Where county cases are heard:

• Adams County Courthouse and Circuit Clerk
  Address: 521 Vermont Street, Quincy, IL 62301. Phone 217-277-2100. Hears: all criminal, traffic, juvenile (single courthouse).

The 1964 reform ended city and justice-of-the-peace courts in Illinois, so local towns use this county. Under 65 ILCS 5/1-2.1-1, towns may hear ordinance tickets themselves.

Both kinds of local cases go to the Clerk of the Circuit Court. Felony cases locally, with a year or more at stake, go to the circuit judges. Local misdemeanors (under a year in jail), DUI and traffic often go to associate judges. A federal crime goes to the U.S. District Court in Springfield instead.

Here, juvenile court hears youth cases under 705 ILCS 405. Youth needing detention go to the Adams County Juvenile Detention Facility. For anyone under 18, hearings are private.

Arrest warrants signed by local judges go to the sheriff's deputies in Quincy, who answer at 217-277-2206. The sheriff's office keeps the warrant file, and a deputy can look up a name while you hold. Adams dockets are searchable on the statewide re:SearchIL portal, and a warrant the judge orders turns up there as a docket entry. Counsel opens it, or you after e-filing. To settle it, a nearby lawyer can book a time for you to walk into the county jail on your own terms, or the Adams County circuit clerk can give you a fresh court date. That office sits at 521 Vermont Street, Quincy, IL 62301, and picks up at 217-277-2100.

The Fourth District Appellate Court, 201 West Monroe Street, Springfield, IL 62704, hears local appeals. Clerk: 217-782-2586.

1. Ask the judge first: a motion for a new trial, or to withdraw a plea or reconsider a sentence within 30 days.
2. File a notice of appeal with the circuit clerk within 30 days of the ruling (Illinois Supreme Court Rule 606).
3. Ask for the Office of the State Appellate Defender if the person cannot pay.
4. The record goes from here to Springfield (217-782-2586); briefs follow.
5. A loss can go to the Illinois Supreme Court by petition for leave to appeal.

For a detention order, Rule 604(h) sets a fast track. After appeals, a post-conviction petition (725 ILCS 5/122-1) can raise constitutional claims.

Local federal cases go to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois: U.S. Courthouse, 600 E. Monroe Street, Springfield, IL 62701, 217-492-4020. Detention for the defendant is set by a magistrate judge, Springfield (18 U.S.C. 3142). The U.S. Marshals Service often uses county jails nearby; check VINELink. After a federal sentence for a local defendant, find them on the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

1. ICE can file an I-247A with the Adams County Jail.
2. The Illinois TRUST Act (5 ILCS 805/15) bars holding the person on it, so no 48-hour hold.
3. The Illinois Courthouse Civil Rights Act (705 ILCS 90) bars civil arrests of people attending court.
4. After an ICE arrest, detainees are usually sent out of state; use the ICE Online Detainee Locator System.
5. A plea can affect immigration; the defense lawyer in the county must explain it.

1. Open re:SearchIL and register for free.
2. Select Adams County and type the case number.
3. Older local cases may be on Judici.
4. Or ask the clerk: 217-277-2100.

1. Charge, lawyer and release are set within 48 hours. Details: Local bail and release.
2. Preliminary hearing or grand jury, within 30 days if held (725 ILCS 5/109-3.1).
3. Arraignment in the courtroom.
4. Motions and plea offers.
5. Speedy trial: 120 days in custody, 160 days on release, after a demand (725 ILCS 5/103-5).
6. A judge sets the sentence.

State intake comes first for a prisoner from this county. For each move, use the Illinois Department of Corrections inmate search; also read our Illinois state prisons guide.

• Find the person: County inmate search.
• Plan a visit with our visitation page.
• Money for local accounts: money guide.
• Letters and calls to the jail at 537 Vermont Street, Quincy, IL 62301: our mail and phone guides.