Welcome to CLAIM
Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers (CLAIM) provides legal and educational services to maintain the bond between imprisoned mothers and their children.
CLAIM advocates for policies and programs that benefit families of imprisoned mothers and reduce incarceration of women and girls.
For current updates, please visit our Facebook page.
CLAIM Founder Gail T. Smith Honored at White House Ceremony on June 12 Fri, 06/14/2013 - 1:56pm |  mary
CLAIM Founder Gail T. Smith recognized as “Champion of Change” by Children of Incarcerated Parents Initiative |
Illinois Senate Passes Bill to End Felony Prostitution 53-1 Fri, 04/12/2013 - 3:10pm | gail
We are thrilled to report that SB 1872, which eliminates the charge |
of felony prostitution in Illinois, passed the Senate on April 11, 2013 and will move to the Illinois House. Congratulations to End Demand Illinois, and especially to CAASE Advocacy Director Lynne Johnson, SAGE member Glenda Sykes, and EDI lobbyist Daria Mueller. Their work on the bill has been both brilliant and tireless.Please donate to CLAIM today! Staff attorney and pro bono director Alexis Mansfield is expanding client services, assisting 1,190 famililies in 2012 as compared to 897 in 2011. Our Visible Voices leaders met recently with IDOC Chief Debbie Denning and all of the women's facilities wardens to advocate family reunification programs and improved health care, and we made real progress. Please help CLAIM protect family rights, improve policy, and provide legal aid and client education programs to maintain the mother-child bond.
Current Size: 100%
- More than 16,000 women go to jail annually in Cook County Jail and about 82% are mothers.
- About 80% of women detained at Cook County Jail are charged with non-violent crimes and only 1.8% of the 3,100 women admitted to Illinois prisons in 2009 were classified as a high security risk.
Because children need their mothers.