By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
Get our mobile app
ROCKFORD — Prosecutors in the Winnebago County State’s Attorney’s Office have landed convictions in every murder trial heard by a jury over the past two years.
They’ve also obtained guilty verdicts in all but two child sex abuse and child pornography trials while simultaneously taking on more such cases than in the past.
Those were a few of the highlights that Winnebago County State’s Attorney J. Hanley touted on Thursday as he delivered a recap of 2022 during a news conference at the courthouse.
Public safety news: As police combat a violent start to 2023, data shows most violent crime dipped in ’22
Hanley, who took office in December 2020, had pledged to increase conviction rates during his campaign. About 61% of murder trials ended in a guilty verdict between 2008 and January 2020, according to an analysis of all trial records. Hanley previously said the rate dipped to around 55% shortly before he took office in December 2020.
Data he shared Thursday shows an improvement. When combining jury and bench trials, which are those heard only by a judge, eight of the nine murder cases his office took to trial last year ended with a guilty verdict, an 89% conviction rate. That rate is 72% when 2021 and 2022 are combined.
Hanley said the improvement was a testament to the skill of the trial attorneys in the office.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the efforts of our attorneys and staff who continue to work tirelessly, and too often thanklessly, every day to seek justice and protect the public,” he said.
Related: New court in Winnebago County targets ‘gun crime epidemic’
Hanley said his office has accepted more cases involving child sex abuse than year’s past. Such cases are often difficult to prosecute because they may lack corroborating witnesses and rely on the testimony of young children.
He said his office accepted about 20% of such cases last year and 28% in 2021. That’s up from an acceptance rate that hovered around 14-16% in previous years, he said.
The result last year was 65 convictions and two acquittals, for a conviction rate of 97%.
Gun court, focused deterrence
In mid-May last year a new gun court was launched in Winnebago County, which was one of Hanley’s priorities during his campaign.
The court is designed to provide swifter prosecution of gun crimes, reduce recidivism and facilitate more consistent sentences.
Since its launch, more than 140 gun possession charges have been routed to the court for specialized prosecution.
More news: Pritzker stops in Rockford to tout plans to bolster early childhood education
A complimentary program in which a special assistant U.S. attorney screens every felony firearm case in Winnebago County has led to more than 20 serious firearms offenses being accepted for federal prosecution. Several, Hanley said, resulted in lengthy prison sentences.
Hanley’s office also reinstituted a focused deterrence program designed to put offenders returning to the community through an intense program intended to help them stay away from crime in the future. The program targets people who are considered to be are at high risk of committing another crime.
In 2022, about 50 people were selected for the program and 11 committed additional crimes.
“Our hope is that these high-risk individuals take advantage of this opportunity,” Hanley said. “But when we tell them if they don’t, then here’s what’s going to happen, we are following through. We’ve created the infrastructure in the office to do just that.”
Domestic violence
Hanley said his office has implemented new strategies to turn the tide of dismissals and not-guilty verdicts in domestic violence cases, which historically have been among the most difficult to prosecute in Winnebago County with less than half resulting in guilty verdicts.
Domestic violence remains one of the most widespread issues in the city, with about 38% of all violent crime in Rockford connected to domestic issues, according to Rockford police.
Hanley said more data on his office’s efforts in court would be shared at a later date, but he did highlight one area where he felt the office has made strides.
Last year, prosecutors secured 19 convictions for stalking. There was only one such conviction in 2021 and none in 2020.
He said another area that will garner more focus this year is in improving the pace of justice.
The office is still feeling the effects of a case backlog caused by pandemic-related shutdowns and a courthouse fire.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas