Press and News
Browse the press and news articles.
"He gave my father back to me." David Lewis, rest in peace.
Thu, 07/01/2010 - 5:32pm | 
gail
"He gave my father back to me." This is the first thing Emani Davis told me about David Lewis when she suggested that we invite him as a keynote speaker for our 2005 gathering "Children of Prisoners, Children of Promise". Emani’s dad had been incarcerated since she was six. She never gave up on him, but under David’s teaching her father’s perspective and capacities grew dramatically, and her relationship with her dad blossomed.
Jazz Benefit
Mon, 02/08/2010 - 11:52am | elizabeth
Friday, April 9 at 6:00 pm
Bottom Lounge
Dee Alexander
& her band
~
Laura Washington, Emcee
Delicious Buffet ~ Desserts
Cash Bar
Mothers Shackled During Labor
Mon, 07/19/2010 - 1:31pm | elizabeth
Two stories in recent days highlight the Cook County Sheriff's illegal shackling of women in labor. A recent Chicago Tribune article and a story on National Public Radio's All Things Considered report a class action lawsuit in federal court against the Cook County Sheriff's office for illegally shackling women in labor and feature the mothers whose rights were violated.
Jazz Beneft 2010
Tue, 06/08/2010 - 1:16pm | elizabeth
CLAIM’s 2010 Jazz Benefit was a great success! We enjoyed the fantastic music of Dee Alexander, wonderful company and, of course, raised money for CLAIM’s programs.
CLAIM Staff Attorneys Cite Rewards and Challenges
Fri, 05/21/2010 - 4:39pm | elizabeth
Molshree Sharma planned on a Ph.D. and a career in academia. But as time went on, she says, “I realized that I wanted to do something that was intellectually challenging but had concrete repercussions for people. I wanted to make a real, tangible difference in people’s lives.”
Congratulations Samir!
Fri, 03/19/2010 - 9:43am | elizabeth
Congratulations to CLAIM Board member Samir Goswami, winner of a 2010 Chicago Foundation for Women Impact Award! The Impact Awards recognize 25 visionary women and men whose leadership and achievements are improving their Chicago-area neighborhood, community or workplace. Samir is the policy director of Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, and we are proud to count him as a Board member and friend of CLAIM.
Family Law Clinic and Divorce Trainings
Fri, 02/12/2010 - 5:31pm | elizabeth
CLAIM will host a training session on divorce on Wednesday, March 10th from 5:30 - 7:30 pm, and a training for volunteers interested in our Family Law Clinic on Saturday, March 13th from 10am - 3:45 pm.
8th Circuit Court of Appeals holds shackling woman during labor unconstitutional
Sat, 10/24/2009 - 8:08pm | gail
On October 2, 2009 the federal Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals found that shackling a woman to her hospital bed during labor is cruel and unusual punishment, and unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment. CLAIM was among 34 advocacy groups nationwide that submitted an amicus brief in the case. You can read the en banc decision in the case here.
Interrupted Life: Incarcerated Mothers in the United States at UIC
Fri, 09/25/2009 - 12:45pm | elizabeth
From August 24 to September 23, the art exhibit Interrupted Life: Incarcerated Mothers in the United States was on display at the University of Illinois Chicago campus. Curated by Rickie Solinger, the exhibit uses the original art of hundreds of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated mothers across the country to convey the heart-rending separation that incarcerated mothers and their children face every day. The exhibit featured works that members of our Visible Voices group created in 2005.
Hearing on Children of the Incarcerated
Fri, 09/25/2009 - 12:33pm | elizabeth
On Friday, September 18, the Illinois House of Representatives Youth and Family Committee held a hearing on children of incarcerated parents. The hearing was the culmination of months of hard work in partnership with a coalition convened by the Community Renewal Society.
Create guardianships so children can stay with trusted caregivers, and out of the foster care system. Teach mothers in jail about family law and the best interest of the child. Host meetings for formerly imprisoned women. Testify at public hearings to win humane policy. Meet with corrections officials to make visits better for children. These are a few things that CLAIM staff and volunteers do to bring justice to incarcerated mothers and their children. You can help us make a difference. Please be as generous as possible.
Current Size: 100%
- Approximately 80% of the 16,239 women in Chicago’s Cook County Jail in 2004 were mothers.
- About 80% of women detained at Cook County Jail are charged with non-violent crimes.
Because children need their mothers.