The Council

The Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Family Violence Prevention Council's work is primarily accomplished through the efforts of dedicated members who serve on our various committees. We are so very grateful for our members! More information about the Council is available for download: Council detailed information* and Council Fact Sheet*. Information on each committee is listed below. Download a Committee Check-Off* here. Meeting dates are located on the Calendar of Events page.

Executive Committee

Chief Judge James Lunati, Chair of the Council, appointed Circuit Judge Cynthia Raccuglia and Associate Judge James Brusatte to co-chair the Council. They then appointed five persons — Chair, Margaret Morrison (Executive Director, ADV & SAS), Connie Doran, Dave McClure, William Pfalszgraf and Sheldon Sobol — as members of the Executive Committee, to oversee the activities of the Council. It is charged with setting goals and directing annual work plans and Full Council meetings, and reviewing protocols for consistency.

County Committees

The Council has one committee in each of its three counties to identify local concerns related to interpersonal violence. Members of the committees evaluate possible solutions to interpersonal violence within the county, and make suggestions on how solutions can be integrated into a circuit-wide strategy. Each committee is responsible for community awareness and education within the county, bringing together members of victim advocacy and shelter, law enforcement, judiciary, educators and the health community to develop a coordinated effort to address interpersonal violence. We are so grateful for the dedicated commitment of our many members! For more information on member participation and how to join, visit our Membership page.

Bureau County Committee

Chair - Connie Doran (Executive Director, Freedom House).

Grundy County Committee

Chair - Sheldon Sobol (Grundy County State's Attorney).

The Grundy County Committee has developed the Community Awareness Committee to host community events to bring awareness to the issue of interpersonal violence.

LaSalle County Committee

Chair - Mark Krueger (Director, LaSalle County Probation Department).

The LaSalle County Committee has developed the Batterers' Services, the Community Awareness, and the Faith Community Committees to host community events to bring awareness to the issue of interpersonal violence..

Special Projects Committees

Safe Havens

Through the County of LaSalle and ADV & SAS, the Council received funding from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women in October of 2003 to develop a plan for supervised visitation and exchange services in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit. The plan was implemented in October 2006 to provide such services when visitation is between parents and there is a history of domestic violence, sexual abuse, stalking, or child abuse. Services are provided through Youth Service Bureau of the Illinois Valley.

Elder Abuse

Through ADV & SAS, the Council received a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women in October of 2006 to develop a multi-disdciplinary team to provide education on elder abuse and neglect to law enforcement officers, prosecutors and judges.

Illinois Health Cares

Through Through ADV & SAS, the Council received a grant from Illinois Health Cares which provides services to Livingston, LaSalle, Bureau and Henry Counties. Continuing Medical Education trainings are part of the collaborative efforts of the grant, bringing together the medical community with domestic violence, elder abuse, and sexual violence specialists. The goal of the cross training is to improve the clinical response to family violence issues by establishing system-wide understanding of violence as a health concern.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Council, contact us at 13fvpc@mchsi.com.