Surrounded by criminal justice reform advocates at the Safer Foundation, Governor JB Pritzker took executive action establishing the Justice, Equity and Opportunity (JEO) Initiative that will be housed under and spearheaded by Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton. The JEO Initiative will centralize the state’s criminal justice reform efforts by fostering coordination and collaboration among stakeholders, executive agencies and organizations from across the state. With the goal of creating a justice system that reflects Illinois’ values, the initiative will conduct research, pilot programs and advocate for legislation to ensure all branches of government are working proactively to expand fairness and equity. Addressing needed reforms at the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) will be a top priority of the initiative. Currently around 43,000 people are imprisoned in the IDOC prison system, which was built for about 32,000. Violent crime has increased 18 percent between 2016 and 2017. Illinois spends more than $1.3 billion a year on IDOC, with budgets increasing even as the prison population decreases. And nearly 48 percent of people released from prison will recidivate within the following three years. Spearheaded by Lt. Gov. Stratton, the initiative will have three full-time staff within the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.