We protect the fundamental rights, liberties and dignity of each person whose case has been entrusted to us by providing the finest legal representation.
- Tweets 1,191
- Following 908
- Followers 2,100
- Likes 519
ALT Blue-green graphic, with a hand holding a megaphone in the bottom left corner. In the middle of the graphic is a piece of notebook paper that reads, “Procedural protections for children sentenced as adults through EJJ passes” in large text. In smaller text it reads, “Thank you to sponsors Representative Dave Vella and Senators Laura Fine and Robert Peters. Learn more.” and two arrows pointing to the right.
ALT Blue-green graphic that reads, “HB5020: Procedural protections for children sentenced as adults through EJJ. Extended Jurisdiction Juvenile (EJJ) sentencing allows prosecutors to request both juvenile and adult sentences for kids in juvenile court. Under current law, the adult sentence is not immediately imposed, but its imposition is mandatory if the young person is accused of any new offense and may be imposed even for simple technical violations of the juvenile sentence. This EJJ sentence is often longer than it would have been for the same offense in adult court. This bill brings EJJ into the 21st Century and makes the law what most people already thought it was by: • Requiring prosecutors to prove by clear and convincing evidence that an adult sentence may be appropriate. • Incorporating youth-centered neurological, developmental, and environmental factors when determining whether to impose EJJ. With two additional bullet points.
ALT Teal graphic with a hand holding a megaphone in the corner. A sheet of paper in the middle of the graphic reads, "Our bill to clarify access to sentence credits for jail programming passes" in very large letters. Under that in smaller text it reads, "Thank you to sponsors Senator Laura Ellman and Representatives Norma Hernandez, Justin Slaughter, Anne Stava, & Diane Blair-Sherlock. Learn more."
ALT Teal graphic with text that reads, "SB3333: Clarify Access to Sentence Credits for Jail Programming. SB3333 will ensure that people in county jails receive sentencing credit for the programs they are completing. Participation in meaningful programming for people in jails benefits their futures and helps to achieve public safety goals. This bill will: Standardize the interpretation of the current law across the state to ensure that people in jail awaiting trial receive sentencing credit for completion of eligible programs. Make the law’s implementation more consistent across the state by ensuring that people participating in parenting programs and work assignments receive sentencing credit, as current statutes intended. Remove overly detailed language about program length that caused confusion, led to arbitrary credit denials, and increased administrative burden on county jails."
ALT Graphic with orange background and megaphone in the corner, large text that reads, "Equal Representation for Public Defender Clients in SSS Hearings Passes" and smaller text that reads, "Thank you to Sponsors Representative Rick Ryan and Senator Robert Martwick" and arrows that show to move to next slide to learn more.
ALT Orange graphic that reads, "HB4217: Equal Representation for Public Defender Clients in Statutory Summary Suspension Hearings. This bill promotes fairness and equity for accused people by allowing public defender’s offices to choose to represent clients in statutory summary suspension (SSS) hearings related to traffic cases in which they are already appointed counsel. SSS hearings are civil proceedings that occur within the criminal case and determine whether someone will lose access to their driver’s license. HB4217 will improve access to justice by: - Authorizing Public Defender’s Offices, when appointed to represent a client in a traffic case, to extend that representation to the client’s SSS hearing when appropriate. - Creating an opt-in system with attorney discretion that promotes fairness, consistency, and court efficiency.
ALT Illustration of a judge reading an order to a person who has been cut out of the picture, but their outline remains. A headline from "Injustice Watch" that reads, "ICE deported them. Cook County prosecutors still want them arrested for missing court." and then a quote from Assistant Public Defender, Nick Moroni that reads, "I was surprised. At the end of the day, this was a person who, based on the evidence that the state provided to the court, was only unable to come to court because the government prevented him from coming."
ALT Graphic with a sheet of notebook paper in the center that reads, "The Protecting Innocent Families Act Passes" and "Thank you to Sponsors Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford & Representative Mary Beth Canty." In the bottom left corner is hand holding a megaphone and the bottom right prompts you to lean more by viewing the next image.
ALT Navy background with text that reads, "HB3169: The Protecting Innocent Families Act. This bill enhances transparency and procedural safeguards in Illinois Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS) investigations. By reinforcing due process and accountability, the bill responds to longstanding concerns about disproportionate impact on vulnerable families, including families of color and families whose children have complex medical conditions. Key provisions include: - Professional transparency in medical evaluations - DCFS disclosure of forensic consultation - Right to an independent second opinion For more information about this legislation and supporting partner organizations visit famjustice.org/protecting-innocent-families-act
ALT A graphic with a photo showing a woman being interviewed by a newscaster with a camera set up and cameraman on the left side of the image. Title text that reads, “The Top Cop: Public defenders say ISP trooper copied, pasted findings in arrest reports over years” and then a quote from Assistant Public Defender Andrew Segal that reads, “As his DUI totals went up, year after year after year, so did his salary. [Troopers] make overtime pay for just showing up at court. So even if they show up at court, they testify and the case is garbage and they lose, the trooper still gets paid.” At the bottom of the graphic is a link to read the full story at cookcountypublicdefender.org/links.
ALT Graphic with art of a young boy being held by his mother, they are both turned away. At the top is a headline from the Chicago Reader, "Cook County state’s attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke’s complicated relationship with the Pretrial Fairness Act" and then a quote from Sharlyn Grace Deputy Public Defender of Policy that says, "Almost everyone who is criminally charged in Cook County will come back to Cook County in the future and most people will come back relatively quickly. So then the question is, are they coming back in a position where they're better able to succeed? Or are they coming back in a position where they have more disadvantages, more handicaps, more trauma, less time working, less access to mental health care?"
ALT Orange and navy graphic that reads, "Did you know? The right to a government-funded attorney does not apply to people facing deportation. But our office is a partner in the Midwest Immigrant Defenders Alliance (MIDA), which provides no-cost legal representation in immigration cases. The results of the MIDA pilot show the significant difference that representation makes in case outcomes and access to due process."
ALT Orange and navy graphic that reads, "Findings from 'The Impact of Legal Representation on Detained Immigrants Facing Deportation: Evidence from the MIDA Program.' Finding 1: Being represented by a MIDA attorney increase immigrant clients' likelihood of being granted relief by 366%. Finding 2: Access to the MIDA program resulted in case outcomes that allowed 22% more people to stay in the U.S."
ALT Orange and navy graphic that reads, "Findings from 'The Impact of Legal Representation on Detained Immigrants Facing Deportation: Evidence from the MIDA Program.' Finding 3: Being represented by a MIDA attorney increased someone's likelihood of being released on bond by 46%. Find more results and details in the full report at cookcountypublicdefender.org/links."
ALT Headline from Borderless Magazine that reads "Cook County Public Defenders built an immigration unit five years ago. The last year tested it," above a picture of an attorney in a suit.