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Durbin Announces Over $4.8 Million DOJ Investment to Enhance the Justice System in Illinois

WASHINGTON, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–September 22, 2011.  U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) yesterday announced that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has recently awarded a total of $4,850,881 in grants to support the establishment or enhancement of several justice system programs in Illinois.  These programs provide support and services to a number of Illinois communities through research and education initiatives, family or adult drug treatment courts, and juvenile delinquent rehabilitation programs.

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The following Illinois entities and programs will receive funding:

  • University of Illinois Springfield, IL: $249,319 in funding has been awarded to The Downstate Illinois Innocence Project at the University of Illinois in Springfield. The grant award will be used to hire an attorney to oversee the work of cases not involving DNA evidence and to help clear the backlog of requests received from downstate Illinois inmates.  This grant is given under the DOJ’s Wrongful Conviction Review Program which works to provide high quality and efficient representation for potentially wrongfully convicted defendants in post-conviction claims of innocence;
  • County of McHenry, IL: $305,717 in funding has been awarded to McHenry County to establish a drug treatment court that will integrate a series of services for nonviolent, substance-abusing offenders.  The funds will be used to build and maximize the capacity of a single jurisdiction drug court to ensure that all offenders are identified and assessed for risk and need.  This grant comes as part of the DOJ’s Adult Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program, which is designed to develop and implement drug treatment courts for jurisdictions to incorporate substance abuse treatment, mandatory drug testing, sanctions and incentives, and transitional services in a judicially-supervised court setting;
  • Circuit Court of Cook County, IL: $649,727 in funding has been awarded to Cook County Circuit Court to implement the Gaining Experience, Making Strides (GEMS) Court which will serve 210 parents and 471 family members over 3 years.  This family drug court will provide individuals involved in dependency court with management, treatment and support services based on their needs as well as the needs of their children and family members.  This grant comes as part of the DOJ’s Family Drug Court Program which aims to either implement or enhance drug courts for substance abusing adults involved with the family dependency court as a result of child abuse and neglect issues;
  • County of Macon, IL: $350,000 in funding has been awarded to the Macon County to build and maximize the capacity of a single jurisdiction drug court that will effectively integrate a series of services for nonviolent, substance-abusing offenders.  The program will work to ensure all substance abusing offenders receive targeted research-based and data-driven services including individualized treatment, vocational and educational services, and community reintegration services to achieve long-term recovery. This grant comes as part of the DOJ’s Adult Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program, which is designed to develop and implement drug treatment courts for jurisdictions to incorporate substance abuse treatment, mandatory drug testing, sanctions and incentives, and transitional services in a judicially supervised court setting;
  • County of Macon, IL: $422,906 in funding has been awarded to the County of Macon to promote the safe and successful reintegration into the community of juveniles who have been incarcerated or detained.  This project will serve 40-50 youths at any point in time and 100 in the year.  The grant comes as part of the DOJ’s Second Chance Act Juvenile Offender Reentry Program which aims to ensure that the transition of youths from detention facilities to the community is successful and promotes public safety;
  • Northwestern University, Evanston, IL: $300,000 in funding has been awarded to Northwestern University’s Longitudinal Study of Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Disorders in Juvenile Detainees.  The study provides an unprecedented opportunity to examine the multiple pathways and outcomes of delinquent youth as they age into adulthood.  This grant comes as a part of the DOJ’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention;
  • Alzheimers Disease and Related Disorders Association, Chicago, IL: $430,000 in funding has been awarded to The Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association to expand outreach to law enforcement agencies, families, and caregivers using online training resources.  The Association will also work maintain cooperative efforts with MedicAlert to support the Safe Return Program.  This program  provides a 24-hour nationwide emergency response service for individuals with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia who are need of assistance;
  • Illinois Department of Human Services, Springfield, IL: $1,943,212 in funding has been awarded to the Illinois Department of Human Services to help at-risk youth and their families by providing services for individuals who come in contact with the juvenile justice system.  Funds will be used for compliance monitoring activities, a domestic battery pilot project, and to promote, develop and support effective community re-entry strategies.  This grant comes as a part of the DOJ’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and
  • Champaign County Mental Health Board, Urbana, IL: $200,000 in funding to establish new services for populations not currently being served, enhance existing court operations, expand court services and improve the quality and intensity of offender services such as healthcare, education, vocational and job training.  This grant comes as part of the DOJ’s Adult Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program, which is designed to develop and implement drug treatment courts for jurisdictions to incorporate substance abuse treatment, mandatory drug testing, sanctions and incentives, and transitional services in a judicially-supervised court setting.
Source: durbin.senate.gov
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