Hardship Project

The Hardship Project is an initiative of the Sheriff’s Justice Institute.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office is a nationally recognized leader in providing innovative programs in the fields of law enforcement and corrections, focused on challenging the status quo through a filter of social justice.

With research and data that demonstrate who is in Cook County Jail and why, Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart has been at the forefront of what is now a national movement to address unjust incarceration and infuse social justice into the fields of law enforcement and corrections.

The Sheriff’s Justice Institute formalizes this effort with a team charged with enhancing the delivery of justice across every aspect of the Sheriff’s office (jail, police, courts). The Institute mines data to expose the consequences of criminalizing homelessness, mental illness, drug dependency and the devastating effects of generational poverty and to enlighten policies and practices regarding incarceration and evictions.

The Sheriff’s Justice Institute endeavors to ensure that the practices of the office are conducted in manners that are safe, humane and just and works to mitigate unintended negative consequences that harm individuals, their families and our communities.

Hanke Gratteau is the Director of the Sheriff’s Justice Institute. She can be reached at 773-674-7958. Questions regarding the Hardship Project should be directed to Hardship.Project@ccsheriff.org