Lake County Gazette

The Lake County State's Attorney's Office has been awarded three grants, totaling over $845,000. These funds will be used to support initiatives aimed at reducing over-incarceration, extending a victim assistance program, and providing emotional or trauma-related therapies. The acceptance and authorization of these grant funds have been sanctioned by the Lake County Board.

According to the agenda for the Lake County Board's May 14 meeting, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation granted $700,000 to the State's Attorney's Office. This funding is intended to facilitate participation in the Safety and Justice Challenge - a criminal justice reform initiative designed to reduce over-incarceration by "changing the way America thinks about and uses jails." The initiative includes 25 active implementation sites focusing on reducing jail populations and diminishing racial and ethnic disparities within the justice system.

In addition, interim funding for the Highland Park victim assistance program will be provided through a five-month extension of the Victim of Crime Act, as per information from the same board meeting. An award of $121,071 will serve this purpose until the Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program grant is disbursed later in the year.

The agenda also revealed that a budget modification to the Greater Illinois - Reimagine Public Safety Act grant has allocated an additional $24,983 into the State's Attorney's Office grant account. This sum was provided by the Illinois Department of Human Services Bureau of Violence Prevention Services. The initiative supported by this funding aims to reduce violence through trauma-related or emotional therapies, housing assistance, employment aid, job training/placement services, family engagement activities, and wrap-around support services. The award will finance a training and technical assistance consultant who offers street outreach, community violence intervention training, and case management services. Any unspent personnel and fringe grant dollars will be used to fund a second victim specialist position.