Roll Call: Cook County state’s attorney needs to rethink elements of Misdemeanor Deferred Prosecution Program

I believe in second chances. I also believe in accountability. Those two principles aren’t mutually exclusive, which is why I have serious concerns about Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen Burke’s newly expanded Misdemeanor Deferred Prosecution Program.Directing people charged with genuinely low-level, nonviolent offenses toward treatment, behavioral-health services, housing assistance or other community resources can make sense. Not every misdemeanor requires the full weight of traditional prosecution, especially when there is a legitimate opportunity to address the circumstances that contributed to the conduct.But some of the offenses selected for this program matter, and that is where I believe Burke needs to rethink the policy.The new program allows qualifying defendants to enter a deferred prosecution track and, upon successful completion, have their cases dismissed without a misdemeanor conviction. The program includes offenses such as criminal trespass, theft, reckless conduct,