News
Amy Campenellis is interviewed on Pod Save the People.
Congratulations to Camille Durham, recipient of the IPDA 2018 Bruce Jacobs Award
The Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County has published the results of monitoring of the Model Bond Court Initiative, measuring 7 key performance figures. Among the information reported is the jail population over the period from October 2017- March 2018, the amount of bond set as the result of the new policies, and the court attendance rate for those achieving pretrial release.
Some highlights of the report show:
Electronic monitoring — instituted nearly 30 years ago as a safety valve for an overcrowded county jail — has emerged as the latest battleground in the fight to reform bond court in Cook County, sparking heated debate over public safety in a city struggling to contain gun violence. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Amy Campanelli, the Cook County Public Defender held an open house on April 26, to celebrate the completion of the renovation of their offices at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse.
Public defenders from across the country gathered in Denver last week to talk about best practices for diverting people suffering from mental health issues away from the criminal justice system at a conference hosted by the Equitas Project.
Amy Campanelli participated in the project. Her comments are summarized below:
On February 24, 2018, Rich Central High School Mock Trial Team, coached by Cook County Public Defender Attorney Supervisor Connie Jordan, took 1st place in the Cook County 6th District Circuit Court High School Mock Trial competition.
The Cook County Public Defender's Office received the Clara Shortridge Foltz Award from the National Legal Aid and Defender Association and the American Bar Association. The award, bestowed every other year, recognizes a public defender program or defense delivery system for outstanding achievement in the provision of defense services to the poor.