At the October board meeting, the Cook County Board approved new funding to support victims of domestic violence in our court system.
Justice for Family Project
A $650,000 grant for the Cook County Justice for Family Project, which works to improve the response of the civil and criminal justice system to families with a history of domestic violence.
The approved grant dollars will go toward providing supervised visitation and safe exchange services. The grant will also create a new Case Management/Resource Liasion position to explain available supervised visitation services to court litigants and judges, to connect victims to legal and advocacy services, and to provide legal advice and assistance in preparing motions for pro se litigants in collaboration with Loyola University Chicago, Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women Network, and the Center for Advancing Domestic Peace.
Automated Victim Notification
Another item approved during the October board meeting was a contract increase for the amount of $262,000 and renewal that will allow the State’s Attorney’s Office to continue providing automated victim notification services to registered participants.
Appriss, Inc. handles the Victim Information Notification Everyday (VINE) automated victim information notification service and provides notifications to Cook County victims of any change in the custodial status of defendants serving time in Cook County Jail or the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Both of these items are crucial in providing services to survivors of domestic violence.
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