Court admin creates coloring books

The 19th Judicial Circuit's popular series of coloring books designed to introducing children to the court system has crossed the Atlantic Ocean.

Court Administrator Robert Zastany, in his second year of volunteer work with the United States Agency for International Development, recently helped create a similar series in Kosovo.

Working with court officials in the cities of Prizen and Gjakova, Zastany modified the materials used in the local coloring books to meet standards set by judicial and education officials in Kosovo.

University art students designed the books, which address three themes: learning about responsibility, learning about judges and learning about the law.

The books, which are geared toward second-grade students, are designed to help children understand the basic principals of democratic government and the role courts play in the foundation of their society.

The National Center for State Courts picked up the tab for printing 5,000 of the books and shipping them to Kosovo for distribution on June 1, International Children's Day.

Court officials say an additional 5,000 coloring books will be distributed this fall to schools throughout the country.

Jail passes:Experts from the Illinois Department of Corrections recently did an inspection of the Lake County jail and found it to be in compliance with regulations in all major areas, jail officials said.Areas such as employee training, contracts with outside service providers, logs, health services, inmate record keeping and polices were all in line with guidelines and standards.Improvements noted since the last inspection included an additional station in the booking area for the posting of bond and the assignment of personal identification numbers for inmates to use when making phone calls.The facility was also reaccredited by the American Correctional Association in August 2009 and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care in June of this year."The results of the most recent inspection of the jail are a direct reflection of the dedication to excellence of our employees," Sheriff Mark Curran said. "Our office strives to serve the people of Lake county with pride and integrity."