Stories from ACT Court Ambassadors
At the Collaboration for Justice’s Annual Luncheon on Friday, October 16, we honored the Access to Community Treatment Court of Cook County with our Commitment to Justice Award.
We also recognized three extraordinary graduates of the ACT Court–Lester, Angelique, and Cynthia–who attended the luncheon and shared their stories via the documentary video below.
The ACT Court identifies drug-dependent individuals charged with non-violent crimes, who would have otherwise been sentenced to prison, and, while leveraging the Affordable Care Act, diverts them into community-based treatment and support services. Judge Mary Colleen Roberts accepted the award on behalf of the program and discussed its impact.
Chicago Appleseed currently serves as project manager of the ACT Court and was the lead advisor to stakeholders as they created and implemented this evidence-based problem-solving court. The model, a specialized form of probation, is demonstrating ways to address substance abuse, unstable housing, lack of prosocial relationships, and other risk factors that are known to drive crime.