Sharone Mitchell was sworn in as Cook County Public Defender in April 2021. Mr. Mitchell began his legal career in the Office of the Cook County Public Defender, first as a clerk in law school and later as an assistant public defender with assignments in the Civil, First Municipal, and Felony trial divisions.

In 2016, Mr. Mitchell joined the Illinois Justice Project, a policy reform organization dedicated to supporting people, programs, and policies that can reduce inappropriate incarceration, improve community safety outcomes, reduce recidivism and increase justice in the legal system. He became Illinois Justice Project director in 2019.

Mr. Mitchell has received several professional awards, including the Safer Foundation Visionary Award in 2020 and the Barbara Jordan Award for Excellence in Judicial Advocacy and Education from Judicial Accountability PAC in 2019. Mr. Mitchell also is a member of the Associate’s Board of Chicago Debates, St. Leonard’s Ministries, and the Board of Live Free Chicago, the local chapter of a national faith-based organization created to organize people of color against mass incarceration and violence.

Mr. Mitchell has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a law degree from DePaul University College of Law.