CHICAGO—Alderman Gilbert Villegas of the 36th Ward is advocating for a resolution to address Chicago’s ballooning expenses related to wrongful convictions that have cost the city more than $781 million and could add to its $1 billion budget deficit.
Speaking at a town hall at Faith Community of St. Sabina on October 27, Alderman Villegas, joined by Father Michael L. Pfleger, and justice reform advocates warned that without immediate reforms, taxpayers will continue to bear the brunt of millions in wrongful conviction payouts.
Father Pfleger, a prominent voice against systemic injustice, emphasized the financial and human costs of Chicago’s failure to confront wrongful convictions. “They are spending millions of dollars on outside law firms”
Father Pfleger noted, highlighting how such expenses drain resources from reforms that could prevent innocent people from imprisonment. His comments underscored the city’s staggering legal costs and reflected its ongoing struggle to address decades of police misconduct.
Ald. Villegas’ proposal urges a risk assessment of over 200 active wrongful conviction cases in the court system. He advised that the city settle cases it is unlikely to win, which would allow for more effective resource allocation.
This approach, he argued, would save taxpayers from excessive legal fees and settlements, a burden compounded by the city’s significant deficit. The resolution, however, is currently in the City Council’s Finance Committee, chaired by Ald. Pat Dowell of the 3rd Ward.
The town hall featured testimonies from Dr. Mica Battle, executive director of Bridge to Freedom, longtime activist Wallace “Gator” Bradley, Jasmine Smith co-chair of Campaign to Free Incarcerated Survivors of Torture, a representative from the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression,
And James Gibson, a wrongful conviction survivor who spent 30 years in prison after reportedly being tortured by former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge. Mr. Gibson’s and others’ testimonies illustrated the devastating toll wrongful convictions take on families and communities.
Dr. Battle, who pursued higher education after her release in 2002 and now holds a doctorate, highlighted the high cost of incarceration. “The Illinois Department of Corrections spends $20,000 to $100,000 a year to house an inmate—that makes absolutely no sense at all”
She said. “This is a money game.” Dr. Battle, who now works in prison reentry programs, noted that many wrongly convicted individuals are still imprisoned.
Ms. Smith called for consequences for those involved in fabricating evidence, underscoring that officers involved in wrongful convictions “need to be fired, not promoted.” Ms. Smith also pointed to some judges as complicit in these cases.
Dr. Bradley, urging city officials to address these systemic issues, called on the community to back Ald. Villegas’ resolution and expressed hope for mayoral support. Dr. Bradley also requested a public hearing on wrongful convictions.
Mr. Gibson, who served 30 years after reportedly being tortured by Commander Burge, described his experience of 98 hours of interrogation, emphasizing that his story was not unique. Audience member David Lincoln, another survivor, passionately shared his 1982 experience when he was allegedly detained, beaten unconscious, and mistreated by officers at a “black site” in the Robert Taylor Homes.
Chicago’s Wrongful Convictions Database reveals that, in addition to settlements, the city has spent over $137 million on outside counsel fees for wrongful conviction cases. Each case costs taxpayers around $1 million, not counting indirect costs such as lost city attorney hours.
Ms. Smith and others argued that true accountability would include consequences for officers involved in coercing false confessions, a recurring issue that has stirred community outrage over repeated miscarriages of justice.
“We have people who have been incarcerated for 10, 20, 30 years,” Ald. Villegas stated. “They’re screaming out, saying, ‘I’m innocent!’ They finally get that certificate of innocence, but the city keeps fighting these cases.” Dr. Bradley added, “That’s a lot of money that could be going to better causes.”
Ald. Villegas is calling for an assessment process to identify winnable cases and focus resources on cases with low success potential, rather than litigating all 200 pending cases. “Without this, taxpayers will be on the hook,” he warned.
With a success rate of only 20 percent, these payouts have placed a significant financial burden on taxpayers footing the bill. “If you are taking money fighting cases that you know you will lose, that seems like fraud to me,” added Dr. Bradley.
Chicago has faced hundreds of wrongful convictions since 1980, primarily stemming from police misconduct within the Chicago Police Department (CPD). This misconduct has included documented abuse and corruption, contributing to numerous wrongful convictions later overturned through appeals and lawsuits.
Notable cases include former CPD Sergeant Ronald Watts and his team allegedly engaged in a series of frame-ups between 2000 and 2012, resulting in over 42 wrongful convictions. Watts’ team was accused of running a drug ring, planting evidence, and coercing false confessions from innocent individuals. Many of those convicted have since been exonerated.
Additionally, Commander Burge and his “Midnight Crew” were implicated in torturing Black men to secure confessions from the 1970s through the 1990s, using methods such as beatings and electric shocks. These practices led to numerous wrongful convictions, significant financial settlements, and a reparations fund of $5.5 million established in 2015.
Since 1989, at least 440 people from Cook County, including Chicago, have been exonerated in cases involving flawed forensic evidence, mistaken witness identification, or coerced confessions.
Organizations such as the Center on Wrongful Convictions have played a vital role in advocating for justice in these cases. Financially, between 2000 and 2023, wrongful convictions have cost Chicago more than $500 million in settlements and legal expenses.
