PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chief Judge Evans announces conference on family violence

Released On 09/27/2001

Chief Judge Evans announces conference on family violence Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and Fifth Municipal District Presiding Judge Anthony S. Montelione have announced that the Family Violence Prevention Coordinating Council of the Fifth Municipal District will host an Intervention and Prevention Conference on Monday, October 29, 2001, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Chicago Gaelic Park Banquet Hall, 6119 West 147th Street, Oak Forest, Illinois. The free event will focus on documenting family violence injuries and will include a special presentation on cross cultural awareness training. Agencies and individuals in southwest suburban Cook County who work with family violence victims, as well as the public, are invited to attend.

"The Circuit Court will continue to provide a coordinated response to victims of family violence throughout Cook County by conducting education and community outreach activities ," said Chief Judge Evans. "Judge Montelione has done an excellent job of assembling this conference to raise awareness in both the public and private service sectors about appropriate and effective methods to assist victims of family violence."

Intervention and Prevention Conference attendees will learn about the value of photographic documentation of family violence injuries and the proper use of instant cameras during a presentation by a representative from the Oak Brook, Illinois, office of the Polaroid Corporation. The use of photographic documentation in the court process will then be discussed by Judge Daniel G. Welter, a Council vice-chair who hears domestic violence cases in the Fifth Municipal District, followed by additional information from a representative of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Also included among the topics at the Intervention and Prevention Conference will be the role youth issues play in family violence presented by David M. Hurley, a licensed clinical professional counselor with training in critical incident stress management. Tips on identifying biases and stereotypes while interacting with co-workers and family violence victims will be explored during a presentation on cross cultural awareness training by Ms. Baheim Ahmad, MA, LCPC.

The conference also will feature the Clothesline Project, a traveling exhibit of shirts designed by female victims of violence that commemorate their pain and triumph. Other shirts in the exhibit are designed by family members and friends of women victims who have lost their lives to an act of violence. The conference will include a presentation by Dr. Denise Fraser-Vaselakos, a clinical psychologist and director of the Chicago Clothesline Project.

Judge Montelione, chair of the Fifth Municipal District’s Family Violence Prevention Coordinating Council, said, "The goal of the Council is to improve coordination between agencies and professionals who provide services to families who have been devastated by the tragedy of domestic violence. I am grateful to Chief Judge Evans for his dedicated support of the Council’s efforts to build a strong community network of support for those families."

Advance registration for the conference is required because space is limited. Persons interested in attending should call 708-974-6838. The deadline for registration is October 12.

The Family Violence Prevention Coordinating Council of the Fifth Municipal District is composed of educational, medical, law enforcement and social service professionals, as well as court personnel and members of the religious and legal communities.