Administration Division 

 

The Administration Division of the Madison County State's Attorney's Office is primarily responsible for the planning and managing of the office budget, media relations/public information, supervision of staff, acting as a liaison for various court and county officials, grant management, travel and training arrangements, office technology decisions and general support for the State's Attorney. 

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Children’s Justice Division

 

The Children’s Justice Division focuses on crimes against children, child protection and sexually-based offenses. They are trained and experienced in dealing with especially-vulnerable victims as well as complex forensics. The Children’s Justice Division works hand-in-hand with the Madison County Child Advocacy Center and their Multidisciplinary Team to ensure that investigations are handled swiftly and with children’s best interests in mind. We review, charge, and prosecute hundreds of cases a year, and coordinate with the Department of Children and Family Services, police departments, and with victims of these special offenses. The Children’s Justice Division also encompasses the Juvenile Abuse and Neglect and Juvenile Delinquency division. Juvenile Abuse and Neglect primarily works with DCFS to ensure the safety of children in at-risk situations. They remove children from dangerous environments, offer services to parents to correct issues, and work to find permanent placement for children who have been removed from homes. Juvenile Delinquency works with juvenile offenders and covers the full range of criminal offenses from misdemeanors to First-Degree Murder.  

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Child Support Division 

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The Child Support Division is responsible for establishing paternity, child support determination and enforcement of court-ordered child support payments. The Division is funded by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS). 

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Civil Division 

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The Civil Division serves as chief legal advisors for Madison County and handles a variety of non-criminal complaints including violations of State and County civil laws, review contracts, and represent the county in civil litigation. Additionally, the Division represents the court in tax matters, community development, election matters and building and zoning issues. 

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Forfeiture Division 

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The Forfeiture Division works to collect assets (cash, cars, personal property, etc.) from drug dealers that can be sold (if not cash) to benefit law enforcement agencies, the State and State's Attorney's Offices. This has proven to be a very effective tool in the war against drugs. Depending on the case, it is filed as either a federal or state case. The division also collects bond forfeitures. By law, if a defendant fails to appear at a required court appearance, the posted cash bond may be forfeited following the appropriate legal action by the State's Attorneys' Office. 

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General Criminal Division 

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The General Criminal Division is responsible for the wide range of cases that do not fall within either the Violent Crimes Unit or Children’s Justice Division. Its felony prosecutors handle the largest number of felony offenses in the office. These include death cases involving driving under the influence and drug-induced homicide, domestic violence and other offenses resulting in great bodily harm or permanent disfigurement, elder abuse, white- collar crime, and all other felony-level narcotics, property, and traffic offenses. Approximately 85% of the felony cases currently pending are prosecuted within the General Criminal Division. 

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Investigations Division 

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The Investigations Division of the Madison County State's Attorney's Office consists of sworn law enforcement officers who assist, as needed, in follow-up investigations, serving subpoenas, and overall trial preparation. They prepare witnesses for trial by locating, interviewing, and bringing them to court. Investigators handle evidence; oversee and process walk-in complaints; conduct criminal history checks; and support the Assistant State's Attorneys in all aspects of case preparation. 

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Traffic and Misdemeanor Division 

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The Traffic and Misdemeanor Division handles an extremely high-volume caseload of all traffic and misdemeanor offenses in Madison County. These include, but are not limited to, first and second DUI offenses, domestic battery, retail theft, assault, battery, disorderly conduct, and many others. These offenses are punishable by up to one year in jail. This division also handles County ordinance violations. Traffic and Misdemeanor has court in both Edwardsville and in Alton. Law enforcement agencies handle the filing of most misdemeanor offenses and traffic offenses, after which the SAO takes over prosecution of the cases. 

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Victim Advocacy Division 

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The Victim Advocacy Division provides support to those who have become a victim or a witness of a crime. The Madison County State's Attorney's Office serves all victims of Madison County regardless of race, age, sex, income or geographic limitations. Additionally, the Office provides services for witnesses of violent crime. 

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Violent Crimes Unit 

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The Violent Crimes Unit (VCU) focuses on high-level crimes of violence. This division is staffed by experienced trial attorneys who are focused on some of the most violent and dangerous offenders in our jurisdiction. The VCU specializes in the prosecution of murder, violent acts and weapons offenses. These cases often receive a great deal of media coverage and result in trials. VCU prosecutors often respond to the scene of murders and violent offenses and assist in the cases from initial investigation through charging and disposition.