Cook County Public Defender's Office

Cook County Public Defender's Office We protect the fundamental rights & dignity of our clients & provide excellent legal representation. Call our 24/7/365 ARREST HOTLINE. 844-817-4448. Mitchell Jr.

If someone has been arrested in Chicago or anywhere in Cook County. An attorney will go to the police station to represent them for free. We are one of the largest criminal defense firms in the Country, with more than 450 attorneys and 600 employees overall, representing thousands of Cook County residents charged with every type of criminal offense and child protection violation. The Public Defend

er has the responsibility to staff courtrooms throughout the Circuit Court of Cook County. The Public Defender of Cook County is Sharone R. The attorneys in the office work as his assistants.

09/04/2026

Money bond hurt innocent and poor people, extracted hundreds of millions of dollars from the poorest communities, and discriminated against Black and Latino people. Pretrial incarceration takes people from their homes, families, communities, and jobs without a conviction. The Pretrial Fairness Act was passed to address this inequitable system, and we are continuing to build on the progress we've made.

Graphs & Reports shown in this video:
1) Prison Policy Initiative, "Research Roundup: Evidence that a single day in jail causes immediate and long-lasting harms." By Brian Nam-Sonenstein, August 6, 2024. Data from Christopher Lowenkamp, The Hidden Costs of Pretrial Detention Revisited, March 21, 2022.
2. U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. The Civil Rights Implications of Cash Bail Briefing Report. January 2022.
3. "Monitoring Cook County's Central Bond Court: A Community Courtwatching Initiative, August - October 2017. By Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice, February 27, 2018.

09/03/2026

The Pretrial Fairness Act has received its fair share of criticism. Some of the criticisms have been debunked—like those claiming it would cause an increase in crime or a decrease in court attendance. Other criticisms, however, are valid. Those are generally related to how the law is being circumvented by current practices by prosecutors and judges. In this video, we break down these criticisms and share relevant data, most of which was compiled by and analyzed by Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts.

Tables & Graphs shown in this video:
1. Victim Counts and Comparison in All Community Areas, January 1 - December 21, 2024 and 2025. From City of Chicago Violence Reduction Dashboard.
2. Pretrial Fairness Act Weekly Dashboard, September 18, 2023 - August 1, 2026. State of Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County.
3 - 5. "500 Years Forward, 10 Years Back: An Evaluation of Eileen O'Neill Burke's First 500 Days as Cook County State's Attorney." By Austin Segal and Maya Simkin, Chicago Appleseed, 2026.

Registration is still open for the Driver's License Reinstatement Expo on Saturday, September 12. Reserve your spot toda...
09/02/2026

Registration is still open for the Driver's License Reinstatement Expo on Saturday, September 12. Reserve your spot today!

09/02/2026

In 2023, Illinois became the first state to eliminate money bond when it passed the Pretrial Fairness Act. The Pretrial Fairness Act's aim was to remove wealth bias in our criminal legal system. This video provides an overview of what the Pretrial Fairness Act is and what it changed. Photos courtesy of Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice.

This month marks three years since the Pretrial Fairness Act was implemented. This video is the first in a series highlighting what to know about the Pretrial Fairness Act today.

News articles shown in this video:
1. "California blew it on bail reform. Now Illinois is showing it works" by the Time Editorial Board. Published in the Los Angeles Times, May 19, 2024.
2. "'What Illinois did is really truly on another level': Despite legal limbo, elimination of cash bail set to take effect Jan 1" by Jeremy Gorner. Published in the Chicago Tribune, December 30, 2022.
3. "Nearly 8 months into Illinois' new era without cash bail, experts say recidivism and jail population are trending lower" by Mark Maxwell. Published in KSDK, May 7, 2024.
4. "Marked decline in homicides, robberies proves critics wrong about Pretrial Fairness Act" by State Rep. Lisa Davis. Published in the Chicago Sun Times, February 20, 2026.
5. "Don't be fooled by fear tactics. Eliminating money bond is working" by Ken Page. Published in the Illinois Times. March 28, 2024.

Prosecutors are constitutionally required to identify and disclose evidence that could undermine the credibility of a go...
08/28/2026

Prosecutors are constitutionally required to identify and disclose evidence that could undermine the credibility of a government witness. Previously in Cook County, the State’s Attorney’s Office released publicly available lists that identified law enforcement officers who had credibility problems. The Office no longer publishes these lists under the new administration.

These transparent, publicly available lists are a measure of guarantee that defense attorneys could directly identify at least some of the officers on their own. When discovery, including information about law enforcement witness credibility, is provided at the last second on the morning of trial, it creates a conflict between our client's right to speedy trial and their right to this evidence.

🔗 Read the full article from The Chicago Reporter https://www.chicagoreporter.com/when-chicago-police-officers-cant-be-trusted-on-the-witness-stand/

LET'S HOOP!!! Mark your calendars for the 2nd Annual Defenders of the Court Basketball Tournament! 🏀Join the Freedom Def...
08/28/2026

LET'S HOOP!!! Mark your calendars for the 2nd Annual Defenders of the Court Basketball Tournament! 🏀Join the Freedom Defense Centers of Roseland and Austin along with community partners and neighbors for community fun and friendly competition at these free events.

🌹Defenders of the Court -- Roseland
📅Thursday, September 10
⏰ 4:00 - 8:00 PM
📍 Pullman Community Center, 10355 S Woodlawn, Chicago
🏀+ spectating

🌻Defenders of the Court -- Austin
📅Saturday, September 12
⏰ 12:00 - 5:00 PM
📍 Aspire Center, Central Pop Fit Court, 5500 W Madison St, Chicago
🏀+ spectating, food, games, & music

🏆Winning teams will be invited to play in a championship game at the Wintrust Arena on September 17.

🔗Additional details are available at cookcountypublicdefender.org/events. We look forward to seeing you there!

Applications are now open! We are looking for a Lead Records Assistant to join our team. This position is responsible fo...
08/27/2026

Applications are now open!

We are looking for a Lead Records Assistant to join our team. This position is responsible for keeping written files and office records properly organized and stored, and assisting in the administration, facilitation and distribution of files. The ideal candidate will be highly organized, have excellent attention to detail, and will be able to lift and carry heavy items and travel to the various office locations throughout the county. This role is also responsible for analyzing incoming correspondence and will need to exercise discretion, sound judgement, and personal initiative in communicating across the office and coordinating responses.

🔗Apply at cookcountypublicdefender.org/careers/jobs
📅Applications are due by 11:59 PM on September 15, 2026

And there's still time to apply for the Office Manager position. The application deadline has been extended to September 1.

New episode out now! In this conversation, Mitigation Specialist Emma Sherman discusses the important role mitigators pl...
08/25/2026

New episode out now! In this conversation, Mitigation Specialist Emma Sherman discusses the important role mitigators play in defending our clients. Emma works alongside attorneys to better understand each client's story through interviews with clients, their family, and their friends. By getting to know our clients on a deeper level, mitigators help judges, prosecutors, and others see our client as the full person they are, not as the accusation they are facing. Emma works to protect our clients' dignity while making a difference in case outcomes - from lessening sentences, to aiding in dismissals and case victories.

🔗 Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts: cookcountypublicdefender.org/links

08/24/2026

The offer from the State’s Attorney’s office clearly shows that prosecutors never believed they could convince a judge or jury that our client, Keshia Golden, was guilty of first-degree murder.

It is a disgrace that it took almost four years for the prosecution to admit this. Continuing to prosecute Keshia for first-degree murder has caused her and her family unbelievable stress as she was threatened with decades in prison.

Keshia has made the difficult decision to accept the prosecution’s offer to plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter and a sentence of probation in this case to ensure that she will be able to raise her daughter and see her grow up. This is a rational decision, but it is not a just outcome.

Our clients face these difficult and personal decisions every day when choosing between the risk to their freedom at trial and pleading guilty to something they are innocent of.

We hope the State's Attorney will keep Keshia’s case in mind moving forward, particularly in the case of criminalized survivors. The State's Attorney's Office has an obligation to pursue justice even when it means not achieving a conviction.

Defenders from our office joined the 2026 Race Judicata 5K last week. Our team was proud to support this annual event th...
08/21/2026

Defenders from our office joined the 2026 Race Judicata 5K last week. Our team was proud to support this annual event that raises money for CVLS, an organization dedicated to ensuring the law works for everyone, not just those who can afford it. Thanks to everyone who participated!

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69 W. Washington, Suite 1600
Chicago, IL
60602

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Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5am

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