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Prisoner E-Filing Initiative

 
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The U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois has forged a partnership with the Illinois Department of Corrections to allow the electronic transmission of prisoner pleadings to the court for electronic filing by court personnel. The Central District of Illinois and Southern District of Illinois have now partnered to expand this project. Digital senders have been placed at nine IDOC facilities for submitting filings electronically to both district courts.

The documents below are posted as a resource for other courts and state corrections departments who might be interested in this process.

PLEASE NOTE:  References to specific brand names and makes & models of equipment do not constitute endorsement.  There are likely several products on the market from various manufacturers which would perform equally well.
Documents Related to Scanning Prisoner Pleadings for E-Filing by the Court
WPD   Cover letter to the Illinois Department of Corrections transmitting the court's proposal to allow prisoner pleadings to be scanned at the correctional facility and e-mailed to the court for e-filing by court personnel.
WPD   Court's proposal to allow prisoner pleadings to be scanned at the correctional facility and e-mailed to the court for e-filing by court personnel.
WPD   Template for rubber stamp provided to the correctional facility to stamp prisoner pleadings scanned.  This helps the inmates understand that their pleading was scanned and transmitted to the court for filing.
  PDF Court's General Order 06-1 approving the prisoner e-filing initiative.
WPD  

Instructions for court personnel on how to add the correctional facility as a blind party in CMECF so that they receive notices of electronic filing (NEFs).
PDF Statistics of the first six-months' worth of prisoner pleadings scanned by the correctional facility and e-filed by the court.
WPD   Text of Clerk of Court Pamela Robinson's presentation to the District Court Advisory Council (DCAG) regarding the prisoner e-filing initiative.
WPD   Agreement between the court and the State of Illinois regarding service of process of prisoner pleadings scanned by the correctional center and e-filed by the court.
  PDF Article in The Third Branch about the prisoner e-filing initiative in the Central District of Illinois.
WPD   Update by Clerk of Court Pamela Robinson on the status of the prisoner e-filing initiative, March 22, 2010.
WPD   Layperson's description of the Hewlett-Packard HP digital sender.
PDF User manual for the HP 9250c digital sender (courtesy of Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.).
WPD   Notes from legal research performed by Laura Briggs, Clerk of Court of the  U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, and attorneys in her office regarding prisoner e-filing and e-service.
WPD PDF Letter inviting additional facilities to participate in the e-filing program. 8/24/10
WPD PDF Prisoner e-filing expansion proposal. 8/24/10
  PDF General Order for the project expansion signed by the Chief Judges of the Central District of Illinois and the Southern District of Illinois.
  PDF Instruction Booklet given to the correctional facility staff for guidance.