09.08.14

Durbin Announces A More Than $2 Million Investment in Illinois Community Safety Initiatives

Illinois to receive more than $38,000 under Durbin-authored student loan repayment program for prosecutors and public defenders

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has awarded a total of $2,049,506 in grants to support the establishment or enhancement of several justice system programs in Illinois.

“Today’s funding represents an important investment in the Illinois justice system and victims’ services programs.” said Durbin. “These initiatives will help promote the fair and cost-effective administration of justice and will help provide vital assistance and legal representation to those who have been the victims of crimes.”

 

Under this announcement, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission in Deerfield, Illinois, was awarded $38,308 in funding through the Department of Justice’s John R. Justice student loan repayment program. The funding, administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, will be used to help prosecutor and public defender offices retain and attract talented attorneys by providing student loan repayment assistance to state and federal public defenders and state prosecutors who agree to remain in their positions for at least three years. The program was created by legislation that Durbin first introduced in 2003 and that was passed into law as part of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008.

 

Also under this announcement, the following Illinois entities will receive funding through the Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) Grant Program:

  

  • Life-Span (Chicago, Illinois): $500,000 in funding has been awarded to Life-Span to provide quality representation to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and dating violence in Cook County, Illinois; and
  • Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago: $483,162 in funding has been awarded to Life-Span to provide quality representation to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and dating violence in Cook County, Illinois.

 

The following Illinois counties will receive funding through the FY14 Adult Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program:

  • Sangamon County, Illinois: $200,000 in funding has been awarded to Sangamon County, Illinois to enhance a variety of local drug court services; and
  • Macon County, Illinois: $200,000 in funding has been awarded to Macon County, Illinois to enhance a variety of local drug court services.

The following Illinois entities will also receive funding through the Grants to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Coalitions Program, which was authorized by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), today:

  • Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault: $126,045 in funding has been awarded to the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault in Springfield, Illinois through the Office on Violence Against Women’s Grants to State Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Coalitions Program. Today’s funding will support state coalition efforts to coordinate victim services and to provide support to member rape crisis centers through funding, training and technical assistance, and public awareness; and
  • Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence: $81,795 in funding has been awarded to the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence in Springfield, Illinois through the Office on Violence Against Women’s Grants to State Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Coalitions Program. Today’s funding will support state coalition efforts to coordinate victim services and to provide support to member rape crisis centers through funding, training and technical assistance, and public awareness.

Lastly, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority in Chicago, Illinois was awarded $131,697 in funding through FY14 Prison Rape Elimination Act funding to address rape prevention services for inmates in Illinois. The Illinois Criminal Justice Information authority was also awarded funding $288,499 in funding through the FY 14 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program to help improve the quality of timeliness in forensic science and medical examiner services, and to help eliminate backlogs in analysis of forensic science evidence.