CBS: UIC report puts $1 billion price tag on recidivism in North Lawndale
A new report finds repeat incarceration in one Chicago neighborhood has cost Illinois taxpayers more than $1 billion, but researchers say there's an easy way to break that cycle.
Summary
CBS News Chicago covered the release of Drugs, Crimes, & Consequences, a new report conducted by the University of Illinois Chicago’s Great Cities Institute (GCI) and commissioned by the North Lawndale Employment Network (NLEN), during the October 20, 2026, City Club of Chicago event, The Power of Social Enterprises to Reduce Recidivism.
The segment highlighted the report’s findings that recidivism among North Lawndale residents cost Illinois taxpayers at least $1 billion between 2005 and 2024, with a recidivism rate of 92% during that period. CBS News interviewed NLEN President and CEO Brenda M. Palms and featured remarks from GCI Director Teresa Córdova, emphasizing the employment barriers faced by formerly incarcerated individuals and the importance of investing in community-based solutions.
The coverage also spotlighted NLEN’s Sweet Beginnings employment social enterprise, which has demonstrated recidivism rates below 10% among participants, and the report’s estimate that every dollar invested in such programs generates approximately $5.60 in social and economic value. The segment underscored how employment opportunities, supportive services, and community reinvestment can help reduce reincarceration while strengthening economic stability in historically disinvested communities.