Kankakee County State's Attorney's Office
State's Attorney Jim Rowe
THE MASAI JUSTICE PROJECT
RESTORATIVE JUVENILE JUSTICE
BY A JURY OF THEIR PEERS
Welcome to the Masai Justice Project
This is where you sign up to participate in a Masai Justice Project court session if you have received a Referral from a law enforcement officer (police or probation), prosecutor, judge, teacher, school administrator, or other authority. To participate in this program, you must meet all of the below requirements and agree to the following process:
REQUIREMENTS TO PARTICIPATE:
1. You must be 17 years of age or younger, or 18 and currently enrolled in high-school;
2. You and your parent/guardian must consent to your participation in the Masai Justice Project;
3. You must admit guilt to the allegations against you;
4. You and your parent/guardian must attend a Masai Justice Project court session. Sessions are held on the 4th Tuesday of every month at 5:30pm in the Kankakee County Courthouse;
5. You must accept the peer jury’s decision and complete the remedies imposed within a given timeframe. Remedies may include: communicating an apology and meeting with the victim, restitution, community service within the impacted community, assignment to a mentoring program, producing a vision board, interviewing a role-model, attendance at the Justice Academy after-school program, a college tour, volunteering at a future Masai Justice Project court session as a peer juror, or such other remedies that the Peer Jury may recommend.
6. There is no fee to participate.
Sign-Up Process:
2023 MJP Sessions Are Held Every
2nd & 4th Tuesday @ 5:30pm.
All sessions are held at the Kankakee County Courthouse, 450 East Court Street, Kankakee, IL 60901. Enter thru the rear door on the south side of the Courthouse.
The 2023 dates are:
Jan 10th & Jan 24th
Feb 14th & Feb 28th
Mar 14th & Mar 28th
Apr 11th & Apr 25th
May 9th & May 23rd
June 13th & June 27th
July 11th & July 25th
Aug 8th & Aug 22nd
Sept 12th & Sept 26th
Oct 10th & Oct 24th
Nov 14th & Nov 28th
Dec 12th
(there will be no session on 12/26)
For More Info on the Masai Justice Project:
Contact The State's Attorney's Office
(815) 936-5800
1. Complete the below form in its entirety. Be sure to answer every question. If you fail to answer a question your application will be rejected.
2. The Masai Justice Project meets every 4th Tuesday at 5:30pm at the Kankakee County Courthouse, 450 East Court St., Kankakee, IL. We are not able to guarantee the order in which your case may be called, and other cases may (and likely will) be called before your case. Your case may be called as late as 7:30pm. You should plan to be in attendance from 5:30pm until 8:30pm.
3. You must arrive between 5:15pm and 5:30pm. Late arrivals will not be permitted entry. If you miss a scheduled session without advance notice, you will not be permitted to re-enroll and your case may be referred for prosecution. If you miss a second date for any reason (even with notice), you will not be permitted to re-enroll and your case may be referred for prosecution.
4. Be sure to remember and write down your scheduled date. You will not receive a reminder as the date approaches. We suggest you put the date into your phone calendar if possible.
5. Available dates to attend a MJP Court Session are on the side of this page (below if you are using a cell phone or similar device). Be sure to indicate two possible dates which you and your parent/guardian are able to attend. You will receive a confirmation email and phone call to confirm a date for you to attend. If you do not answer the phone when we call, we will leave a message; your failure to call back or reply to the email to confirm within 48 hours will result in cancellation of your application, and your case may be referred for prosecution.