SOCIAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT

Mission Statement

The Social Service Department of the Circuit Court of Cook County is a community corrections and court services agency mandated by the court to direct adult felony and misdemeanor offenders in satisfying court-ordered conditions and penalties.  As officers of the court, department staff craft and employ offender-specific strategies to achieve the sentencing objective of the court, which is defined by the Illinois Constitution as "restoring the offender to useful citizenship."
 
Following the principles of limited risk management, the Social Service Department uses a dynamic process of assessment to:

• provide and facilitate correctional treatment services appropriate to the offender's criminogenic needs;
• match the degree and intensity of services to the level of risk the offender poses to society; and          
• gauge the offender's compliance and continued risk to the community.

In partnership with the court and the community, the Social Service Department increases public safety by redirecting offenders toward non-criminal behavior in the home, school, workplace, and community.