11.04.09 Progress through Partnership
E-newsletter for members and friends of Chicago Appleseed and the Chicago Council of Lawyers
Restructuring the Criminal Justice System
In December 2007, the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice published "A Report on Chicago's Felony Courts." This comprehensive report served to shed light on the fundamental problems plaguing the system and offers meaningful and realistic solutions for change. The report details fifty recommendations for change, including suggestions for reallocation of resources, caseload and workload restructuring, facility improvements and better use of diversion programs.
Since the release of the report, the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice and the Chicago Council of Lawyers have been working inside and outside the court system to advocate for the adoption of our reform recommendations, achieving two major successes to date. In December 2008, based on our recommendations and advocacy, closed-circuit television bond hearings in Cook County were terminated and replaced by in-person hearings and a pretrial services program. A related recommendation, which provides training for bond court judges regarding the proper role of bond court, was also implemented in June of 2009.
These achievements help to serve the proposal's fundamental goal of transforming the Criminal Division so that the criminal justice system can identify defendants and arrestees who need drug, mental health and other non-traditional services and then divert them into appropriate treatment programs. To do so, we will work with the Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County and the Presiding Judge of the Criminal Division to restructure the existing organization of the Circuit Court of Cook County. The new structure will expand the administrative jurisdiction of the Criminal Division to include existing First Municipal Division Branch Courtrooms and create a separate diversion section within the Criminal Division that will lead to a more efficient and effective program through which nonviolent defendants will receive the services they need...
We have a new fax number
Effective November 4, 2009, Chicago Appleseed and the Chicago Council of Lawyers have a new fax number: 312-397-1338. Please make a note of it!
Pro Bono Opportunities for CCL and Chicago Appleseed
Chicago Appleseed focuses on criminal justice reform, judicial election and selection reform and government effectiveness. We identify problems, research their causes, and recommend systemic solutions. The Chicago Council of Lawyers is a public interest bar organization working for a fair and effective administration of justice, including an exemplary state and federal judiciary. The two organizations work collaboratively, often with Chicago Appleseed taking the lead on focused research, followed by advocacy that is done by both groups.
There are pro bono opportunties available in the following areas:
Judicial Election Reform
- Assist in the implementation of a Judicial Performance Commission which will evaluate Cook County judges seeking retention on the 2010 general election ballot. We are looking for lawyers with at least ten years experience in state court legal practice who will supervise the investigation teams.
- Voter Education - Assist in the implementation of a web and media based campaign to education voters about judges seeking retention on the general election ballot.
- Participate in the Professional Responsibility and Ethics Committee, chaired by Ellyn Rosen, which will be drafting judicial recusal proposals and procedures to improve the way in which judicial vacancies are filled.
Criminal Justice
The felony criminal justice system has become the de facto and underfunded community mental health and drug treatment provider in Cook County. Many of the Chicago Appleseed recommendations are aimed at increasing the number and scope of court-related services and diversion programs.
- Participate in the Criminal Justice Committee, co- chaired by Professor Daniel Coyne and Robert Loeb. The Committee will assist in overseeing the implementation and assessment of the proposal by Chicago Appleseed and the Chicago Council of Lawyers to restructure the criminal division at the 26th Street Criminal Courts Building regarding nonviolent offenders. It will oversee an ongoing court watching program at 26th and California.
- Developing a best practices manual examining the best ways to utilize social workers or social work graduate students within the felony criminal justice system - a practical approach to the increasing problem of dealing with defendants who show symptoms of mental illness.
- Designing and implementing an assessment of the Cook County misdemeanor courts with a focus on possible due process concerns, the possible implementation of drug and mental health court calls, and the community court concept.
Government Effectiveness Program
- Participate in the Immigration Court Reform Advisory Group by conducting policy research, crafting of proposed federal rules and legislation, and the writing of policy positions and editorial pieces for the media and for publication. The Advisory Group will also oversee a court watching program in the immigration courts.
- We are looking for pro bono lawyers who will examine the child support enforcement and collection system in Illinois and identify strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations for systemic change.
- We are looking for pro bono lawyers who will assist in legislative advocacy around the concept of creating a central management agency for all administrative law judges. We will conduct research to document the need for a central management agency. We will be writing concept and advocacy articles, as well as working with the media.
Federal Judicial Evaluations
The Council is looking for lawyers to serve as investigators for our current round of federal judicial evaluations.
Civil Liberties Committee
The Council's Civil Liberties Committee meets monthly to discuss and take action on civil liberties issues that are national and/or local in scope. Subjects range from police accountability in Chicago to the state secret doctrine on the national level.
For more information, or to volunteer for any of these pro bono opportunities, contact Executive Director Malcolm Rich at 312-988-6552 or malcolmrich@chicagoappleseed.org.