The ACLU of Illinois Executive Director Colleen Connell wrote a letter to the editor of the Chicago Tribune addressing columnist Eric Posner's call for DNA testing of all arrestees. Connell points out that large numbers of arrestees are never prosecuted, and others are cleared of any wrongdoing. Moreover, she writes:

Recent studies demonstrate that the DNA collected in the national database already reveals predictive information about an individual's medical and mental health. Even if this personal information is revealed, Posner suggests, we need not worry since laws exist to "deter" government from sharing or selling this personal information to insurance companies and others who will have a significant interest in such data.

But the laws that prohibit such sharing of personal information can be lifted in short order, or done so retroactively.

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In Galesburg, residents of the St. Mary's Square Living Center will be given the opportunity to live in community-based housing, many for the first time, as discussed in the Galesburg Register-Mail. These individuals with developmental disabilities gained the opportunity to move as part of a class action lawsuit, Ligas v. Hamos, filed by the ACLU of Illinois, Equip for Equality and Access Living. They write:

The move to community living for those with developmental disabilities was prompted by a state lawsuit. The class action suit Ligas v. Hamos contends that the state failed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act by not integrating people with disabilities into society.

Dillard said such pushes for community living and lawsuits advocating for the push are setting national precedents, with help from groups like Equip for Equality, who advocate for small housing settings.

“Experience around the country shows that when given meaningful supports, people with disabilities thrive in community settings,” explained Benjamin Wolf, associate legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois in an Equip for Equality news release. “We are pleased that everyone involved has come together to offer real choices to these citizens of Illinois.”

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