Grant Programs

Local Drug Prosecution Support Program

Each year the Madison County State's Attorney's Office receives funds from the Illinois Office of the State's Attorney Appellate Prosecutor to aid in prosecuting drug cases. The Madison County State's Attorney's Office recognizes the role that drug use and sales play in many violent crimes and is dedicated to prosecuting drug traffickers and users to the fullest extent of the law through its Local Drug Prosecution Support Program. Of special interest to the State's Attorney's Office, is the growing problem of methamphetamine use and production.

Meth use destroys the lives of those who abuse the drug and endangers others who live in homes where Meth labs are in operation. The Madison County State's Attorney's Office has several dedicated attorneys whose primary focus is on prosecuting drug crimes.

Metro East Auto Theft Task Force

Personal vehicle theft is a growing area of concern for law enforcement officials in Madison County and throughout the St. Louis region. To help protect the people of Madison County from becoming a victim of vehicle theft, the Madison County State's Attorney's Office has an Assistant State's Attorney trained specifically for prosecuting vehicle theft and title fraud cases. The Office receives funding through the Illinois Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Council. The purpose of the grant funding is to promote prosecution and recovery of property. The grant is renewed on an annual basis through the Metro-East Auto-Theft Task Force.

The Metro-East Auto-Theft task force, which began in 1992, represents both Madison and St. Clair County and has aided in the identification and arrest of street gang members who steal cars and use them in other crimes such as transporting drugs or firearms, insurance fraud, chop-shops, simultaneous car thefts and false reports of theft.

Victim/Witness Grant from the Illinois Attorney General's Office

Recognizing the importance of supporting victims and witnesses of crimes, the State's Attorney's Office works with the Illinois Attorney General's Office to make sure a dedicated staff person is on hand to help answer their questions and guide them through the legal process. The Illinois Attorney General helps fund the salary of the Victim/Witness Specialist within the office.

Duties that the Victim/Witness Specialist provides to victims are case notification, case status, and disposition information, information on property return, compensation and services to victims of domestic violence, including Orders of Protection. The Victim/Witness Specialist also obtains information from victims for restitution, schedules appointments with Assistant State's Attorneys and victims. Additional services provided by the Victim Services Division include the arrangement of transportation for victims to come to court, outreach for domestic violence victims unable to travel to the State's Attorney's Office to file Orders of Protection, or those who are victims of violent crimes. In addition, the Victim/Witness Specialist is mandated to hotline potential child abuse cases in the course of providing an Order of Protection. The Madison County State's Attorney's Office serves all victims of Madison County regardless of race, age, sex, income or geographic limitations. Additionally, the Office provides services for witnesses of violent crime.

Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Program

The rehabilitation and careful prosecution of youth is very important to the State's Attorney's Office. Recognizing that young adults and children who commit crimes are able to be rehabilitated if given the access to proper programs, the State's Attorney's Office works with the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority for a grant to help in the swift prosecution of juvenile cases. The grant was awarded to assist in the prosecution of juvenile cases by reducing the backlog and becoming more efficient, thus reducing the elapsed time from when a juvenile is charged and when there is a resolution. This enables the juvenile to begin any necessary treatment and spend less time in the juvenile justice system.

The beginning of this grant coincided with the creation of the Madison County Juvenile Justice Council, one of the first in the state. State's Attorney William A. Mudge and a juvenile Assistant State's Attorney participate on the council. The Council acts as an oversight body over programs dealing with juvenile offenders, dropouts, school safety and prevention of juvenile crime and gang activities. Besides government, they work with a number of groups - school officials, faith-based organizations, non-profit groups. The Office must submit an application on an annual basis.

Madison County Transit District

The Madison County Transit District contracts with the State's Attorney's Office to provide civil representation and counsel as needed including prosecution for all violations of Madison County Transit District ordinances. Serving as one of the Transit Districts legal representatives, the Madison County State's Attorney's Office works to protect the District's many programs including its paratransit services for the disabled and elderly in Madison County, operation of its fixed bus route service and the development of more than 75 miles of bike trails throughout Madison County.

OTHER PROGRAMS: Child Advocacy Center | Bad Check Restitution | Elder Abuse Program | Identity Theft | Grant Programs