Lake's justice system to get top-to-bottom evaluation
Lake County is about to embark on a study of its criminal justice system that could lead to wide-ranging changes and improvements.
Fueled by constant overcrowding in the jail and operational challenges posed by lack of space in court facilities, the county board's Law and Judicial Committee this week took the first step toward getting to the root of the problems.
The committee voted to recommend the full board approve spending $149,970 to bring outside consultants in for a top-to-bottom overview of the entire system and recommend methods to address current and future needs.
County Administrator Barry Burton told the committee that a panel of county board members joined by representatives of the offices of the sheriff, state's attorney, public defender, court administration, circuit clerk and probation department have been considering a long list of issues for more than a year.
Everything from the possibility of building a new jail and new court facilities to day-to-day operations of the system are on the table, Burton said.
That panel proposed hiring the consulting firms of Francis Cauffman of Philadelphia and Justice Served of Eureka, Calif., to do a 21-week study of everything related to the system and suggest how to make things better.
The firms have done similar studies throughout the United States and in foreign countries, Burton said, and hire people with real world experience in areas such as court and jail administration.
"The idea is to bring in a fresh set of eyes to look everything over, see how things are being done and develop ways to do it better and more efficiently," Burton said. "They can identify things in terms of practices and technology that can save us a lot of money as we address our needs."
If approved by the full board, Burton said the 21-week study would be the first phase of a long-term process.
Judicial candidate
A second person has announced his candidacy for circuit judge in the newly-created Fourth Judicial Subcircuit.
Highland Park attorney Dwayne Douglas, a Moraine Township trustee, will be seeking the Democratic nomination for the office in the February primary.
Douglas, an attorney for 19 years and a partner in the firm of Weinstein and Douglas, is also a member of the township's Latino Advisory Board and the liaison to Highland Park's Human Relations Commission.
He joins Lake Forest attorney Christopher Kennedy in seeking the Democratic nomination for the post.
The Fourth Subcircuit covers Highland Park, Deerfield, Highwood, Lake Forest, Lincolnshire, Bannockburn, Riverwoods, Mettawa and portions of surrounding communities.
Heard in the hallway
Condolences to the family of Ed Sindles, a prominent Lake County law enforcement official who died recently. Sindles served as a police officer in Hawthorn Woods and Mundelein, was deputy superintendent of corrections for the sheriff's office, chief of the Round Lake Beach police and a law enforcement instructor at the College of Lake County. He will be sorely missed.