FAQs • 19th Judicial Circuit Court, IL • CivicEngage

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Do I need an appointment?: No, you do not need an appointment. We take walk-ins.

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Adult Public Service

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1. What is Public Service?: The Illinois State Legislature passed the Community Service Bill into law in 1979. This law created a sentencing option for Illinois Judges to impose a number of hours of free labor as a community sanction for various misdemeanor, traffic and felony crimes. Lake County's program was begun in 1979-1980.

2. Who is sentenced to Public Service?: The Illinois Law allows for all probational offenders to have, as part of their sentence, some hours of public service. The Lake County program provides services for City Ordinance violators, misdemeanor, traffic and felony offenders.

3. What are your hours of operation?: The public service office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

4. What should the defendant do if they do not speak English?: They should bring in an interpreter and we do have a Spanish speaking coordinator who can assist Spanish speaking defendants.

5. Can I get assigned a work site over the phone?: No, you must come into the office and go through our intake process.

6. Do I need an appointment?: No, you do not need an appointment. We take walk-ins.

7. Can I find my own work site?: No. If you live in Lake County, you must go to a contracted site in our program, unless the judge orders otherwise.

8. If I was ordered public service through the Lake County Judicial System and currently reside in another county or state, can I do my public service there?: Yes, you can, but you must report to our office for the intake process. We will then transfer your case to the appropriate county in which you reside.

9. Can I pay a fine instead of doing my public service?: You would have to go back to court. It is the judge's decision as to whether to convert public service hours to a fine.

10. What kind of public service sites do you have?: All of our sites are not-for-profit organizations or a unit of government.

11. What kind of work is required by the work sites?: Most of our work sites require cleaning or maintenance work, but there is limited clerical work available.