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OFFICE OF THE STATE'S ATTORNEY
LAKE COUNTY, ILLINOIS
MICHAEL G. NERHEIM
STATE'S ATTORNEY
April 30, 2015
For Immediate Release
Contact: Cynthia Vargas
(847) 377-3188
cvargas@lakecountyil.gov
ILLINOIS
PROSECUTORS ADVANCE BEST PRACTICES AGENDA
CONFERENCE
IS PART OF ONGOING NATIONAL EFFORT
April 30, 2015
State’s
attorneys and senior prosecutors from across Illinois gathered Wednesday, April
29, 2015, at the Kane County Judicial Center in St. Charles to discuss
techniques aimed at improving the state’s criminal justice system.
The
Illinois State’s Attorney’s Best Practices Committee met to collaborate on
issues such as witness and photo identification, custodial statements,
post-conviction review, diversion program effectiveness, charging crimes and
discretion, plea offer procedures, officer-involved crimes, and working with
informants.
Prosecutors
from Boone, Champaign, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Jackson, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall,
Lake, LaSalle, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Sangamon, Tazewell, Whiteside and Winnebago
counties were in attendance.
“It
was good to have the opportunity to talk about these critical issues, and to
recognize how to best use them in the pursuit of justice,” said Kane County
State Attorney Joe McMahon, who hosted the meeting. “This is a critical time
for us because police and prosecutors nationwide are struggling with a crisis
of public trust. When the guilty are held accountable through the framework of
the constitution and the critical lens of fairness to everyone, justice truly
is served.”
The
best practices effort is non-partisan and is built to be effective within the broad
demographic of Illinois, from its largest county to suburban counties and
Illinois’ many rural counties.
“I
am proud to be a part of this important work,” said Lake County State’s
Attorney Mike Nerheim. “Our job as prosecutors is to seek justice. We should be, and in fact are, leading the effort to improve the effectiveness
of our criminal justice system.”
The
Illinois effort, which began in 2013, is a product of the nationwide “Best
Practices for Justice” initiative being led Kristine Hamann, visiting fellow at
the Bureau of Justice Assistance. Hamann is a former assistant district
attorney in the Manhattan (N.Y.) District Attorney’s Office.
Haman
has worked with prosecutors from 15 states in the formation of the committees –
Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and
Washington.
“Our
goal is to better protect the innocent while also protecting the community and
holding the guilty accountable. As we examine our procedures over time, we
occasionally see paradigm shifts. With those shifts, it is important to
re-examine our procedures to ensure we get things right,” McMahon said.
The
mission of the Illinois State’s Attorney’s Best Practices Committee is to seek
justice by equipping prosecutors with the tools necessary to ensure the full
confidence of the communities they serve.
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Lake County State's Attorney's Office 18 N. County Street Waukegan, IL 60085 Phone: (847) 377-3000
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