Although the Cook County Courthouse's architectural design has given it praise, its functioning as a center for criminal justice has undergone harsh criticism, specifically due to reports of inmate abuse, poor living conditions, and vastly delayed case hearings. Part of this, in fact, has to do with the design itself. One example of this is suggested by Kate Silver in her article about her experience touring the courthouse. Although impressed with the building’s design, her opinion took a significant turn upon entering a prison cell. When her guides allowed her to experience a holding cell with the doors closed, she recalls, “We stood in the dark, depressing jail where countless criminals and innocent people have, awaiting their fate. It made my palms sweat” (Silver). This description reflects two prominent controversies that have placed the courthouse under fire: the inadequate living conditions that it provides, as well as the inexcusably long periods of imprisonment that many of its inmates have experienced - especially those who have been found innocent.
Possibly the most controversial criticism that the Cook County Courthouse has faced is the issues that it has had with excessively long and delayed bail hearings. In an article discussing this very issue, freelance journalist Kamil Ahsan explains, “When speaking to critics of bond court, the phrase heard most often is ‘assembly line.’ ... [It] recognizes a central characteristic of bond court: The entire process that allows so many inmates to remain in jail even before their trial hinges on the few seconds they get in front of the judge at their bond hearing” (Ahsan). In summary, the courthouse's bond process has been called an 'assembly line' because even with the immense volume of people that have been incarcerated, the courts have been severely ineffective in reviewing and processing each individual case, leading to the jail's increasing inmate population having to wait unjustifiably long periods for their cases to be heard.
As if this wasn't controversial enough, the majority of the people that are affected by this 'assembly line' are from the local communities surrounding the complex, which mostly comprises of minorities and impoverished citizens. During a visit to the courthouse for his research, Ahsan recalls how "Confused and worried family members, predominantly African American or Hispanic, are a common sight. Many sob in a corner, worried sick that the bail amount decided will be too onerous. By far the most common complaint is that the hearing went by so fast that they didn’t even catch what the bond decision was” (Ahsan). This goes to show just how problematic this very issue is: not only does it subject the affected inmates to cruel circumstances, but it also burdens the emotional states and financial limitations of their friends and family. Furthermore, this controversy is by no means a contemporary phenomenon; in fact, it has proved to be an issue that the courthouse has faced for decades, even during the first few years of its existence. Northwestern University graduate Thomas F. Geraghty, now an associate dean for the university's school of Law, had researched the Cook County's practice of criminal law in 1929, as well as its operations today. In his published work, he describes the following:
“Criminal practice in today's Cook County Criminal Court involves primarily the prosecution and defense of young black men. A substantial proportion of defendants in Cook County have always been designated as indigent. These racial and economic facts affect all aspects of Cook County's past and existing criminal justice system, including the care with which prosecutions were and are conducted, the resources devoted to the defense of criminal cases, and the attitudes and qualities of judges who preside over trials” (Geraghty 557).
It is an unfortunate fact that the majority of those prosecuted and incarcerated in the Cook County Courthouse come from oppressed and impoverished backgrounds, with no capacity to effectively deal with the injustice that they undergo. Although the media has covered this subject with more consitency over the past decade than in previous years, the truth is that the Cook County Criminal Division has done little to solve this ongoing problem.
But this hasn't discouraged the local communities surrounding the courthouse to raise awareness about this issue. One such example is 96 Acres, a project led by artist and Chicago native Maria Gaspar, which aims to humanize inmates of the county jail, and to examine the impact that incarceration has had on the surrounding communities. The project was founded by Gaspar in 2012, who is recognized as an activist for the communities of color. As described on her website (mariagaspar.com), 96 Acres is “A series of community-engaged, site-responsive art projects that involve community stakeholders’ ideas about social and restorative justice issues, and that examine the impact of incarceration at the Cook County Jail.” In an interview for the Chicago Tribune, Gaspar further elaborates on the purpose and inspiration behind the project by explaining that "It's important to understand the place we are neighboring — what we can do as residents to help (people who are released) ... [and] We really hope to just create more consciousness and raise the issues of how incarceration, for example, has increased in this country ... how that impacts people of color and people who are poor" (Schmadeke). Projects such as 96 Acres have encouraged active engagement across the local communities, helping those affected while also raising awareness about the issues existing in the criminal justice system. In a topic that has faced such controversy, it presents a positive and empathetic approach from the people of Cook County in an effort to create a dialogue between the people and the courts.
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