The so-called War on Drugs has turned the United States into a “prisoner nation” with horrendous consequences for African Americans. Pam Rodriquez, head of Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC) served as staff director of the Disproportionate Justice Impact Commission Report, mandated two years ago by the Illinois General Assembly. more

Why should Christians care about drug policy? Just last week, our new Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle answered this question with a forthrightness I have rarely seen in any political leader. Holding up a copy of the book The New Jim Crow, Mass Incarceration in the Age of Color Blindness, President Preckwinkle stated that we as a society we are guilty of “institutional racism.” more

PCG’s commitment to the environment has always required us to care for God’s creation—and to help the most vulnerable among us, those who have contributed the least to the problem, but stand to suffer the most. more

What is happening right now with the Illinois budget in Springfield is pitiful. Advocates and human services officials can do little more than fight over, and try to protect, what few scraps and breadcrumbs remain for the poor, and, increasingly, for the middle class. more

If there is one thing I have believed about being a United States citizen and living in this country, it is the basic premise that all of us are innocent until proven guilty. I know that police and judges are human and make mistakes. But… more

“Do you recall the story of Sodom and Gomorrah? We are told that had there been ten righteous men, the city would have been saved. For some time now, I have had the sneaking suspicion that there were 10 righteous men, but their righteousness wasn’t relevant. And that, I think, is the problem with the church.” —William Sloane Coffin more

Why did the Illinois General Assembly just pass a historic tax increase on individuals and corporations? Given our failures to address the state’s growing structural deficit for the past ten years, if not longer, it had no other choice. The critical question now is: “Where do we go from here?” more

A constitutional amendment to limit spending is under consideration in the current “lame duck” session of the IL General Assembly. Some legislators say that we must have spending limits in order to approve a tax increase. We’re talking about political cover here, not good policy. But with Illinois acknowledged as the worst state when it comes to unpaid bills, and second-worst (behind California) in pension liability, do our legislators need this kind of political self-protection just to do the right thing? more

“Do you love me?” Jesus asked Peter. “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Then Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:16–17) Jesus wasn’t asking Peter to be charitable. He was telling him to give the sheep what they need. Put in the language of democracy, Jesus was speaking not of benevolence but of justice. more

Some of the patients supporting the legalization of medical marijuana were weeping openly in the hallways of the Capitol yesterday when the SB 1381 did not pass the Illinois House. Our hope for victory was high. more