Kane court probation workers recognized for dedication

ST. CHARLES TOWNSHIP – The Illinois Probation and Court Services Association awarded a 16th Circuit Kane County Court Services employee for her dedication and contributions to the field at its annual fall convention held remotely Oct. 28, officials announced in a news release.

Three Judicial Circuit Supervisors were also nominated for the Distinguished Service Award, which is given to those who best represent the field of probation and have done outstanding work for their Court Services Departments.

Court Services Director LaTanya Hill received the Frank Calkins Award in recognition of her dedication and passion for juvenile justice.

Most recently, she advocated for changes in the law calling for greater judicial review of Illinois Department of Children and Family Service’s DCFS use of detention for minors who are waiting for a residential placement and working out the details on how minors’ probation cases are handled when they move between counties, the release stated.

“Her enthusiasm is overwhelmingly contagious,” Executive Director of Court Services Lisa Aust stated in the release. “She understands how all of the pieces of the system are connected and brings practical and concrete ideas for improving the lives of court involved youth and their families.”

Calkins spent her 16-year career in probation working on matters related to the juvenile court. The three Judicial Circuit Supervisors – Daniel Gates, Lindsey Liddicoatt and Jason Matthis – were nominated by their peers for the Distinguished Service Award.

The award is given to those who best represent the field of probation and have done outstanding work for their Court Services Departments. Gates has been integral to the department for 13 years with his contributions to the pretrial program as a line staff and now as a supervisor where he is in charge of fleet management and works to improve field safety for the probation officers, the release stated.

Gates co-chairs the Illinois Probation and Court Services Association Research Committee, facilitating the use of evidence-based practices by probation departments across the state. Liddicoatt has worked for the 16th Judicial Circuit for 11 years, much of that as the coordinator of the Mental Health Court, the release stated.

Liddicoatt works one-on-one with the participants, and now is a supervisor of the sex offender monitoring unit. She is currently the Treasurer of the local chapter of the National Association on Mental Illness for Kane, DeKalb, and Kendall counties.

Mathis has worked for the 16th Judicial Circuit for 17 years. He started out as a youth counselor in juvenile detention at the Juvenile Justice Center, then was a vital part of the Electronic Monitoring program when it was operated by Court Services, the release stated.

Matthis is currently a supervisor in the pretrial program and is the co-chair of the Illinois Probation and Court Services Association Supervisor Committee.