Groups Ask Judge Evans To Change Cell Phone Ban At Courthouses
From the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
Less than one week before a cellphone ban in Cook County criminal courthouses takes effect, several domestic violence groups raised concerns that the ban may compromise the safety of abuse victims seeking legal help.
Five leaders from Chicago-area agencies that provide domestic violence assistance wrote a letter to Chief Cook County Circuit Judge Timothy C. Evans on Friday, asking the judge to exempt the Domestic Violence Courthouse from the ban.
Located at 555 W. Harrison St., the courthouse hears both civil and criminal domestic violence cases.
Many victims go to the courthouse to obtain civil protective orders against their abusers, said Kendra Reinshagen, who signed the letter and serves as executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services.
The letter says the ban, which will take effect Monday, will result in a "chilling effect" on access to justice.
If victims cannot enter the Domestic Violence Courthouse because they carry a cellphone, some may face no choice but to go home, since the courthouse does not offer storage lockers for phones, Reinshagen said.
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
Less than one week before a cellphone ban in Cook County criminal courthouses takes effect, several domestic violence groups raised concerns that the ban may compromise the safety of abuse victims seeking legal help.
Five leaders from Chicago-area agencies that provide domestic violence assistance wrote a letter to Chief Cook County Circuit Judge Timothy C. Evans on Friday, asking the judge to exempt the Domestic Violence Courthouse from the ban.
Located at 555 W. Harrison St., the courthouse hears both civil and criminal domestic violence cases.
Many victims go to the courthouse to obtain civil protective orders against their abusers, said Kendra Reinshagen, who signed the letter and serves as executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services.
The letter says the ban, which will take effect Monday, will result in a "chilling effect" on access to justice.
If victims cannot enter the Domestic Violence Courthouse because they carry a cellphone, some may face no choice but to go home, since the courthouse does not offer storage lockers for phones, Reinshagen said.
Read more in our daily News Update...