April 30--Kane County hosted state's attorneys and senior prosecutors from around the state for the Illinois State's Attorney's Best Practices Committee to collaborate on techniques aimed at improving the state's criminal justice system, according to a release from the Kane County State's Attorney's office.
"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.
"This is a critical time for us because police and prosecutors nationwide are struggling with a crisis of public trust," McMahon said. "When the guilty are held accountable through the framework of the constitution and the critical lens of fairness to everyone, justice truly is served."
Prosecutors discussed issues like 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, the release said.
State's attorneys and prosecutors from Boone, Champaign, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Jackson, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, St. Claire, Sangamon, Stark, Tazewell, Whiteside and Winnebago counties attended.
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, according to the release.
The committee, which was formed in 2013, is a product of the nationwide "Best Practices for Justice" initiative being led by 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.
"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.
