Honorable Sophia H. Hall
Administrative Presiding Judge
Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Resource Section
50 West Washington Street, Room 2403
Richard J. Daley Center
Chicago, Illinois 60602
(312) 603-4181
(312) 603-6673 TTY
(312) 603-5576 FAX

The Resource Section of the Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Department of the Circuit Court of Cook County was established in February 1995 as the outreach arm of the court to communities, agencies, organizations and businesses that are concerned about youth and their families toward making a difference in their lives. Through express partnerships and the joining of forces, the needs of court wards, their families and communities, can be addressed more effectively.

The Resource Section plays a significant role in supporting the expansion of the use of restorative justice principles in programming for juveniles throughout Chicago, Cook County and the State of Illinois.

The Citywide Restorative Justice Committee is the platform for the outreach of the Resource Section. Judge Hall facilitates the meetings which are held quarterly. The Committee started meeting in September 1999 after the passage of the Juvenile Justice Reform Act which became effective in January 1999. The participants use the meetings to share their restorative practices experiences around the city, county and state, and have planned events to educate others about restorative practices.

Some of the activities supported by the Resource Section to promote restorative responses to youth are:

• 2002 "Partnering through Balanced and Restorative Justice" Roundtable Westside Technical Institute, sponsored by Chicago Public Schools and Circuit Court of Cook County.
• 2003 Statewide Balanced and Restorative Justice Summit sponsored by
  the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, Springfield, IL.
• 2004 "Dialogue on Restorative Justice" held at Northwestern University Law School, Chicago, IL.
• 2005 Juvenile Justice Educational Training Conference, Springfield, IL
• 2007 "Restorative Justice in Action" Cable Series.
• 2007 First Annual Juvenile Justice Conference "Connecting the Pathways Conference held in Springfield, IL, sponsored by the McArthur Foundation.
• 2010 "Transforming Justice for Youth Family and Community" Conference held in Chicago, IL

Please contact Michelle Day, Programs Administrator of the Resource Section at (312) 603-1957 or Rhonda M. Ealey, Administrative Assistant to the Honorable Sophia H. Hall at (312) 603-3733 for further information.