By: Caroline Brady             The Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution asserts that “excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”[1] The Constitution does not require bail but mandates that when bail is given, it cannot be excessive.[2] The Supreme Court held that bail is excessive when it is set at … Continue reading The Elimination of Cash Bail in Illinois

 By: Payton Ward   Introduction             In a country incarcerating nearly 1.9 million people,[1] 61% of inmates have work assignments[2] and “have been stripped of even the most minimal protections against labor exploitation and abuse.”[3] Oftentimes, prison workers are assigned to work under dangerous conditions and generate billions of dollars worth of goods, with little to no pay.[4] If they … Continue reading Prison Labor or Modern-Day Slavery?

By Liza Garrity “Society needs women on welfare as “examples” to let every woman, factory workers and housewife workers alike, know what will happen if she lets up, if she’s laid off, if she tries to go it alone without a man. So these ladies stay on their feet or on their knees all their lives instead of asking why they’re only getting 90-some cents … Continue reading A Brief History of the National Welfare Rights Organization

By Hope Wilder Each minute, 20 people[1] experience physical abuse by an intimate partner[2] in the United States.[3] Over one-third of women and near one-third of men have experienced physical violence, sexual violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner.[4] Further, nearly 50% of women and men have experienced psychological aggression[5] at the hands of an intimate partner.[6] Coercive control is the cyclical pattern of behavior … Continue reading Coercive Control: The Cost of Criminalization