Jabril Gushiniere

Deputy Sheriff & Investigative Journalist

“Power belongs to those who refuse to look away.”

Jabril Gushiniere is not merely a correctional professional. He is a force moving through a broken system with purpose - a sworn Deputy Sheriff, a credentialed investigative journalist, and the founder of a reform movement dedicated to exposing the truth inside one of America’s most mismanaged correctional institutions.

Raised on the South Side of Chicago, Jabril entered the Sheriff’s Office with a commitment forged by lived reality and sharpened by experience. Over the course of his career, he has stood posts that most never see, absorbed pressures that break lesser men, and witnessed the full weight of institutional failure - not through rumor or reports, but through direct immersion in every critical unit of the jail.

His knowledge is firsthand.

His perspective is unfiltered.

His mission is uncompromising.

And that is exactly why his voice has become one of the most disruptive and transformative in Cook County corrections.

Operational Experience in the Jail

Jabril has worked every active division in the jail, giving him one of the most comprehensive operational perspectives of any officer currently serving. This experience is not symbolic - it is the foundation of his credibility, his advocacy, and his relentless challenge to corruption.

Divisions & Units Worked

        •       Division 9 (Maximum Security)

        •       Division 8 RTU (Residential Treatment Unit)

        •       Division 11

        •       Division 6

        •       Division 5

        •       Division 2

        •       Visitation Unit

        •       Receiving/Intake (RDC)

        •       Video Court Operations

        •       Cermak Health Services

From the most volatile maximum-security tiers to the mental-health units where policy failure has deadly consequences, Jabril has seen how leadership decisions ripple into chaos, danger, and injustice. These experiences are the genesis of his fire - the reason he refuses to remain silent.

He does not speak from theory.

He speaks from the inside.

He speaks from the truth.

Credentialed Investigative Journalist

While still serving as a Deputy Sheriff, Jabril built a parallel discipline that makes him uniquely dangerous to corruption: professional investigative journalism.

He is a credentialed member of:

        •       Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)

        •       National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ)

        •       National Press Photographers Association (NPPA)

These credentials place him in the same professional category as reporters and investigators at the nation’s top watchdog institutions. His reporting is grounded in documentation, FOIA research, interviews, public records, and evidence - not speculation.

When he exposes misconduct, he does so with the precision of someone trained to investigate, the courage of someone who has lived it, and the authority of someone recognized by the field.

Founder of C4 - A Movement, Not just a Nonprofit

The Cook County Corrections Coalition was not created to be respectable.

It was created to be effective.

Under Jabril’s leadership, C4 is:

        •       Independent of union control

        •       Unafraid of political retaliation

        •       Relentless in exposing misconduct

        •       Dedicated to protecting officers and whistleblowers

The coalition stands as a counterweight to institutional silence and administrative neglect - amplifying voices, investigating abuses, and challenging a culture that has gone unchallenged for far too long.

Investigative Impact

Jabril’s investigations have:

•           Exposed staffing deception, budget irregularities, ADA violations, retaliation, and unsafe assignments.

•           Prompted inquiries and attention from oversight bodies and legal authorities.

•           Revealed patterns of misconduct buried under layers of bureaucracy and intimidation.

•           Become a beacon for officers who lack representation, protection, or a safe pathway to report wrongdoing.

His exposé Beneath the Badge is a defining work - a documented indictment of systemic failure inside the Sheriff’s Office.

When he writes, institutions move.

When he speaks, officers listen.

When he investigates, the truth comes out.

Mission & Focus

Jabril’s work attacks the systemic failures that compromise safety, integrity, and justice within corrections. His investigative priorities include:

•           Chronic understaffing and dangerous operational mandates

•           Crosswatching violations and PREA-endangering assignments

•           Ghost payrolling and budget manipulation

•           ADA and workers’ compensation retaliation

•           Director-level misconduct and power abuses

•           Environmental and health hazards within detention units

His mission is not reform for its own sake - it is reform for survival, dignity, truth, and the protection of those who risk their lives inside the badge.

Professional Expertise

• Active sworn Deputy Sheriff with years of frontline operational experience

• Credentialed investigative journalist recognized by four national journalism associations

• FOIA and public-records specialist

• Policy, ADA, labor rights, and institutional-accountability analyst

• Writer, strategist, and advocate for systemwide reform

• Holder of extensive law-enforcement training certifications across ethics, force, trauma, discrimination, and safety

Why His Work Matters

Because silence protects the powerful, but truth protects the people.

Jabril Gushiniere is one of the very few individuals in the country who stands at the intersection of law enforcement, investigative journalism, and institutional reform. This combination is rare - and powerful.

He does not simply document corruption.

He confronts it.

He exposes it.

He dismantles it.

And he refuses to allow fear to outrank justice.

Through C4, Jabril is redefining what it means to be both a Deputy Sheriff and a watchdog of the system he serves. The message is clear: corruption has enjoyed enough silence. The truth is here now - and it fights back.