Slaughter Continues the Fight for Criminal Justice Reform on Task Force on Constitutional Rights and Remedies

CHICAGO – To advance the conversation around policing and the continued use of qualified immunity, state Rep. Justin Slaughter, D-Chicago was recently appointed by House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch as one of the co-chairs of the Constitutional Rights and Remedies Task Force. 

“Law enforcement is an extremely critical and necessary career for our society,” said Slaughter. “It’s important that we honor and respect our officers, but we must hold them accountable if civil and human rights are violated.”

Rep. Slaughter was selected as a co-chair of the task force alongside state Sen. Elgie Sims, D-Chicago. Both elected officials are responsible for sponsoring the historic criminal justice reform SAFE-T Act in their chambers. The task force, which was established as part of the SAFE-T Act, is tasked with examining qualified immunity and submitting a detailed report to the General Assembly. 

Qualified immunity is a legal protection for law enforcement officers that grants them immunity from certain civil lawsuits and its elimination was one of the most contentious parts of the SAFE-T Act. The task force is composed of a diverse set of voices including elected officials, law enforcement, scholars and community activists. The meetings are open to the public and can be accessed by visiting  www.ilga.gov. 

“I am committed to ensuring that this process is fair and transparent,” said Slaughter. “As we continue to push for criminal justice reform in Illinois, this task force is an important and necessary element in our ongoing process.”

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