Restore Justice Illinois (RJI) is the lobbying arm of the Restore Justice Foundation. Restore Justice Illinois advocates for reducing or eliminating mandatory minimum prison sentences, rolling back sentencing enhancements including for the use of a firearm in the commission of a crime, limiting the scope of the felony murder rule, and expanding parole. RJI has backed and endorsed Democratic candidates for state’s attorney’s offices.

History

Restore Justice Illinois was formed in 2014 to conduct direct legislative outreach on changing Illinois’ criminal justice laws. ¹ RLI is affiliated with the Restore Justice Foundation, which engages in outreach, research, training, and partnerships with other organizations supporting leniency in criminal justice. ²

Issues

Restore Justice Illinois advocates for reducing or eliminating mandatory minimum prison sentences and allowing discretion by judges on sentencing for individual cases. ³ RJI seeks to roll back laws providing for mandatory sentencing enhancements if a gun is used during the commission of certain felonies. ⁴ Illinois currently provides discretion in using firearm enhancements in sentencing for individuals under 18 years old. ⁵ RJI seeks to expand these discretionary enhancements to anyone under 21 years old. ⁶

Restore Justice Illinois seeks to limit the use of the felony murder rule in prosecutions in Illinois. ⁷ In 2021, Illinois passed a law limiting the felony murder rule to apply only where a defendant or co-defendant caused a death during the course of the felony, instead of the previous law where a defendant could be charged when the death occurs as a result of the conduct of a third party. ⁸ RJI’s executive director, Jobi Cates, has advocated for abolishing the felony murder rule entirely, calling it draconian, especially for youth. ⁹

In 1978, parole was abolished in Illinois until a 2019 law revived the possibility of parole for persons incarcerated before they are 21. ¹⁰ Restore Justice Illinois seeks to expand this law to apply retroactively to individuals already incarcerated. ¹¹ RJI has supported ending solitary confinement in prisons as a punitive measure, allowing more prison visits for families of inmates, and the creation of a family liaison within the Department of Corrections to receive complaints, assist family, and report to the legislature on issues within the department of corrections. ¹²

Finances

In 2020, Restore Justice Illinois had assets of $76,270. ¹³ According to the organization’s tax returns, in 2020 Restore Justice Illinois recorded $79,394 in revenue and $34,038 in expenses. ¹⁴ In 2019, Restore Justice Illinois had $87,313 in revenue and $57,054 in expenses. ¹⁵

Candidate Support

Restore Justice Illinois endorsed and made two political contributions to state’s attorney’s races in 2020. ¹⁶ RJI contributed $5800 to Friends of Eric Rinehart (D) in Lake County and $2,000 to Jamie Moser (D) for Kane County. ¹⁷ In 2020, RJI made its first-ever endorsement in the Cook County state’s attorney’s race, endorsing controversial incumbent Kim Foxx (D). ¹⁸

Leadership

Joanna “Jobi” Cates is founder and executive director at Restore Justice Illinois. ¹⁹ Previously, she was senior director for Chicago and the Midwest at Human Rights Watch. ²⁰ Cates has worked at Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Youth, Mayer and Morris Kaplan Family Foundation, Chicago Public Schools, the Commercial Club of Chicago, and the City of Chicago. ²¹ As a consultant, Cates has managed projects for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. ²² She is a member of the Asset Funders Network, a left-of-center grant-making organization that advocates economic equity stating the country’s legal and socioeconomic system is built on racism. ²³ Cates contributed to Democrat Daniel Biss’s campaign for governor of Illinois in 2018. ²⁴

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2. “Restore Justice Illinois.” Restore Justice Illinois. Accessed August 28, 2022. https://restorejusticeillinois.org.
3. “Our Focus Areas.” Restore Justice Foundation. Accessed August 26, 2022. https://www.restorejustice.org/learn/our-focus-areas//.
4. “Our Focus Areas.” Restore Justice Foundation. Accessed August 26, 2022. https://www.restorejustice.org/learn/our-focus-areas/
5. “2022 Legislative Agenda.” Restore Justice Illinois. Accessed August 28, 2022. https://restorejusticeillinois.org/2022-legislative-agenda/.
6. “2022 Legislative Agenda.” Restore Justice Illinois. Accessed August 28, 2022. https://restorejusticeillinois.org/2022-legislative-agenda/.
7. “Felony-Murder in Illinois.” Restore Justice Foundation. Accessed August 26, 2022. https://www.restorejustice.org/learn/felony-murder/.
8. “Impact.” Restore Justice Foundation. Accessed August 26, 2022. https://www.restorejustice.org/about-us/impact/#:~:text=HB%203653%2C%20SA%202%20–%20now,deaths%20caused%20by%20third%20parties.
9. Cates, Jobi. “Lake County Case Shows Why Illinois Should Abolish the Felony Murder Rule.” Chicago Sun-Times. August 15, 2019. Accessed August 29, 2022. https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/8/15/20807715/felony-murder-rule-illinois-gurnee-teens-lake-county-restore-justice-jobi-cates.
10. “Impact.” Restore Justice Foundation. Accessed August 26, 2022. https://www.restorejustice.org/about-us/impact/#:~:text=HB%203653%2C%20SA%202%20–%20now,deaths%20caused%20by%20third%20parties.
11. “HB531: Frequently Asked Questions.” Restore Justice Foundation. December 4, 2019. Accessed August 26, 2022. https://restorejusticeillinois.org/hb531-frequently-asked-questions/.
12. “Impact.” Restore Justice Foundation. Accessed August 26, 2022. https://www.restorejustice.org/about-us/impact/#:~:text=HB%203653%2C%20SA%202%20–%20now,deaths%20caused%20by%20third%20parties; “Restore Justice Applauds Governor Pritzker, Senator Fine, Representative Gabel, and the Illinois Department of Corrections for Supporting Families with Incarcerated Loved Ones.” June 10, 2022. Accessed August 26, 2022. https://www.restorejustice.org/media-advisory-restore-justice-applauds-governor-pritzker-senator-fine-representative-gabel-and-idoc-for-supporting-families/.
13. Restore Justice Foundation, Return of an Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990-EZ), 2020.
14. Restore Justice Foundation, Return of an Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990-EZ), 2020.
15. Restore Justice Foundation, Return of an Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990-EZ), 2019.
16. Restore Justice Foundation, Return of an Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990-EZ), Schedule C, 2020.
17. Restore Justice Foundation, Return of an Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990-EZ), Schedule C, 2020; “Jamie Mosser, Democratic Candidate for Kane County States Attorney.” Restore Justice Illinois. Accessed August 29, 2022. https://restorejusticeillinois.org/states-attorney-survey-responses/jamie-mosser/; “Eric Rinehart, Democratic Candidate for Lake County State’s Attorney.” Restore Justice Illinois. Accessed August 29, 2022. https://restorejusticeillinois.org/states-attorney-survey-responses/eric-rinehart/.
18. “Restore Justice Illinois Endorses Kim Foxx for Cook County State’s Attorney.” March 11, 2020. Accessed August 29, 2022. https://restorejusticeillinois.org/restore-justice-illinois-kim-foxx/; Hinton, Rachel. “Another Billionaire Weighs in on State’s Attorney’s Race: George Soros Gives $2 Million to Group Backing Foxx.” Chicago Sun-Times. February 20, 2020. Accessed August 29, 2022. https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2020/2/20/21146269/george-soros-kim-foxx-bill-conway-states-attorney.
19. “Jobi Cates.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 26, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jobicates/.
20. “Jobi Cates.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 26, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jobicates/.
21. “Jobi Cates.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 26, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jobicates/.
22. “Board of Directors.” Restore Justice Illinois. Accessed August 26, 2022. https://restorejusticeillinois.org/board-of-directors/#cates.
23. Cates, Jobi Peterson. “Teens, Booze, Crime, and Courts.” www.medium.com. October 4, 2018. Accessed August 29, 2022. https://medium.com/@jobipetersencates/teens-booze-crime-and-courts-eab0c5bd2c31; “Realizing Economic Justice.” Asset Funders Network. Accessed August 29, 2022. https://assetfunders.org/realizing-economic-justice/.
24. ^[1] Center for Responsive Politics. “Daniel Biss.” Opensecrets.org. March 22, 2021. Accessed August 26, 2022. https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?name=Jobi+cates; “Daniel K. Biss.” Ballotpedia. Accessed August 26, 2022. https://ballotpedia.org/Daniel_K._Biss.