurisdictions seek to expand criminal justice deflection and...

TASC News | Dec-19-2019

TASC Presents Leadership Awards to Lt. Gov. Stratton, State Department's Brian Morales, and Four IL Legislative Champions

(Chicago) – TASC honored Illinois’ Lieutenant Governor, four state lawmakers, and a U.S. State Department official at the agency’s annual Leadership Awards Luncheon on Tuesday. TASC presented its 2019 Justice Leadership Award to Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton during an awards ceremony attende...

Related Issues | Nov-20-2019

New Report Highlights Continuing Barriers to Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment

Parity Implementation Coalition (11/20/19)A report, “Addiction and Mental Health vs. Physical Health: Widening disparities in network use and provider reimbursement”, released today found that the gap in disparities for individuals seeking mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment...

Related Issues | Nov-20-2019

Cook County’s Criminal Justice System: Trends and Issues Report: 2nd Edition

Loyola University Chicago |Center for Criminal Justice Research, Policy and Practice (11/2019)This report was developed by Loyola University Chicago to provide criminal justice practitioners, policymakers, community organizers and members of the general public with an understanding of...

Related Issues | Nov-13-2019

The Ripple Effect: National and State Estimates of the U.S. Opioid Epidemic’s Impact on Children

United Hospital Fund (11/13/19)The nation's opioid epidemic placed an estimated 2.2 million children and adolescents in crisis as of 2017—28 out of every 1,000—according to achartbook produced by United Hospital Fund (UHF) and Boston Consulting Group.The Ripple Effect: National and...

Related Issues | Oct-29-2019

Women’s Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2019

Prison Policy Initiative (10/29/19)With growing public attention to the problem of mass incarceration, people want to know about women’s experience with incarceration. How many women are held in prisons, jails, and other correctional facilities in the United States? And why are they there? How is...

TASC News | Oct-24-2019

New Illinois Laws: Health and Justice Highlights

(Chicago) - More than 500 bills were signed into law during Illinois’ spring 2019 legislative session, including the following legislation related to health and justice. All of these laws will go into effect on January 1, 2020, unless otherwise noted. Removing Barriers to...

Related Issues | Oct-16-2019

How Is Marijuana Expungement Working In Illinois?

WBEZ (10/16/19)700,000 —that's the number of low-level cannabis records officials say could be wiped out under apiece of Illinois’ new marijuana law that aims to reduce the effects of the war on drugs.But how long will expungement take? And what’s the state doing to make sure it’s...

Related Issues | Oct-04-2019

Pre-Existing Condition Prevalence for Individuals and Families

Kaiser Family Foundation (10/4/19)The impending decision by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in the Texas v. Azar case raises the prospect that insurers will once again be able to return to using people’s health status in determining their eligibility and premiums for health insurance, at least...

Related Issues | Oct-02-2019

The Deep Divide: State Borders Create Medicaid Haves And Have-Nots

Kaiser Health News (10/2/19)State borders have become arbitrary dividing lines between Medicaid’s haves and have-nots, with Americans in similar financial straits facing vastly different health care fortunes. This affects everything from whether diseases are caught early to whether people can stay...

Related Issues | Oct-01-2019

Drive Time a Barrier to Opioid Treatment

U.S. News & World Report (10/1/19)Allowing methadone treatment that's currently available only in tightly regulated clinics to be provided in primary care settings could improve access to opioid addiction treatment in rural America, according to anewstudy.Methadone is one of...

Related Issues | Sep-23-2019

Methadone Barriers Persist, Despite Decades Of Evidence

Health Affairs (9/23/19)Methadone, one of three medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat opioid use disorder (OUD), is effective in reducing illicit opioid use and mortality. Despite extensive evidence of its effectiveness, methadone remains one of the most heavily...

Related Issues | Sep-16-2019

Keeping Kids Out of Adult Court

The Crime Report (9/16/19)During the “tough on crime” era of the 1980s and 1990s, in some states, young people as young as 12 charged with certain offenses could be prosecuted as adults in most U.S. states.Until recently, Florida and Wisconsin state laws even permitted the transfer of children...

Related Issues | Sep-13-2019

Fewer Children Had Health Insurance In 2018 Than Year Before, Census Data Shows

NPR (9/10/19)Nearly half amillion more children were uninsured in 2018 than in 2017, according to data out Tuesday from the U.S. Census Bureau. The drop stems primarily from adecline in the number of children covered by public programs such programs as Medicaid and the Children's...

Related Issues | Sep-12-2019

Number of Uninsured Americans Rises for First Time in Decade

The Wall Street Journal (9/10/19)The number of Americans without health insurance climbed to 27.5 million in 2018, according to federal data that show the first year-to-year increase in adecade, before the Affordable Care Act began reducing the ranks of the uninsured.The increase, which...

Related Issues | Sep-09-2019

Suicide kills one person every 40 seconds, says WHO

Reuters (9/9/19)Across the world, one person takes their own life every 40 seconds, and more people die by suicide every year than in war, the World Health Organization said on Monday. [The WHO] urged governments to adopt suicide prevention plans to help people cope with stress and to reduce...

TASC News | Aug-30-2019

Federal Agency Withdraws Proposal Requiring Disclosure of Participation in Diversion Program on Employment Applications

(Washington, DC) – Facing strong opposition from thousands of individuals and organizations, including TASC, the federal governmentwithdrew in May its proposal to require disclosure of participation in a criminal justice diversion program on federal employment applications. The...

Related Issues | Aug-27-2019

Opioid Treatment Is Used Vastly More in States That Expanded Medicaid

The New York Times (8/21/19)States that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act have seen amuch bigger increase in prescriptions for amedication that treats opioid addiction than states that chose not to expand the program, anew study has found.The study, by researchers a...

TASC News | Aug-16-2019

Lessons from the Opioid Crisis (and All the Drug Crises Before It) as Meth and Cocaine Arrests and Overdoses Surge

(Chicago)– As the opioid epidemic continues to claim lives across the country, attention has focused rightfully on the unprecedented scope of the crisis. What is often overlooked, however, is that deaths from methamphetamine (meth) and cocaine have surged, while rates of alcohol use disorder...

Related Issues | Aug-16-2019

The Effects of Medicaid Expansion under the ACA: Updated Findings from a Literature Review

Kaiser Family Foundation (8/15/19)A substantial body of research has investigated effects of the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on coverage; access to care and related measures (including utilization, quality of care and health outcomes, provider capacity, and affordability...

TASC in the News | Aug-13-2019

Midwestern Legislative Conference Criminal Justice & Public Safety Committee: Is a 'third way' of policing--deflection--emerging?

Council of State Governments | Stateline Midwest (August 2019) A relatively new idea in criminal justice, deflection is a “third way” for police to interact with offenders they encounter. Police officers often only have a binary choice, arrest or release. Deflection seeks to use alternative...

Related Issues | Aug-09-2019

Between 2007 and 2017, 34 States Reduced Crime and Incarceration in Tandem

Brennan Center for Justice (8/6/19)Between 2007 and 2017, 34 states reduced both imprisonment and crime rates simultaneously, showing clearly that reducing mass incarceration does not come at the cost of public safety. The total number of sentenced individuals held in state prisons across the U.S....

Related Issues | Jul-02-2019

Opioids study shows high-risk counties across the country, suggests local solutions to epidemic

University of Michigan (6/28/19)Dozens of counties in the Midwest and South are at the highest risk for opioid deaths in the United States, say University of Michigan researchers.In astudy of more than 3,000 counties across the U.S., the researchers found that residents of 412 counties are a...

Related Issues | Jun-25-2019

Police departments rethink approach to battling addiction crisis

Fox News (6/21/19)As the addiction epidemic across the country continues to break records, police departments are rethinking their approach to how they interact with people with substance abuse disorder. Instead of arresting them, they are urging them to get treatment and helping them get into...

Related Issues | Jun-18-2019

How Connecting Justice-Involved Individuals to Medicaid Can Help Address the Opioid Epidemic

Kaiser Family Foundation (6/17/19)Providing treatment to people with addiction who are involved with the criminal justice system can help address the epidemic of opioid use disorder (OUD) and increasing rates of overdose in the U.S. Many people with OUD and other substance use disorders (SUD) are...

Related Issues | Jun-17-2019

Pregnant, Locked Up, And Alone

WBUR (6/16/19)With female incarceration rates rising in the United States, prisons and jails across the country are contending with new challenges, including caring for pregnant women. Sometimes, those women are being housed alone —in medical units and other types of isolation —for day...

Related Issues | Jun-14-2019

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Releases Report: Collateral Consequences: The Crossroads of Punishment, Redemption and the Effects on Communities

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (6/13/19)The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has released its report,Collateral Consequences: The Crossroads of Punishment, Redemption and the Effects onCommunities. Each year, federal and state prisons release more than 620,000individuals, and eve...

TASC News | Jun-12-2019

TASC Receives National Recognition for Specialized Case Management and Family Services

(Springfield, IL) – Recognized for providing solutions in response to addiction,TASC was honored at the Addiction Policy Forum’sIllinois Innovations Now! banquet at the Lincoln Library in Springfield on June 11. Addiction Policy Forum (APF) is a prominent, nationwide organization...

Related Issues | Jun-11-2019

Key Research Findings Related to Pre-Arrest Diversion Initiatives in the US

Police, Treatment, and Community Collaborative (PTACC) (6/9/19)Pre-arrest diversion programs have been operating since the 1970s, but not until recently has researchstarted to examine the potential benefits of these programs. Most of the current work in this area has largely focused on singl...

Related Issues | Jun-10-2019

Incarcerated Women and Girls

The Sentencing Project (6/6/19)Over the past quarter century, there has been aprofound change in the involvement of women within the criminal justice system. This is the result of more expansive law enforcement efforts, stiffer drug sentencing laws, and post-conviction barriers to reentry...

Related Issues | May-31-2019

Many Adults Targeted by Medicaid Work Requirements Face Barriers to Sustained Employment

Urban Institute (5/30/19)Compared with privately insured adults, Medicaid enrollees who would potentially be subject to work requirements are more likely to face employment barriers, including low educational attainment, health problems, limited transportation and internet access, criminal records...

Related Issues | May-27-2019

The Opioid Epidemic and Medicaid's Role in Facilitating Access to Treatment

Kaiser Family Foundation (5/24/19)In 2017, nearly two million nonelderly adults in the United States had an opioid use disorder (OUD), and of these adults, nearly four in ten were covered by Medicaid. This brief examines Medicaid's role in facilitating access to treatment for OUD. Key findings...

Related Issues | May-20-2019

Research Confirms that Black Girls Feel the Sting of Adultification Bias Identified in Earlier Georgetown Law Study

From ACES Connection (5/17/19)Georgetown Law's Center on Poverty and Inequality has released afollow-up study that finds black girls routinely experience adultification bias. The Center’s original 2017 study,Girlhood Interrupted: The Erasure of Black Girls’ Childhood, applied...

Related Issues | May-14-2019

As the Opioid Crisis Peaks, Meth and Cocaine Deaths Explode

From Stateline (5/13/19)A new analysis from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that fentanyl -- acheap synthetic opioid that is ahundred times more potent than morphine -- and other opioids were involved in nearly three-fourths of all cocaine overdose deaths and...

Related Issues | May-13-2019

Report: Cook County Bail Reform Reduced Jail Population Without More Crime

From WBEZ (5/10/19)Major bail reforms in Cook County led to adecrease in the number of people held in jail, but the reforms did not increase violent crime, according to areport by the office of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans. According to the report, in the 15 months following...

Related Issues | May-09-2019

Opioid Addiction Drug Going Mostly To Whites, Even As Black Death Rate Rises

From NPR | WBUR (5/8/19)White people who addicted to heroin, fentanyl and other opioids have had near exclusive access to buprenorphine, adrug that curbs the craving for opioids and reduces the chance of afatal overdose, according to astudy from the University of Michigan. It...

Related Issues | May-06-2019

Few at risk for opioid overdose get potentially life-saving naloxone

From Reuters (5/3/19)A tiny percentage of people at high risk for opioid overdose are getting prescriptions for naloxone, amedication that could potentially save their lives, anew study finds. Researchers determined that amere 1.5 percent of high-risk patients were prescribed...

Related Issues | Apr-29-2019

Justice Denied: The Harmful and Lasting Effects of Pretrial Detention

From Vera Institute of Justice (April 2019) The pretrial population—the number of people who are detained while awaiting trial—increased 433 percent between 1970 and 2015. This growth is in large part due to the increased use of monetary bail. As court systems increasingly rely on monetary bail t...

Related Issues | Apr-26-2019

Cook County makes it illegal to refuse to show or rent property to people with certain criminal records

From Chicago Tribune (4/25/19)Cook County (IL) commissioners approved an ordinance aimed at ending housing discrimination against people with arrest records. The measure makes it illegal to refuse to show property or rent housing to people with certain criminal records. It doesn't apply to wit...

Related Issues | Apr-26-2019

New Prison and Jail Population Figures Released by U.S. Department of Justice

From The Sentencing Project (4/25/19)By yearend 2017, the United States prison population had declined by 7.3% since reaching its peak level in 2009, according to new data released by the Department of Justice. The prison population decreases are heavily influenced by ahandful of states that...

Related Issues | Mar-27-2019

Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2019, provides annual “big picture” view of confinement in the U.S.

From Prison Policy Initiative (3/19/19)Easthampton, Mass. – Are there 1.3 million people incarcerated in the U.S., or is it actually closer to 2.3 million? Why – and where – are these millions of Americans behind bars? The country’s fragmented systems of confinement make answering basic questions...

TASC News | Mar-18-2019

Reduced Recidivism, Deflection from Justice Involvement, Family Reunification among TASC 2018 Highlights

(Chicago) – In state fiscal year 2018, TASC reached more than 44,000 people in justice, corrections, child welfare, and health systems across Illinois. Nearly 14,000 adults and youth received in-depth services to help them achieve health and well-being in the community. Additionally, over 30,000...

TASC News | Feb-14-2019

Governor Pritzker Establishes New Justice, Equity and Opportunity Initiative

(Chicago) – Governor JB Pritzker has established the Justice, Equity and Opportunity (JEO) Initiative that will be housed under and spearheaded by Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton. Created by Executive Order 2019-9, the JEO Initiative will centralize the state's criminal justice...

Related Issues | Feb-12-2019

National Drug Control Strategy Names Deflection Model for Pre-Arrest Diversion

Excerpt from the 2019 National Drug Control Strategy (January 31, 2019, page 11)Recently, some pioneering police departments began diverting individuals addicted to drugs directly to treatment in lieu of arrest. Many communities are adopting pre-arrest diversion programs and other law enforcement...

TASC News | Dec-04-2018

Health and Justice Reforms on the Ballot: 2018 Midterm Election Results

(Chicago) –Several criminal justice initiatives advanced during the 2018 midterm elections, marking notable progress in justice reform.In Florida, for example, voters approved Amendment 4, which restores voting rights to people—1.4 million—who have completed serving the terms of their...

TASC News | Nov-27-2018

Poll: 69% Back Illinois Law Pushing Drug Treatment over Arrest

(Grayslake, IL) – A new bipartisan law that authorizes local police departments and community partners to develop local strategies to fight the Illinois opioid crisis has the overwhelming backing of Illinois voters, according to a recent poll. On August 22, 2018, Governor Rauner signed...

TASC News | Oct-12-2018

In Illinois, People with Criminal Records May Register and Vote

(Chicago) – With Election Day approaching on November 6, states across the country have differing laws on the voting rights of people with criminal records.Illinois citizens with a criminal record have the right to vote, as long as they are not serving time in jail or prison. Those being held in...

TASC News | Aug-24-2018

Governor Rauner, Illinois Lawmakers Weigh in on New Pre-Arrest Diversion Legislation

(Chicago) —Illinois lawmakers weighed in on the significance ofSenate Bill 3023, signedon Wednesdayby GovernorBruce Rauner.The first state legislation to authorize a comprehensive array of pre-arrest diversion program approaches, it supports law enforcement...

TASC News | Aug-22-2018

Governor Signs Illinois Law Enforcement Diversion Bill, First of Its Kind in the Nation

(Springfield)– Illinois Governor Bruce Raunersigned groundbreaking legislation on Wednesday that authorizeslocal law enforcement leaders and community partners to create local programs that “deflect”individuals who have substance use problems away from the justice system...

Related Issues | Aug-01-2018

The Cost of Justice: The Impact of Criminal Justice Financial Obligations on Individuals and Families

From the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority:Monetary penalties, such as court costs, fees, and fines, are common sanctions levied by the criminal justice system. While these sanctions are used to offset court operations' costs, the financial burden disproportionately impacts those...

TASC News | May-30-2018

Illinois Mental Health Parity Bill Passes House, Moves to Senate

(Springfield) — Illinois Senate Bill 1707, described by the Kennedy Forum Illinois as “the strongest mental health parity law in the nation,” passed the House on May 30 with a 106-9 vote. Sponsored by House Deputy Majority Leader Lou Lang, the bill strengthens parity law,increasing complianc...

TASC News | Apr-19-2018

Senate Panel OKs Bush Bill to Give Police, Communities “Road Map” to Fight Opioid Crisis

(Grayslake, IL) – An Illinois Senate panel has approved a bipartisan plan that authorizes local police departments and community partners to develop local strategies to fight the Illinois opioid crisis.The Senate Human Services Committee on April 10 voted 8-0 to advance legislation, Senate Bill...

TASC News | Dec-12-2017

Addiction Policy Forum Announces New Initiatives and Partnerships to Address the Opioid Crisis

(Chicago) — The Addiction Policy Forum, of which TASC is a national partner, has announcedseveral new initiatives to help families in the United States struggling with opioid addiction and other substance use disorders. The programs put in motion key elements of the...

TASC News | Oct-27-2017

National Public Health Emergency Declared in Face of Opioid Crisis; TASC and Partners Collaborating to Offer Solutions and Strategies

(Chicago) – Drug overdoses killed more than 64,000 people in the United States in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s an average of 175 people per day. On October 26, President Trump declared the opioid crisis a national public health emergency, “directing al...

TASC News | Oct-12-2017

2017 TASC Leadership Award Honorees Announced

(Chicago)– Howard A. Peters III and Jessica Hulsey Nickel,longtime advocates in the fields of criminal justice and healthcare policy, will accept TASC’s 2017 Leadership Awards at the agency’s annual luncheon in Chicago on December 14. Howard A. Peters III, 2017 TASC Justice Leadership...

TASC News | Aug-15-2017

IACP and TASC Announce National Initiative to Combat the U.S. Opioid Epidemic and Mainstream Pre-Arrest Diversion Programs

(Chicago) – The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC) have come together to promote an initiative to create robust alternative-to-arrest diversion programs for state, county, and local law enforcement agencies across the...

TASC News | Jun-23-2017

TASC Opposes the Gutting of Medicaid

(Chicago) – TASC stands in opposition to the proposed massive cuts to Medicaid under the U.S. Senate’s draft Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, which would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. We share this opposition with our partners—including the National Association of Addiction...

TASC News | May-19-2017

Collateral Consequences of Convictions

(Chicago) –TASC submitted comments for the May 19 briefing of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on Collateral Consequences: The Crossroads of Punishment, Redemption, and the Effects on Communities.The briefing focused on the barriers to successful community reentry forformerly...

TASC News | Mar-10-2017

Governor Rauner Signs Bipartisan Criminal Justice Reform Legislation at TASC

(Chicago)– Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner, accompanied by bill co-sponsors State Senator Kwame Raoul (D-13) and State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth (D-92), signed bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation at TASC on March 10. SB2872, also known as the Neighborhood Safety Act, increases traum...

TASC News | Mar-03-2017

OP-ED: Revamping of Health Law Could Be Costly to Illinois

As Congress prepares to replace the Affordable Care Act, it is essential that the Medicaid expansion provision of the law be protected.Any rollback of federal Medicaid coverage would be particularly harmful to Illinois, especially as our state grapples with budget deficits, an opioid epidemic, and...

TASC News | Jan-20-2017

New Illinois Laws Remove Employment Barriers for People with Criminal Records

(Chicago) – Job seekers with past justice involvement have new opportunities for employment this year, thanks to a series of bills passed by the Illinois General Assembly and signed by Governor Bruce Rauner in 2016. These measures, which TASC supported, reduce or eliminate a number of employment...

TASC News | Oct-07-2016

TASC Releases Medicaid Policy Briefs, Offers Financing Strategies to Improve Community-Based Healthcare Access for Criminal Justice Populations

(Chicago) – Recent Medicaid policy reforms present new opportunities to improve community-based healthcare access for people under justice and corrections supervision. Access to care is critical to reducing recidivism, given high rates of substance use, mental illness, and chronic medical...

TASC News | Sep-21-2016

Fundamentals of Alternatives to Incarceration

(Chicago) – In the United States, the majority of people who come into the criminal justice system have a substance use problem, which is a treatable health condition. As a response to non-violent offenses related to drug use and addiction, there are many alternatives to incarceration that are mor...

TASC News | Sep-03-2016

TASC Joins Partners in West Side Heroin Task Force to Address Chicago’s Opiate Epidemic

(Chicago) – TASC Vice President of Community and Government Affairs George Williams joined other membersof the new West Side Heroin Task Force assembled on International Overdose Awareness Day to announce findings of a study on the impact of heroin in Chicago’s west side...

TASC News | Aug-08-2016

Addiction Policy Forum and National Criminal Justice Association Partner to Translate Opioid Research to Practice

[On Monday, August 8 from 1:45-3:15 PM EDT (12:45-2:15 PM Central), the National Forum on Criminal Justice livestreamed a panel discussion on Strategiesfor Combating the Opioid Epidemic. TASC President Pam Rodriguez was among the speakers.]The Addiction Policy Forum and the National Criminal...

TASC News | Jul-25-2016

New Law Removes Barrier to Restored Citizenship for Eligible TASC Clients

(Chicago) – Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner has approved a bill aiming to prevent the collateral consequences of a criminal conviction forTASC clientswho have successfully completed probation, including alcohol or drug treatment.SB2601, sponsored by Illinois State Senator Mattie Hunter...

TASC News | Jun-16-2016

Paths to Addiction Treatment Fraught With Barriers; Misinformed Expectations Can Set Up Disappointment

(Chicago) – For people in need of addiction treatment, and for families struggling to find help for a loved one, the barriers can be overwhelming.Desperation can lead families to fall prey to unsavory treatment marketing practices, reported Alison Knopf in the June 13 edition of Alcoholism and Dru...

TASC News | Apr-25-2016

National Reentry Week Highlights Key Elements of Criminal Justice Reform

The U.S. Department of Justice has designated April 24-30 as National Reentry Week, highlighting efforts to support successful community reintegration for men and women who have been incarcerated.Renewed community reentry strategies are part of a wave of criminal justice reforms across the country...

TASC News | Apr-06-2016

Medicaid Expansion: Improving Access to Substance Use and Mental Health Treatment for Justice Populations

(Chicago) – April 2016 marks the third anniversary of Cook County’s groundbreaking jail-based Medicaid application project, through which people detained at the jail have received assistance in applying for health coverage.Some15,000 detainees have gained Medicaid coverage since 2013,...

TASC News | Mar-18-2016

U.S. Senate Passes Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), Bipartisan Bill Moves to House of Representatives

On March 10, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA). The legislation embodies a comprehensive response to addiction and the opioid crisis, earning the support of over 130 organizations—including TASC—in the fields of prevention, treatment,...

TASC News | Feb-18-2016

TASC Public Policy Priorities

At local, state, and federal levels, TASC supports public policies that reduce incarceration and create healthier communities. Our policy priorities are to:1. Shrink the justice systemby diverting eligible people away from prosecution and incarceration and into community-based services, as...

TASC News | Dec-14-2015

Sheriff Tom Dart, Bill O’Donnell Receive TASC Leadership Awards; Access to Healthcare and Recovery Highlighted at Annual Event

(Chicago) – TASC held its 2015 Leadership Awards Luncheon on December 10, honoring Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart and entrepreneur Bill O’Donnell for their advocacy on behalf of people with mental health and substance use disorders. “Sheriff Dart has called national attention to the injustice of...

TASC News | Oct-09-2015

Revision of Automatic Transfer Law Achieves Common Cause for Illinois Juvenile Justice Reform

OP-ED: During the 2015 spring legislative session, bi-partisan cooperation and compromise led to agreed upon changes to the Illinois criminal code, creating a fairer and more effective justice system for youth. Accomplishments include a new reform, House Bill 3718, sponsored by State...

TASC News | Mar-05-2015

TASC President Appointed to Governor Rauner’s Criminal Justice Reform Commission

(Springfield) – TASC President Pam Rodriguez has been appointed to Governor Bruce Rauner’s Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform. Established by the Governor’s executive order in February, the new Commission will examine all aspects of Illinois’ criminal justice...

TASC News | Feb-11-2015

Governor Rauner Boosts Criminal Justice Reform; Solutions Include Diversion and Alternatives to Incarceration

(Pamela Rodriguez OP-ED) GovernorBruce Rauner signed an executive order on Wednesday to establish the Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform. Given that Illinois’ prison population has grown by 700 percent in the past 40 years, the commission will make...

TASC News | Jan-02-2015

Illinois Employers No Longer Allowed to Ask About Criminal Histories on Job Application Forms

(Chicago) – As of January 1, 2015, a new Illinois law effectively eliminates questions fromprivate businesses’job applications about whether applicants have a criminal history. The lawrequires an employer or employment agency to wait until an applicant has been selected for an...

TASC News | Oct-10-2014

New Illinois Law Automatically Expunges Records of Juvenile Arrests That Don’t Lead to Convictions

(Chicago) – In early June, Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation to automatically clear arrest records for less serious, non-violent juvenile cases that do not lead to convictions, providing a “clean slate” to young people and avoiding a permanent, professional handicap weighing on their...

TASC News | Jul-17-2014

OP-ED: In Heroin Fight, Public Health Strategy, Vivitrol Are Key Weapons

OP-ED: First and foremost, Illinois public officials – legislators and the governor alike – must recognize that the Illinois heroin crisis is a public health crisis. For that reason, we applaud lawmakers of the Illinois House Heroin Crisis Task Force for approaching and taking testimony from...

TASC News | Jul-10-2014

TASC Leaders Featured in 2014 National Drug Control Strategy and White House Video

(Chicago) – TASC President Pamela F. Rodriguez and President Emeritus Melody M. Heaps are featured in the 2014 National Drug Control Strategy, released July 9by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). Rodriguez, TASC’s president and CEO since 2009, and Heaps,...

TASC News | Jul-03-2014

Researchers to Study Impact of Affordable Care Act on Public Safety; Cook County Key Research Site

(New York) — Laura and John Arnold Foundation(LAJF) has announced a grant to a team of researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School to study the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) impact on public safety. The project will examine innovative programs...

TASC News | Apr-17-2014

TASC VP, Experts Spotlight Prevention, Treatment Funding at Illinois House Heroin Hearing

(Chicago) –A top TASC official, a local prosecutor, and health experts sent a clear message to lawmakers at an Illinois House heroin hearing this week: prevention and treatment funding are a priority. The new House Task Force on Heroin Crisis held its first hearing in Chicago on Tuesday and...

TASC News | Nov-26-2013

National Law Enforcement Leaders Examine Science of Substance Use Disorders and Implications for Practice

(Chicago) – White House Drug Policy DirectorR. Gil Kerlikowskeand Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy were among the high-level policy and law enforcement leaders who met in Chicago recently for a seminal task force meeting to discuss the science of substance use disorders and...

TASC News | Oct-24-2013

Preeminent Addiction Neuroscientist Named Advisor to TASC Center for Health and Justice

(Chicago) — Timothy P. Condon, PhD, a distinguished expert in the neuroscience of addiction, has been named chief science advisorto the Center for Health and Justice(CHJ) at TASC.Timothy P. Condon, PhD, Chief Science Advisor to the Center for Health and Justice at TASC With extensiv...

TASC News | Oct-02-2013

342,000 Low-Income Illinois Citizens to Have Access to Medical Care, Treatment for Substance Use and Mental Health Conditions, Beginning January 1

(Chicago) – In 90 days, 342,000 low-income Illinois citizens will have access to health care, including many of those involved in the Illinois criminal justice system who require treatment for mental health, substance use, and medical conditions.On July 22, Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation,...

TASC News | Aug-30-2013

Illinois Lawmakers, Quinn Remove Employment Barriers Resulting from Criminal Records

(Chicago) – Illinois lawmakers approved multiple pieces of legislation during the spring legislative session to eliminate barriers to gainful employment for people with non-violent criminal records, including a measure to expand the number of felony conviction records eligible to be sealed.On...

TASC News | Aug-27-2013

New Illinois Law Adds Hispanic/Latino Category to Criminal Justice Data Collection

(Chicago) – Illinois has become one of only a handful of states to adopt standards requiring law enforcement to track Hispanic/Latino arrest data.Only two states (New York and California) currently track such data, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Along with the 48 states...

TASC News | Aug-23-2013

New Illinois Law Clears Hurdle to Health Care Access Upon Exit from Incarceration

(Chicago) – As a means to reduce recidivism and stabilize communities, the availability of reliable health care upon release from jail or prison is a crucial dimension to any community reentry strategy. In particular, ready access to medications and services that treat mental illness and addiction...

TASC News | Aug-13-2013

Emanuel, Preckwinkle, TASC Chief Praise Holder Drug Sentencing Shift

(Chicago) – Chicago’s top elected officials and TASC today hailed the Justice Department’s decision to abandon charging certain low-level, nonviolent drug offenders with crimes that carry mandatory prison sentences. At a speech in San Francisco on Monday, Attorney General Eric Holder said accused...

TASC News | Aug-06-2013

TASC President Hails Quinn Signature on New Criminal Justice Reform Laws

(Chicago, IL) – A new state law that is set to give Illinois employers a tax break to hire people with criminal records was signed over the weekend as part of an Illinois justice reform package. Senate Bill 1659, which was among several signed by Governor Pat Quinn at a press conference on August...

TASC News | Aug-01-2013

Madison County, IL Curbs Heroin Fatalities; Deaths Climb in DuPage, Marion, Winnebago

(Chicago, IL) – As heroin deaths surge in several Illinois counties, Madison County has answers that can slam the brakes on fatalities.Heroin killed at least 15 people in DuPage County in July alone, and Winnebago County is experiencing record overdose death rates. Similar stories are emerging...

TASC News | Jul-31-2013

Heroin Deaths Surge in DuPage; Good Samaritan Law and Emergency Meds Can Prevent Fatalities But They’re Not Enough

(Chicago, IL)– DuPage County in July added itself to the list of Illinois counties where heroin deaths are occurring at a record pace, with at least 15 fatalities this month alone. In Winnebago County, 41 people died from a heroin overdose in 2012 – nearly double the overdose deaths in...

TASC News | Jul-19-2013

Law Diverting 17-Year-Olds Facing Felony Offense to Juvenile Court Advances Rehabilitation

(Chicago) – A new law permitting 17-year-olds charged with felony crimes to be tried in juvenile rather than adult court is a key Illinois juvenile justice reform that emphasizes rehabilitation of youth over more strict punitive measures, says a top Illinois justice advocacy group. The law, House...

TASC News | Jun-12-2013

Our View: End Racial Disproportionality in Drug Arrests, Expand Interventions for All Drug Offenders

(Chicago) — According to a new report by the American Civil Liberties Union, and as reported in the Chicago Tribune, African-Americans in Illinois are nearly eight times more likely than whitesto be arrested for marijuana possession, even though usage rates between the groups are nearly the...

TASC News | Dec-22-2012

Christopher Kennedy Lawford: Addiction Doesn’t Discriminate; Opportunities for Treatment, Recovery Shouldn’t Either

(Chicago, IL) — “I was born in a family where addiction doesn’t just run – it gallops. We had fame, we had power, we had wealth. What we didn’t understand is that addiction ignores all that.”This was the life of Christopher Kennedy Lawford, who shared his story of addiction recovery with more than...

TASC News | Dec-06-2012

Why Systems Matter: Are They Helping or Hurting Communities?

The following column byTASCPresident Pamela Rodriguezappears inTASC’sFall/Winter 2012 News & Views:As a social work student at the University of Chicago 32 years ago, I learned that the way our society operates, and the means through which we create or deny...

TASC News | Oct-15-2012

Governor Pat Quinn at Drug Prevention Symposium: “We don’t ever, ever want to leave a person behind”; Chicago Sun-Times Columnist Neil Steinberg Discusses Personal Experience in Recovery

Lillian and Larry Goodman Foundation and Roosevelt University Partner for Drug Prevention; TASC’s Peter Palanca Moderates Panel Discussion; Rev. Tommie Johnson Honored (Chicago, IL) — Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, Chicago Sun-Times columnists Bill Zwecker and Neil Steinberg, and numerous dru...

TASC News | Apr-26-2012

New Report: Illinois Medicaid Cuts Could Cost Illinois 25,000 Jobs

(Springfield, IL) – Two health-care advocacy groups are predicting thousands of job losses and billions of dollars in economic damage toIllinois, ifGov.Pat Quinn’s plan to conjure $2.7 billion in savings from theMedicaidprogram is implemented.Quinn’s plan would...

TASC News | Mar-30-2012

Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. Visits HRDI and TASC Services

Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. speaks to staff and clients of HRDI and TASC. Photo by TASC staff. (Chicago, IL)— Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) met recently with staff and clients from the Human Resources Development Institute (HRDI) and Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities...

TASC News | Mar-20-2012

Association Recognizes Senator Dick Durbin, Congressman Danny Davis, and IL Senators Mattie Hunter and Kwame Raoul for Racial Justice Efforts

(Chicago, IL) —The Illinois Association for Criminal Justice (IACJ) presented awards on March 18 to U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, Congressman Danny K. Davis and Illinois State Senators Mattie Hunter and Kwame Raoul for legislative leadership in criminal justice policy. The association’s inaugural...

TASC News | Mar-14-2012

IACJ to Honor U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, Congressman Danny K. Davis, IL Senator Mattie Hunter and IL Senator Kwame Raoul for Criminal Justice and Racial Justice Legislation

(Chicago, IL) — Supporters of criminal justice reform are invited to join the Illinois Association for Criminal Justice (IACJ) in honoring legislators who have demonstrated key leadership in advancing racial and criminal justice.IACJ’s awards will be presented at theSafer Foundation,...

TASC News | Feb-23-2012

Gov. Pat Quinn’s Illinois Budget: Close Some Illinois Prisons, Invest More Money in Illinois Community Care

(Chicago, IL) – Illinois Governor Pat Quinnlaid out plans for Illinois’ FY’13 budget on Wednesday, calling for cost-cutting measures that decrease reliance on expensive Illinois prisons and other Illinois institutions while increasing theuse of transitional services and community-based...

TASC News | Jan-31-2012

Illinois’ Unpaid Bills Could Top $34 Billion in 5 Years

(Springfield, IL) – Illinois’ difficulties reining in its pension costs are expected to pale in comparison to its efforts to control Medicaid, the state’s other big expense.A new report released Monday from the Civic Federation, a Chicago-based nonpartisan policy group that focuses on state...

TASC News | Jan-09-2012

Illinois Pension, Medicaid Costs to Top Illinois Budget Problems in 2012

(Springfield, IL) – Illinois will be facing an $800 million deficit within three years, despite tax revenue projected to grow by more than $1 billion a year.“These projections clearly demonstrate that action must be taken to control notonly Medicaid costs but also (pension) costs or all othe...

TASC News | Dec-21-2011

Gov. Pat Quinn OK’s Restoration of Illinois Substance Abuse Treatment Funding

(Springfield, IL) – Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation Monday that restores $28 million to Illinois substance abuse treatment services that were cut inadvertently earlier this year.The legislation, Senate Bill 2412, reallocated money within the current Illinois budget to reinstate the treatment...

TASC News | Nov-30-2011

Illinois Lawmakers Vote Overwhelmingly to Restore Illinois Substance Abuse Treatment Money

(Chicago, IL) – The Illinois legislature on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to restore nearly $30 million to community substance abuse treatment providers throughout Illinois, drawing praise from advocates. “This supplemental budget immediately restores substance abuse treatment money to community...

TASC News | Nov-30-2011

Illinois Lawmakers OK Funding to Keep Illinois Prisons, Mental Health Facilities Open

(Springfield, IL) – Illinois’ seven endangered prisons and mental health facilities will stay open for at least the next six months after lawmakers gave Gov. Pat Quinn the power to shift nearly $300 million inside the state budget.But more importantly, lawmakers also said they sent the governor...

TASC News | Nov-21-2011

Congress Restores Second Chance Act Funding

(Chicago, IL)—Federal funding forSecond Chance reentry programs, which had been cut by the Senate in September (see Sept. 16post), has been restored. The House originally had approved $70 million for the Second Chance Act, but the Senate had eliminated the funding, leaving...

TASC News | Nov-09-2011

Creating Institutional Change in the Criminal Justice System: White House Blog Post by Judge William Dressel

(Chicago, IL) — Judge William F. Dressel, president of the National Judicial College, discusses a collaborative effort for systems change in a new blog post for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.The Judicial Leadership Systems Change Initiative was developed by the...

TASC News | Oct-26-2011

Top Researchers Advise on Criminal Justice Reform in “The Prison Journal”; Chicago Experts Arthur Lurigio, Pamela Rodriguez Featured

(Chicago, IL) – The Prison Journal has released a landmark publication on criminal justice reform that is a must-read for policy makers across the country. Chicago’sArthur Lurigio, professor of psychology and criminology at Loyola University Chicago, and Pamela Rodriguez, president of...

TASC News | Oct-14-2011

Congressman Danny Davis, White House Drug Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske Headline Oct. 17 Forum on Drug Prevention, Treatment, and Adjudication Programs

(Chicago, IL) – Congressman Danny Davis (D-IL) will convene a forum featuring Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policyand local drug prevention and treatment advocates to discuss the impact of Federal and local initiatives to combat recidivism and...

TASC News | Sep-26-2011

Lawmakers Dennis Reboletti, Adam Brown, Mattie Hunter Open Way for Seized Drug Money to Help Fund Addiction Treatment

(Chicago, IL) – A bi-partisan group of Illinois state lawmakers this year opened the door to a possible new source of funding for addiction treatment agencies: money seized from drug dealers.The legislation, House Bill 2048, was introduced by State Representative Dennis Reboletti (R-Addison) and...

TASC News | Sep-22-2011

State Panel to Address Data Gaps in Racial and Ethnic Identities of Arrestees

(Chicago, IL) – Illinois lawmakers concerned about incomplete demographic profiles of arrestees have created a panel to develop a comprehensive system to collect and analyze police data.On August 16, Governor Pat Quinn signed Senate Bill 2271, which creates the Racial and Ethnic Impact Research...

TASC News | Sep-21-2011

Governor Pat Quinn Approves Law to Improve Employment Chances for Former Offenders

(Chicago, IL) – Governor Pat Quinn has approved an additional mission for a state employment oversight panel: review existing job regulations that could be revised to help former offenders get jobs.Quinn signed legislation, House Bill 297, that directs the Illinois Task Force on Inventorying...

TASC News | Sep-19-2011

Racial Justice: Gov. Pat Quinn OKs Panel to Tackle African-American Economic, Social Disparities

(Chicago, IL)– To address economic and social inequalities faced by African Americans in Illinois, the state legislature this year overwhelmingly approved and Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation that creates the Commission to End the Disparities Facing the African-American Community.The...

TASC News | Sep-16-2011

U.S. Senate Panel Votes to Cut Second Chance Funding

(Washington, DC) — The Crime Report, a news servicethat covers nationalcriminal justice issues, reported Thursday that the Senate subcommittee that oversees the U.S. Justice Department’s budget has voted to eliminate funding for the federal Second Chance Act, which funds community...

TASC News | Sep-14-2011

To Combat Discrimination, Illinois Judges Can Now Seal Arrest, Trial Records of Persons Innocent, Acquitted of Criminal Charges

(Chicago, IL) – Discrimination can haunt even the innocent. Job seekers who have been arrested for a felony crime, but found innocent still face discrimination when seeking employment and housing because the original arrest record has been required to be a public record.Until now.Thanks to new,...

TASC News | Sep-13-2011

Do Illinois Drug-Free Zone Laws Shield Children from Drug Crimes?

(Chicago, IL) – Illinois drug-free zone laws have mushroomed and mutated over the years with the intention of blunting drug crimes that affect children. But do they work?The Drug-Free Zone Laws Task Force,created bySenate Resolution 255under the sponsorshipof State Senator...

TASC News | Sep-09-2011

Illinois Tax Revenue Jumped from $1.9 Billion in August 2010 to $2.2 Billion Last Month

(Springfield, IL) — Illinois Personal income tax revenue jumped by 68 percent for last month when compared with the same time in 2010, almost mirroring the personal income tax increase of 67 percent approved in January, according to a report issued by the Legislature’s Commission on Government...

TASC News | Aug-11-2011

September is National Recovery Month

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Observed annually each September,Recovery Month promotes the societal benefits of treatment for substance use and mental disorders, celebrates people in recovery, lauds the contributions of treatment providers, and promotes the...

TASC News | Jul-26-2011

TASC, Coalition for Whole Health Recommend Coverage of Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Services in Essential Health Benefit Package

(Chicago, IL) — Substance use disorder and mental health services must receive equitable coverage in the implementation of health care reform, according to the Coalition for Whole Health, a group of national organizations that seek improved coverage for and access to prevention, treatment,...

TASC News | Jun-28-2011

New Illinois Budget Not Settled Gov. Pat Quinn Says

(Springfield, IL) — Gov. Pat Quinn may sign the 2012 state budget Thursday, but the spending plan is not a one-and-done deal.“The budget is an on-going process,” said Quinn. “We have to work on it 365 days of the fiscal year.”Quinn, who introduced a nearly $36 billion budget, said he is not happy...

TASC News | Jun-23-2011

Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka Racing to Pay $1.8 Billion in Illinois Medicaid Bills by June 30

(Springfield, IL) — Illinois lawmakers on Wednesday approved a plan to delay a $365 million payment into Illinois’ rainy day fund, and instead use that money to pay some of the billions of dollars Illinois owes to Medicaid providers.Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka said the state is racing to maximiz...

TASC News | Jun-10-2011

OUR VIEW: Governor Quinn Should Sign Budget with Restored Funding for Addiction Treatment

TASC appreciates the General Assembly’s work in restoring FY12 funding for addiction treatment and case management. These funds originally had been eliminated in Governor Quinn’s proposed FY12 budget.Thanks to the House sponsorship of Speaker Michael Madigan and Representative Sara Feigenholtz,...

TASC News | Jun-01-2011

Gov. Pat Quinn Is “Reviewing” Illinois Budget Impact on Illinois Human Services, Aide Says

(Springfield, IL) — June 1, 2011. Illinois’ new budget may spend less than Gov. Pat Quinn’s original proposal, but it is higher than this past year’s budget and was balanced by delaying the payment of billions of dollars in unpaid bills until this current fiscal year.“The governor has been clear …...

TASC News | May-27-2011

Illinois GOP Opposes Democratic Efforts to Pay Overdue Bills

(Springfield, IL) — May 27, 2011. Democrats are pushing the plan toborrow $6.2 billion in order to pay some of Illinois’ $8.2 billion in past-due bills.Republicans say lawmakers have to stop borrowing and start cutting spending if Illinois is ever going to pay its bills and live within its...

TASC News | May-24-2011

Illinois Treasurer Wants to Hike State Bond Costs to Pay Backlog of Unpaid Bills to Human Service Providers, Other Vendors

(Springfield, IL) — May 24, 2011. Illinois treasurer Dan Rutherford cannot stop lawmakers from borrowing billions to pay the state’s backlog of unpaid bills, but he can make it more expensive —and that’s exactly what Rutherford says he plans to do.Rutherford released his own report tha...

TASC News | May-21-2011

Feigenholtz, Steans Reshape Illinois Human Services Budget

(Springfield, IL) — Gov. Pat Quinn and former Gov. Jim Edgar may have different political views, but Quinn is dealing with a similar, but bigger, challenge than Edgartackled during his tenure as governor.Edgar faced a nearly $2 billion deficit in 1991. Quinn assumed office in 2009, inheritin...

TASC News | May-17-2011

Illinois House, Senate Restore Drug Treatment Money Cut by Gov. Pat Quinn

(Springfield, IL) — Both the Illinois House and Senate last week approved human services budgets for next year that virtually restored and, in the senate version, fully restored drug prevention and treatment funding that Governor Pat Quinn had proposed eliminating in his original budget plan.The...

TASC News | May-10-2011

Illinois House Lawmakers Put Final Touches on Illinois Budget; Most Programs Face Cuts

(Springfield, IL) — Both the Illinois House and Senate last week approved human services budgets for next year that virtually restored and, in the senate version, fully restored drug prevention and treatment funding that Governor Pat Quinn had proposed eliminating in his original budget plan.The...

TASC News | May-05-2011

Illinois Budget: Labor Union Rolls Out TV, Radio Ad Campaign; House, Senate Budget Lawmakers Divided

(Springfield, IL) — May 5, 2011. Services Employees International Union for Healthcare in Illinois and Indiana has been placing television and radio advertisements throughout the state, hoping to deter lawmakers from cutting dollars for child care and home care services for the elderly.“These ads...

TASC News | May-02-2011

Illinois Senate Democrats Seek Budget Details from GOP as Votes Near

(Springfield, IL) – As Illinois’ budget deadline approaches, the Illinois Senate could be the next fiscal battleground.Fresh off of a two-week break, Illinois state senators on Monday returned to the Capitol to iron out the final details of a $30-billion-plus state spending plan.“We’re going to...

TASC News | Apr-29-2011

State Rep. Ron Stephens Opposes Illinois Human Services Budget Cuts

(Springfield, IL) — April 29, 2011. The Illinois Department of Human Services says it will be forced to cut programs to some of the state’s most vulnerable residents unless it is spared from deep cuts in next year’s budget.But lawmakers on Thursday questioned the agency’s commitment given the fact...

TASC News | Apr-20-2011

Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka Opposes Short-Term Borrowing Plan to Pay Backlog of Bills

(Springfield, IL) — Illinois Treasurer Dan RutherfordandComptroller Judy Baar Topinkacan both agree on a plan to merge their offices, but short-term borrowing is a different thing.Republicansopposed Gov. Pat Quinn‘s plan to borrow $8.75 billion to help the state pay off its...

TASC News | Apr-18-2011

Senate President John Cullerton, GOP Leader Christine Radogno Divided over Budget

(Springfield, IL) — Illinois Senate Republicans and Democrats agree that cuts are a must to balance next year’s Illinois budget, but they argue over exactly how to do it.After the Senate on Friday passed several measures to make payments to state pension funds, Senate President John Cullerton,...

TASC News | Apr-12-2011

Illinois House Putting Programs on the “Chopping Block”, Says Rep. William Davis

(Springfield, IL) — There are going to be some tough decisions made in Springfield. And not everyone is going to be happy with the outcomes.The Illinois House’s appropriations committees will be outlining in the coming weeks specific spending amounts for next year’s Illinois budget, a power...

TASC News | Apr-11-2011

Illinois House, Senate and Gov. Pat Quinn Have Competing Illinois Budget Plans

(Springfield, IL) — The differences between Illinois’ 2011 budget and the still-to-be crafted 2012 budget are becoming more apparent each day.Lawmakers in the House and Senate are working on their own versions of a spending plan, complete with revenue projections and line-by-line appropriations....

TASC News | Apr-04-2011

$3 Billion Separates Illinois House, Gov. Pat Quinn over Illinois Budget Plan

(Springfield, IL) — As the Illinois House of Representatives andGov. Pat Quinn duke it out in the state budget ring, the House is about $3 billion lighter compared to the governor’s spending fund.From the House’s $33.2 billion fiscal year 2012 budget plan, lawmakers set aside $23.8 billion t...

TASC News | Mar-31-2011

Illinois House, Senate at Odds over Illinois Budget Revenue Projections

(Springfield, IL) — March 31, 2011. A budgetary battle could be brewing in the state Capitol, but not necessarily between Republicans and Democrats.House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) and House Republican Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) appeared together Wednesday morning to deliver a joint...

TASC News | Mar-30-2011

Mattie Hunter: Illinois Human Services Receive $211 Million Less than Last Year in Gov. Quinn’s New Budget

ONE YEAR after the passage of the Affordable Health Care Act, families and individuals across the country are feeling the benefits. Yet, in Illinois, health and human service providers are still facing continual cuts and, in turn, their patients are not receiving the quality health care...

TASC News | Mar-10-2011

Gov. Quinn Rescinds Immediate Cuts to Drug Treatment; Next up: FY12 Funding Restoration

On February 18, Governor Quinn’sadministration informed the IllinoisAlcoholism and Drug Dependence Association (IADDA) thatstate funding for drug treatment and prevention would be eliminated effective March 15.As of March 9, the Governor’s office...

TASC News | Mar-07-2011

Illinois House Panel to Vote on Resolution Calling for Immediate Halt to Gov. Quinn’s Elimination of Drug Treatment Funding

(Springfield, IL) — From the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association:An Illinois House legislative panel is slated to hold a votethis weekon a House resolution calling on Governor Pat Quinn to halt a plan by his administration to eliminate all state funding for substance...

TASC News | Feb-24-2011

State Reps. Sara Feigenholtz, Jim Watson Seek to Halt Gov. Quinn’s Move to Eliminate Illinois Substance Abuse Treatment Services

(Springfield, IL) – State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) and State Rep. Jim Watson (R-Jacksonville) yesterday unveiled a bi-partisan Illinois House resolution, HR 106, at a press conference in Springfield calling on Governor Pat Quinn to halt the elimination of all state funding for...

TASC News | Feb-02-2011

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: Justice System Unfair to Drug Offenders

(Chicago, IL) – February 2, 2011The Chicago Sun-Times has published an editorial following the release of the final report by the Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact Study Commission. (See story.)The editorial concludes, “The state can make improvements… by increasing funding for...

TASC News | Dec-17-2010

Survey: Drug Use Among 8th-Graders Surges; IL Treatment, Prevention Funding Cuts Aggravate Problem

(Chicago, IL) – Driven by increases in marijuana use, a new national survey says the rate of eighth-graders saying they have used an illicit drug in the past year jumped to 16 percent, up from 13 percent in 2007, but in Illinois, funding cuts to drug abuse prevention and treatment have left...

TASC News | Dec-08-2010

TASC Founder Receives Justice Leadership Award, Calls for Public Health Approach to Addiction

At TASC’s December 1 annual luncheon, TASC founder Melody M. Heaps accepted the agency’s 2010Justice Leadership Award.Attendeeswere moved byMs. Heaps’speech, of which excerpts are offered below. Photos and quotes from other luncheon speakers will be...

TASC News | Oct-18-2010

OP-ED: Prison Drug Treatment Would Reduce Crime, Recidivism, Budgets; Deficit Commission Should Heed Savings by Treatment, Recommendations in National Drug Control Strategy

COMMENTARYBy Robert Weiner and Daphne BailleSeeop-ed published in theChicago Sun-Times.Two million, three hundred thousand Americans are in prison today—number one in the world. That’s up from 500,000 in 1980. Seven million Americans are now in the criminal...

TASC News | Aug-27-2010

Senator Heather Steans, Rep. Greg Harris Focus Town Hall Meeting on Illinois Budget Crisis; Attendees Applaud Alcohol, Drug Prevention, Treatment Services

(Chicago, IL) – August 27, 2010. State Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago) and State Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) led a town hall meeting at St. Augustine College on Chicago’s north side on August 19 to discuss the current Illinois budget crisis, drawing some 100 north side constituents to weigh in...

TASC News | Aug-26-2010

New Data Show Drop in Illinois Alcohol-Related Traffic Fatalities, But Budget Cuts to Alcohol Treatment Put Gains at Risk, Advocates Say

(Chicago, IL) – August 26, 2010. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), Division of Traffic Safety released data yesterday showing a lower number of alcohol-involved motor vehicle fatalities in Illinois between 2007 and 2008, while health advocates warned that substance abuse treatment...

TASC News | Jul-25-2010

As Chicago Heroin Escalates, Senator Mattie Hunter Calls on Gov. Pat Quinn to Reverse Drug Treatment Funding Cuts

(Chicago, IL) – July 24, 2010. Coming on the heels of Illinois budget cuts to state substance abuse prevention and treatment programs and a new study that reveals Chicago now has the worst heroin problem in the nation, State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) is calling on Governor Pat Quinn to...

TASC News | Jun-30-2010

Our View: Decreasing Drug Treatment Funding Only Fuels Illinois Heroin Scourge

(Chicago, IL) — That heroin abuse has worsened in the Chicago area over the last decade (“Heroin abuse surging in Chicago and its suburbs,” Sun-Times, June 28) surprises none of us in the drug treatment and criminal justice field, but it infuriates us because our warnings have been greeted by...

TASC News | Jun-24-2010

TASC Model Recommended in National Drug Control Strategy

The 2010 National Drug Control Strategy includes specific mention of TASC as a model to help break the cycle of drug use, crime, delinquency, and incarceration.Released by theWhite House, the strategy establishes five-year goals for reducing drug use and its consequences. It was...

TASC News | May-18-2010

Coming to Chicago in July: 4th National Conference on Women, Addiction and Recovery

EARLY REGISTRATION DEADLINE EXTENDED TO JUNE 15th! The 2010 National Conference on Women, Addiction and Recovery: Thriving in Changing Times will take place at the Chicago Marriott Downtown/Magnificent Mile from July 26-28, 2010.Sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services...

TASC News | Nov-16-2009

From CCAI: Gov. Pat Quinn Aims to Borrow $900 Million to Ease Illinois Cash Flow Crisis—Madigan, Cullerton, Cross, and Radogno Must Address Longer-Term Illinois Budget Problem

From the Child Care Association of Illinois, of which TASC is a member: Governor Pat Quinn is planning to borrow $900 million to help cash-strapped Illinois to pay its bills through the winter.Quinn’s borrowing plan should help newly-appointed Secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services...

TASC News | Nov-14-2009

TASC featured on KMOV-TV St. Louis

Edwardsville — TASC’s Craig Cooper and Megan Miller were interviewed by Diana Zoga of Channel 4 St. Louis regarding the consequences of the state’s delayed payments to service providers such as TASC. Watch here.Illinois has demonstrated success in reducing recidivism through coordinated...

TASC News | Sep-28-2009

White House Official to Speak at IL Drug Prevention, Treatment Conference

(Chicago) – Dr. Kevin Sabet, special advisor for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, will speak at a statewide conference on drug prevention and treatment at the Hilton Lisle/Naperville on Tuesday, September 29. Dr. Sabet, a longtime advocate of alternatives to...

TASC News | Sep-21-2009

State Lawmakers, Criminal Justice Experts to Scrutinize Racial Impact of Illinois Drug Laws

Springfield, IL – State legislative and criminal justice leaders gathered in Chicago on Monday to evaluate the impact of Illinois drug laws on minority communities. Members of the Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact Study Commission will begin work to determine if current state laws and...

TASC News | Jul-16-2009

IL Budget Passes With Modified Cuts to Human Services; TASC Awaits Revised State Contracts; Furloughed TASC Staff Return to Work

(Chicago) — The Illinois General Assembly approved, and Governor Pat Quinn signed, three budget bills Wednesday that lessen the blow of funding cuts to human service providers. Instead of the 50-75 percent cuts that had been in place, state funding for social services will be approximately 14...

TASC News | Jul-10-2009

Illinois Doomsday Budget Forces TASC to Suspend Addiction Services

(Chicago, IL) — TASC (Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities), a not-for-profit helps drug and alcohol addicts get into treatment, is losing 76 percent of its state funding in the Illinois doomsday budget crisis.Beginning July 1, workers were forced to take two weeks off without pay.The...

TASC News | Jul-10-2009

DCFS Restores Funds Previously Cut from TASC’s Child Welfare Programs; DHS Funding Cuts Hurting Thousands

(Chicago) — The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) has taken the lead in restoring funding to vital human services. Having sent notification in mid-June that TASC’s child welfare programs were being zeroed out, DCFS has restoredfunds to TASC and other service provider...

TASC News | Jul-02-2009

CBS-2 News Video: Illinois Doomsday Budget Forces TASC Employee Furlough, Client Service Cuts

(Chicago, IL) — WBBM/CBS-2 TV’s Derrick Blakley reports that the Illinois doomsday budget has forced TASC to furlough much of its statewide workforce and drastically curtail Illinois substance abuse treatment services to individuals struggling with drug and alcohol addiction.Watch...

TASC News | Jul-01-2009

TASC Court Services Suspended Due To Illinois Doomsday Budget

(St. Louis, MO) —From Ryan Dean KSDK TV:One organization paying close attention to the happenings in Springfield, Illinois is TASC (Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities).The not-for-profit helps drug and alcohol addicts get into treatment. Leaders of the organization say they are goin...

TASC News | Jun-24-2009

Children & Parents Lose TASC Services; Dozens of TASC Staff Furloughed and Laid Off; Still No State Budget Resolution in Sight for Quinn, Cullerton, Madigan, Cross, Radogno

(Chicago) — Multiple news reports have implied that June 30 is the deadline for Governor Pat Quinn, Senate President John Cullerton, House Speaker Michael Madigan, Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, House Minority Leader Tom Cross and the remainder of the General Assembly to straighten out...

TASC News | Jun-21-2009

Cuts to Drug Treatment Fiscally Irresponsible; Budget Cuts Shift Costs to Counties, Threaten Public Safety; Quinn Wants IL General Assembly to Vote on Revenue Wednesday

(Chicago) – In the face of massive budget cuts that eliminate state funding for drug treatment, criminal courts across Illinois face backlogs and chaos if treatment is not available as a sentencing option for nonviolent offenders. The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, theLaSalle News Tribune, and...

TASC News | Jun-18-2009

WBEZ Interviews TASC on Budget Cuts; Quinn, Cullerton, Madigan, Radogno and Cross Still Deadlocked

(Chicago, IL) — “We have never been in this kind of situation before.”That’s a big statement when it’s spoken byTASC President Melody Heaps, who has seen numerous state budget battlesin her 33 years at the helm of TASC.TASC received budget cut letters this week from the...

TASC News | Jun-16-2009

IL Budget Cuts Wipe Out TASC Child Welfare Services; Quinn, Cullerton, Madigan, Radogno, Cross Meet; Special Session To Begin 6/23

(Chicago, IL) —Fifty-percent budget cuts to human services across Illinois are devastating. To substance abuse treatment and case management programs, a 50-percent cut would not be remotely acceptable — but it would be an improvement.Most substance abuse treatment agencies funded by th...

TASC News | Jun-16-2009

Governor Quinn’s Office Reiterates Need for Tax Hike to Fund Human Services

Governor Quinn’s Chief of StaffJerry Stermer and Chief Operating Officer Jack Lavin held a public budget briefingin a crowded room of some 150 human service advocates and providers at the Bilandic Building in Chicago this morning. An outdoor rally at the Thompson Center to protest the...

TASC News | Jun-15-2009

TASC and IL Treatment Agencies Receive Doomsday Letters; Still No Answers from Quinn, Cullerton, Madigan, Radogno, Cross

TASC and numerous substance abuse treatment providers received letters today (June 15) from the Illinois Department of Human Services announcing that service contracts will be cutsome 75 percent as of July 1. Service providers will be forced to cut or suspend services until the...

TASC News | Jun-14-2009

“Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention Services? Gone.” Still No Resolution from Governor Quinn, Michael Madigan, John Cullerton, Tom Cross, Christine Radogno

Massive service cuts and layoffs in addiction healthcare, child welfare, mental health, and other human services will begin July 1 unlessGovernor Pat Quinn, Senate President John Cullerton, House Speaker Michael Madigan, Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, House Minority Leader Tom...

TASC News | Jun-11-2009

Thank You To Our Donors — Patrons Corboy & Demetrio, Benefactor Astellas Pharma US, and Many Others!

TASC’s 2009 Leadership Award Luncheon on June 10 celebrated the leadership andachievements of numerous individuals.It was also TASC’s most successful fundraising event ever, thanks to all who contributed to TASC and who shared in our enthusiasm as we honored Louis Garippo and Isaac...

TASC News | Jun-10-2009

IL Drug Treatment and Prevention in Jeopardy; July 1 Deadline Looms for Governor Quinn and Legislative Leaders Cullerton, Radogno, Madigan, and Cross

(Chicago, IL) — Governor Quinn’s office said again Thursday thatwithout a tax hike, 65,000people who need treatmentmay be unable to get it (WQAD, Rock Island).Thirty-nine percent of these individuals, oran estimated25,000, areoffenders who will lose access...

TASC News | Jun-09-2009

New Directions for Drug Policy in IL; One-Day Conference This Friday in Chicago

A one-day conference focusing on the need for changes in Illinois drug policy will take place at Roosevelt University in Chicago this Friday, June 12 from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM.The conference, New Directions for Illinois Drug Policy,is hosted by Protestants for the Common Good in...

TASC News | Jun-04-2009

Governor Pat Quinn, Top Lawmakers-Cullerton, Madigan, Cross, Radogno-Meet; State has $11.6 Billion Deficit, Drug Treatment on Chopping Block

(Chicago, IL) The four state legislative leaders and Governor Quinnmeet again today (June 9) to hammer out a budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Senate President John Cullerton, Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, House Speaker Michael Madigan, House Minority Leader To...

TASC News | Jun-01-2009

Illinois Legislature Slashes Governor Pat Quinn’s Budget, Illinois Drug Treatment by 50%

(Springfield, IL) — The Illinois General Assembly this weekend slashed Governor Pat Quinn‘s proposed budget by 50 percent, gutting human services, including drug treatment.Governor Quinn has said that he will not sign this budget.Quinn had proposed an income tax increase from 3 to 4.5 percent,...

TASC News | May-28-2009

New Reports Reveal Chicago Tops Nation in Arrestee Drug Use; Illinois Drug Treatment Spending Paltry

(Chicago, IL) — Chicago leads the nation in illicit drug use among arrestees, with 87 percent testing positive for drugs, according to a new report.The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, which made the data public on Thursday, reports heroin use in Chicago leapt 45 percentin...

TASC News | May-27-2009

TASC President Melody Heaps Receives White House Award

(Washington, DC)—TASC Founder and PresidentMelody Heaps was recognized by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy(ONDCP) at a Washington reception in her honor on May 21.Ed Jurith, General Counsel and recent Acting Director of ONDCP, presented Ms. Heaps with ...

TASC News | May-26-2009

Governor Pat Quinn Threatens to Close Two Drug Treatment Prisons, 2,200 Addicted Offenders Will Return to Illinois Communities

(Chicago, IL) —Governor Pat Quinn’s proposed closure of Illinois’ two drug treatment prisons would result in the release of 2,200 offenders to communities across the state, with their addictions intact and no drug treatment available to them.This would be only one consequence of the Governor’s...

TASC News | Apr-16-2009

5¢-a-Drink Alcohol Tax Proposed to Help Fill Illinois Budget Gap, Protect Drug, Alcohol Treatment Funding

(Chicago, IL) – The State of Illinois currently is facing an estimated $11.6 billion budget deficit. Billion.Lawmakers have introduced dozens of proposals to raise revenue designed to help address this deficit, including increases in cigarette taxes, property taxes, and gasoline taxes, to name a...

TASC News | Apr-21-2008

Plan to Study State Drug Laws Impact on Minority Imprisonment Rates Approved, 54-0, by Illinois Senate

(Springfield, IL) —The Illinois State Senate on Thursday approved legislation, 54-0, to create a commission that would examine the impact of Illinois drug laws on minority imprisonment rates or those of lower economic status, according to the bill’s chief sponsor, State Sen. Mattie Hunter...

TASC News | Apr-14-2008

President Bush Signs Second Chance Act, Providing Funding for Drug Treatment; Rep. Davis Attends

(Washington, D.C.) — On April 9, with members of Congress and others on hand, including Chicago U.S. Representative Danny Davis (D-IL), President George W. Bush signed the prisoner re-entry legislation, Second Chance Act of 2007, at the Executive Office Building in Washington. The Act authorize...

TASC News | Apr-08-2008

TASC Advocates, Lawmakers Seek Reduction of Minorities in Illinois Prisons, Offer Solutions

(Springfield, IL) – Drug treatment advocates and state lawmakers today unveiled legislation at a press conference in Springfield to tackle the unyielding escalation of minorities sentenced to Illinois prisons. Representatives from Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities, Inc. (TASC) and State...

TASC News | Mar-18-2008

Rep. Davis, Heaps Hail Second Chance Act Approval, Angered at Spike in U.S. Prison Population

(Washington, D.C.) —TASCPresident Melody Heaps joined U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-Illinois) at a Washington, D.C. press conference last week to hail the recent U.S. Senate passage of the Second Chance Act and to urge President George Bush to sign the legislation.The Second Chance Act passed the...

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