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Survivorhood: Journey Mapping of the Cook County Court System, Survivor Storytelling, and Opportunity Areas
Cook County Violence Against Women Taskforce
June 4, 2026
Insight Report | Group 6
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Background
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Survivor Journey
Content
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Introductions
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Themes & Insights
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Opportunities
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Next Steps
Insight Report | Group 6
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Insight Report | Group 6
CCVAW Task Force:
UChicago Crime Lab
Northwestern University
Chicago77 Charities
Public Policy Lab
Impact Partners
All In Alliance
We are a strategic design consultancy with a dynamic talent network
We help companies solve complex challenges through human-centered design and strategic insights to create solutions and drive innovation and growth.
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2026 | Impact Partners
We offer design services and staffing for projects or ongoing placements
Design Solutions
Talent Matching
Business Growth
Experience Design
Service Design
Concept Development
Prototyping
Project-based work
Staff Augmentation
Part-time Employees
Full-time Employees
UX & Consumer Research
UX Strategy
Market Intelligence
Outreach & Social Media
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SERVICE & SYSTEM DESIGN
PRODUCT & MATERIAL DESIGN
PPL led a multi-agency collaboration to streamline the customer experience of having a baby for the Biden White House.
PPL Midwest developed a user-centered design system for over 1,100+ court forms for the Michigan Court System.
Examples of Past PPL Projects
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Jan 2026 - June 2026
Executive Leadership & Working Groups
June 2026
Analyze victims’ pathways to becoming survivors
July 2026
Public Hearings -Final CCVAW Report: City Council and Cook County Board of Commissioners
Insight Report | Group 6
CCVAW Task Force:
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STATE OF ILLINOIS
CITY OF CHICAGO
LOCAL AGENCIES
COOK COUNTY
Insight Report | Group 6
CCVAW Task Force:
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HIGH PRIORITY ORDERS
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DATA & RESEARCH
Orders Of Protection,
Firearm Retrievals & Warrants
Improve Data Accuracy, Develop Plans For An Interagency Data Center, & Create A Public Data Dashboard
COURT SYSTEMS &
PROGRAMMING
Examine The Court Systems (Criminal/Civil) And the Court Programs
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Insight Report | Group 6
The Working Groups
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FIRST RESPONDERS
TRAINING & POLICIES
Improve Safety & Health of all First Responders
Develop Training For System Partners & Examine Policies Of All Agencies
SURVIVORHOOD
Map the journeys of survivors seeking government services
Identify gaps and opportunities
Insight Report | Group 6
The Working Groups
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Workgroup 6 explored how survivors access the Cook County courts across civil and criminal court.
Our Focus
Insight Report | Introduction
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Interviews
Intercepts
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Courthouses
Skokie/Markham Courthouses
Front line professional
Non-Profit/ Education
Survivors
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Survivor Journey
Looking at the Survivor Journey Throughout the Court Process
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Survivor Journey: Criminal and Civil Court Process
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Survivor Journey: Civil Court Process
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Civil Court Survivor Journey: Environmental/Service Challenges
There was no signage for advocates’ office at the courthouses.
Incident, Survivor Acts
Court Wayfinding
70–90% of petitioners represent themselves in domestic violence civil courts.
Childcare sign says “OPEN” but some people were turned away. Services may only be used for active court date, not EOPs.
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Civil Court Survivor Journey: Complex Paperwork & Language
Initiating Filing Process
Emergency Order of Protection Hearing
Petitioner goes multiple places for paperwork.
Clerk's Office > DV area or Advocate’s Office for EOP paperwork>back to Clerk’s office for other paperwork if needed.
To file a criminal case, they go to the police department for the police report.
Safety Concerns
Petitioner vulnerable waiting for OP to be successfully served, and is at risk throughout process.
EOP statement guide provided by Advocates help Petitioner develop a clear and succinct narrative for the hearing.
Studies find that petitioners working with advocates obtain permanent protective orders at 15–25% higher rates than those who go entirely alone.
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Civil Court Survivor Journey: No Shows and Dismissals
Emergency Order of Protection Hearing
No-Show Risk
Petitioner doesn’t have control over the
court date, and may not understand that
the case will be dismissed if they don’t
show up for each hearing.
Case Outcome and Follow-up
Court support ends at the hearing.
Standalone orders with no follow-up support show weaker and less durable outcomes.
CCR (Coordinated Community Response) models appear to improve long term outcomes.
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Court Experience | Comparison
Comparing Courts
Markham | Skokie |
Higher volume of cases Parentage cases are the most dominant cases at the Markham courthouse | Lower volume in comparison to Markham We learned that the dominant cases in these court are related to mental health issues & children living with parents |
Different judges will handle a criminal & civil case | A single DV judge handles both civil & criminal cases |
Has a special provision that survivors need to initiate a criminal case (summons). | No such provisions required at the Skokie Courthouse |
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THEMES
Preliminary Findings
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Theme 1 | Barriers to Entry
“So that's the standard that we were taught, victims have 7 to 8 occurrences before going in…that is what people say in training.”
- Legal Advocate
Fear, emotional connection, culture, and institutional mistrust are key barriers to entering the legal process.
Many survivors cycle through abuse multiple times before seeking legal or other professional help. The fear of what the abuser will do if they find out is a huge deterrent.
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Theme 1 | Barriers to Entry
“I had 3 different instances where he was arrested [but I didn’t follow through]. For me, it was a sense of betrayal. I was betraying the person that I chose to have a baby with…”
- Survivor
Fear, emotional connection, culture, and institutional mistrust are key barriers to entering the legal process.
Guilt, shame, and a sense of betrayal stop survivors from taking actions against loved ones.
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Theme 1 | Barriers to Entry
“The fear is significant. They don’t know what the police will or won’t do. Sometimes they want services but to not file a complaint.”
- Police Dept. Counseling Services
Fear, emotional connection, culture, and institutional mistrust are key barriers to entering the legal process.
Concern about police action deters survivors from action. There is a desire for other options.
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Theme 2 | Procedures
Court processes are radically system-centered, not survivor-centered.
“Civil and criminal cases run on completely different timelines and evidence rules.”
-Frontline DV Support Staff
Burden of proof can be difficult, and expectations can vary across courts and judges.
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Theme 2 | Procedures
“It felt like a playbook because everyone knows what comes after [except the survivor].”
- Survivor
Court feels like a theatre where survivors don’t know their roles, and flubbing their lines might result in a case dismissal.
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Court processes are radically system-centered, not survivor-centered.
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Theme 2 | Procedures
“Child care, even time off work [affects survivors’ ability] to attend hearing.”
- LEADS Clerk
Many functions of the courts are rigid. Hearing dates are often set without consulting the survivor. Processes, paperwork, and what you can file is inconsistent based on time of day, courthouse, and random changes in process.
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Court processes are radically system-centered, not survivor-centered.
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Theme 3 | Survivor Services
Survivor resources are difficult to identify and delivered inconsistently.
“We have a contract with Uber to help survivors reach court. But, victims must inform us beforehand to get transportation.”
- State Attorney’s Office
Access to support depends on survivors' prior knowledge about the court system and how explicitly they ask for help.
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Theme 3 | Survivor Services
“We have a screening process....you need to qualify for our services…. this is really the hardest part of my job”
- Legal Advocate
The availability and level of support from advocates varies based on funding, eligibility rules, and advocate availability.
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Survivor resources are difficult to identify and delivered inconsistently.
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Theme 3 | Survivor Services
“Legal aid are at capacity so often. So, I would say really about half and half of people representing themselves versus people getting an attorney.”
- Frontline DV Support Staff
Legal aid is inconsistently available, so survivors often face a choice between self-representing or waiting.
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Survivor resources are difficult to identify and delivered inconsistently.
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Theme 4 | Communication
“When you come in a court setting, you feel intimidated…will they look at me like a statistic?”
-Survivor
Courthouse interactions can be transactional, dehumanizing, and unnecessarily combative based on throughput and infrastructure.
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Court communication can be cold, dismissive, and erratic.
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Theme 4 | Communication
Court communication can be cold, dismissive, and erratic.
“The most important thing is making sure they understand what the court documents are and where to find their next court date.”
- Legal Advocate
Because of the lack of predictability, survivors often depend on advocates, deputies, and court clerks to navigate the process and the courthouse.
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Theme 4 | Communication
Survivors need to get EOP paperwork from one location and all other related forms from the Clerk’s Office.
- Observations from Site Visits
The paperwork is daunting, and it is unclear what to expect in the process—especially if survivors have multiple filings.
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Court communication can be cold, dismissive, and erratic.
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Theme 5 | Life Priorities
Securing housing, finding safety, parenting, and maintaining work are often more urgent priorities than pursuing court action.
“Will I be around [in three weeks time for the hearing]?”
- Survivor
For some survivors, the legal process does not resolve the broader safety and stability challenges.
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Theme 5 | Life Priorities
Securing housing, finding safety, parenting, and maintaining work are often more urgent priorities than pursuing court action.
“I think it just continues on because of affordability, financial reasons, or the fear of “I'm gonna lose my kids or I'm gonna lose the house”, and not understanding even the domestic relations law about that.”
- Frontline DV support staff
Maintaining employment and legal status, keeping their kids, and other priorities affect whether survivors can continue through the legal process.
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Theme 5 | Life Priorities
Securing housing, finding safety, parenting, and maintaining work are often more urgent priorities than pursuing court action.
“Then the honeymoon stage is back. Then the court is like, you have to give a testimony. You have the cycle.”
- Survivor
Post-abuse honeymoon phases may coincide with EOP hearing timelines and cause survivors to drop legal action (often because they rekindle with their abuser).
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Opportunity Areas
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Opportunity Areas
Barriers to Entry
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Procedures
Opportunity Areas
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Survivor Services
Opportunity Areas
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Communication
Opportunity Areas
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Life Priorities
Opportunity Areas
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Jan - June 2026
Executive Leadership & Working Group
June 2026
Analyze victims’ pathways to becoming survivors
July 2026
Public Hearings on final CCVAW Report:
City Council and Cook County Board of Commissioners
Insight Report | Group 6
CCVAW Task Force:
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Questions?