Article I: Name 

The name of this Council is the Lake County Criminal Justice Citizen’s Community Council, and it will be referred to as the Council in the following bylaws. 

Article II: Authority 

The Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg established the Council on September 23, 2019. 

Article III: Purpose 

Section A: Principal Mission 

The principal mission of the Council is to provide an ongoing collaborative forum to study the Lake County juvenile and adult criminal justice system, identify best practices, and formulate policy, plans and programs for change when opportunities present themselves. In addition, its mission is to 

• communicate and present planning, financial, operational, managerial, and programmatic recommendations to the agencies represented on the Council,

• provide the coordinated leadership necessary to establish cohesive public policies that are based on research and support evaluation and monitoring of policy decisions and program implementations, and advance evidence-informed corrections practices and programs for adult and juvenile offenders.

Section B: Guiding Principles 

Council members will be responsive to the collective needs of the community, encourage the spirit of teamwork, and respect the independence and interrelationships among participants. 

1. Legitimacy: Criminal justice practices and policy should provide an equitable justice system for all residents by strengthening the trust between the public and the justice system and promoting the fair distribution of rights, resources, and opportunities. 

2. Fair and Just: Criminal justice laws, policies, and practices should be fairly and effectively enforced, ensuring that punishment is proportional to the seriousness of the offense committed, designed to achieve offender accountability, victim restoration, public safety, and limited to the amount necessary to achieve the intended outcomes. 

3. Respect: Criminal justice practices and policy should ensure that victims are treated with respect in regard to their dignity and privacy, and that their rights are enforced. Support and services should be provided to victims who suffer physical, emotional or financial harm as the direct result of the offender’s criminal conduct. 

4. Rehabilitation: The criminal justice system should require and support offender rehabilitation services to offenders who want them. These services should be provided in a trauma-informed manner. 

5. Strengthen Communities: The criminal justice system should strengthen communities and their capacities to prevent crime and violence. 

6. Prevention: The criminal justice system should prevent crime and violence to mitigate its harmful effects on individuals and communities. 

7. Research-Informed: Criminal justice policies and practices should be informed by statistics, research, and community input. Criminal justice data, statistical analyses, and research should be accessible to all communities. 

8. Collaboration: The sectors of the criminal justice system and victim service providers should collaborate to provide efficient, effective, and expedient justice. This collaboration should foster cross-system coordination and appropriate information sharing. 

9. Efficient: The criminal justice system should avoid unnecessary costs and maximize its limited resources to achieve its intended outcomes. 

Section C: Role 

The Council is empowered to make recommendations to public policy boards regarding juvenile and criminal justice system issues. 

Article IV: Members 

Section A: Membership by Position 

There are no more than 30 voting members of the Council who are members due to the position they hold. These members serve on the Council for as long as they occupy the position: 

• Lake County Sheriff

• 19th Judicial Circuit Designee

• Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council

• Lake County State’s Attorney

• Lake County Coroner

• Lake County Public Defender

• 19th Judicial Circuit Adult Probation Director

• Lake County Board Chair

• Lake County Circuit Court Clerk

• Lake County Health Department

• President, Lake County Chiefs of Police Association or his/her designee

• A Safe Place

• Nicasa Behavioral Health Services

• Waukegan Township

• Coalition to Reduce Recidivism

• Victim advocate

• Community Members

• Formerly Justice Impacted Individuals

• 19th Judicial Circuit Juvenile Probation Director

• Illinois General Assembly member or his/her designee

• Other members may include but are not limited to: League of Women Voters of Lake County, Waukegan Main Street, Faith in Place, Waukegan Public Schools, United Way, Switch Lanes, Legacy Re-Entry Foundation, Mano a Mano Family Resource Center, Round Lake Beach Police Department, Mayor of North Chicago, Waukegan Park District and others as deemed appropriate by the membership.

Section B: Ex Officio Members 

Members of the Lake County Board are non-voting members of the Council. 

Lake County Sheriff’s Office Chief of Staff and additional staff support of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office are non-voting members of the Council. 

Section C: Removal 

Any officer may be removed from such office, with or without cause, by a two-thirds vote of the Council at any regular or special meeting of the Council called for that purpose. 

Article V: Meetings 

Section A: Regular Meetings 

The Council meets on the third Wednesday of every quarter beginning from 6 pm to 8 pm. Meetings are open to the public. 

• March

• June

• September (Annual Meeting: Election of Officers)

• December

Future meeting locations or the geographical area will be decided at each quarterly meeting. 

Section C: Annual Meeting of the CJCC will be held each year during the month of September. 

Section D: Attendance by Electronic Communication 

Council members may participate in any meeting using a computer, conference telephone or similar communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other and such participation in a meeting shall constitute presence in person at the meeting. 

Section E: Action Without Meeting 

Any actions required to be taken at a meeting of the Council, or by any other action which may be taken at a meeting of the Council, may be taken without a meeting if consent in writing or electronic communication (“email”), setting forth the action so taken shall be signed by a majority of the Council entitles to vote with respect to the subject matter thereof. Digital signatures, including typing the Council Members name in an electronic communication, shall be a valid form of signature herein. Action must be initiated by an officer or committee chair. 

Section F: Conflict of Interest:

Any member who is present at a meeting at which any matter is discussed in which he or she has a private pecuniary or property interest shall declare that he or she has a potential conflict of interest. The member shall not vote on such matter and shall refrain from attempting to influence the decisions of the other members of the CJCC in voting on the matter. The Chair may choose to have such member step out of the meeting during the discussion of and/or vote on the matter which is the subject of the potential conflict of interest. 

Section G: Designees 

Council members may designate one designee to represent them and vote at Council meetings. Any member wishing to appoint a designee is to identify the designee in written correspondence addressed to the Chair of the Council prior to the meeting. Designees can be changed only by notifying the Chair in writing. Each Council member or properly appointed designee present at a meeting shall be entitled to only one vote on each matter submitted to a vote of the members. 

Section H: Alternate 

The Lake County Board names a representative and alternate to serve as Council members. The representative may appoint a designee as described in Article V, Section B, to represent the Board when neither the representative nor alternate is available to attend. 

Section I: Quorum 

A quorum is no less than a simple majority of the total membership. Designees cannot be counted when determining a quorum. Action may be taken by a majority of those present voting and by not less than a majority of the quorum. 

Section J: Convening Special Meetings 

The Chair of the Council may convene a special meeting with a minimum of 7 days advance notice. 

Section H: Meeting Documentation 

All CJCC meetings, as well as committee and subcommittee meetings, shall be documented either in the form of meeting minutes or meeting summaries and disseminated to the CJCC Council via CJCC Secretary. 

Article VI: Authority and Duties: 

The Chair and Co-Chair shall have full authority to carry out their duties as specified below. 

Section A: Chair 

The Chair of the Council is the Sheriff of Lake County. The Chair shall 

• Preside at meetings of the CJCC

• Serve as a ceremonial representative of the CJCC

• Appoint all standing and special committees of the CJCC which appointments are confirmed by the CJCC

• Appoint subcommittee chairs

• Keep CJCC members informed of matters pertinent to their responsibility

• Set the agenda for all meetings of the CJCC and ensure distribution to members.

• Establish CJCC meeting schedules.

• Ensure the preparation of meeting minutes and distribution to members.

• Sign communications on behalf of the CJCC

• Represent the CJCC at governmental, community or other meetings

• Provide functional supervision to the criminal justice planner; gather input from the council and administer performance reviews and share with administrative supervisor

• Work with the planner to develop and execute the approved annual CJCC budget.

Section B: Co-Chair 

In the absence of the Chair, to fulfill any and all the above duties. 

In instances when the Chair cannot attend a meeting, the Co-Chair of the Council or another member designated by the Chair will preside over the meeting. 

Section C: Secretary 

The secretary shall keep a record all proceedings of the Council in a book to be kept for that purpose; see that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of these by-laws or as required by law; be custodian of the records, and perform all duties incident to the office of secretary and such other duties as from time to time may be assigned to him or her by the Chair or Steering Committee. 

Article VII: Voting 

Each Council member has one vote. Designees may vote on behalf of a member if they have been identified by the member in written correspondence addressed to the Chair. The majority of all voting members present shall constitute passage of any item up for a vote. 

Article VIII: Committees 

The CJCC may establish standing and ad hoc committees, as needed, in order to expedite and facilitate the business of the CJCC. All committees must include at least two CJCC members appointed by the Chair. A committee may also include others from the local criminal justice system and its related service providers, as well as other members, who are approved by the Steering Committee. 

Standing committees will establish its own charter to outline their scope of work and update as needed. 

Committees and sub-committees must meet in between quarterly minutes to further their action items. Meeting minutes must be recorded and submitted to the CJCC Secretary for dissemination and approval by full CJCC at the next CJCC quarterly meeting. 

Section A: Purpose 

To expedite and facilitate the business of the Council and the orderly and efficient consideration of matters coming before it, the following standing committees are established. 

Section B: Steering Committee 

The Steering Committee is to provide leadership in the planning and implementation of the Council goals by:

• Designating existing structures or creating new structures for the achievement of the Council goals.

• Reviewing implementation plans, timetables and costs and reporting with recommendations on such matters to the Council.

• Reviewing requests made for resources, developing alternatives when appropriate, and making recommendations to the Council for responding to such requests.

• Reviewing and making recommendations regarding other matters delegated to it by the Council.

• Planning the agenda of the Council meetings.

Membership 

• Lake County Sheriff

• Lake County State’s Attorney

• Lake County Coroner

• Lake County Public Defender

• 19th Judicial Circuit

• Adult Probation Director

• Sarah Knizhnik, Illinois Coalition to Reduce Handgun Violence

• Bruce Johnson, Chief Executive Officer Nicasa Behavioral Health Services

• Celeste Flores, Faith in Place

• Dulce Ortiz, Executive Director, Mano a Mano Family Resource Center

• Marc Jones, Waukegan Park District

• President, Lake County Chiefs of Police Association or his/her designee.

Section C: Other Committees as Needed 

• Bylaws Committee 

• Data Committee 

• Bond Reform Committee 

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Committee 

• Re-Entry Committee 

Article IX: Parliamentary Authority 

Robert’s Rules of Order, revised, governs all Council meetings except in instances of conflict between the rules of order and the bylaws of the Council or provision of law. 

Article X: Strategic Planning 

The CJCC will develop and maintain a current strategic plan that defines its goals and objectives and the means by which it plans to achieve them to include an annual action plan. 

Article XI: Amendment of Bylaws 

Proposed amendments to the bylaws submitted by the Bylaws Committee are to be included on the agenda of a regularly scheduled Steering Committee meeting. Upon approval by the Steering 7 

Committee, the proposal will be forwarded to the Council at a regularly scheduled meeting for final approval. Any action in response to the proposed change in the bylaws taken by the Council becomes effective immediately.