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. (Read more)
CLAIM Alumnae Shatter Barriers and Stereotypes Tue, 03/27/2012 - 3:51pm |  GNelson
On March 9 and 10, five women took the stage to tell their stories. All
 were members of the Sisters Rising production of Still Point Theatre Collective and alumnae of CLAIM’s Visible Voices program. Seated in beauty shop chairs, they spoke of cornrows, jump rope, first loves, and few opportunities. |
New Faces and Good-byes Tue, 03/27/2012 - 3:19pm | GNelson
2012 is a year of new beginnings at CLAIM. In January, CLAIM welcomed Gayle
 Nelson as the new Executive Director and Gail Smith shifted into the Senior Policy Director role. More recently, Zenaida Alonzo left h er position as Staff Attorney/ Pro Bono Director to take on a non legal opportunity at the Juvenile Detention Center.Zenaida Alonzo joined claim in August of 2007. Clients could always count on her calm voice and knowledge of the law. Volunteers also appreciated her guidance. |
Make a donation today to help celebrate CLAIM's hard work to win the new state law protecting pregnant women! We are ecstatic that pregant women in Cook County have greater protection, but more work is needed to extend this protection to women in Illinois prisons. Please consider a donation today to help CLAIM continue to strive to protect human rights, and to support our legal aid and client education programs in the coming year 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.