CHICAGO (AP) — The Illinois Supreme Court is expanding a program that recruits volunteer attorneys in an effort to shorten the backlog of criminal appeals.
The six-month pilot program was launched in northern Illinois and Cook County, where appeals can take so long that sometimes people are acquitted after they have completed their sentences. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the program will be available in the entire state in December.
Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Anne M. Burke said Wednesday the program reduced the backlog of criminal appeals cases. Since its February launch, 75 attorneys have adopted 45 cases and filed 18 briefs.
