A new Cook County program is working to remove one of the biggest barriers domestic violence survivors often face when seeking justice — simply getting to court.

The Cook County State's Attorney's Office is launching free Uber rides for domestic violence victims and witnesses, saying it could help survivors follow through and close their cases.

For some survivors, getting to Domestic Violence Court isn't easy. The State's Attorney's office said some victims walk miles or rely on multiple bus rides just to make it to hearings — and missing court can mean a case falls apart.

Now, the office is turning to technology and offering Uber rides to help survivors get to justice.

"We will type in the drop-off address. It's typically the courthouse," said Kayla Johnson, director of the victim witness unit at the State's Attorney's office.

It looks as simple as tapping a few buttons on an iPad inside the Domestic Violence Courthouse.

"When they're ready to go, they can select the link that gets sent to them to tell the driver, 'I'm ready,' and then a driver would be dispatched to get a ride for them," Johnson said.

For domestic violence survivors, that ride can mean the difference between moving a case forward and watching it fall apart.

"What we were finding is transportation was a barrier for people to have access to participate in the legal process," Johnson said.

Her office launched a new transportation program in January, providing free Uber rides for victims and witnesses to get to court; understanding that, for survivors, walking through the courthouse doors can be a barrier on its own.

"The process is scary," Johnson said.

One survivor's story pushed the office to look for solutions.

"When they came to court, they had asked if someone could give them a ride home," Johnson said. "Then we were able to be like, 'Absolutely, yes, of course. But how did you get here?' And she had walked three miles in the winter to make sure that she could get to the court date that day."

The program works like this: staff request rides through a secure dashboard, scheduling transportation to and from court for survivors and witnesses.

Johnson said, without victims showing up, prosecutors might not have the evidence they need to close cases.

"The survivor's testimony oftentimes is the key piece that could move that case forward to having accountability and justice," she said.

Johnson said she has seen survivors drop cases because they couldn't get to court.

Since launching the program, the State's Attorney's Office has provided 155 free rides — about half tied to criminal domestic violence cases.

A CBS Data Team investigation found domestic violence accounted for more than a quarter of the city's violent crime last year.

Johnson said that's exactly why removing any barrier matters now more than ever.

"People want to be a part of the process, people want to engage with this office and seek justice for themselves, and if that's one thing we can take off their plate, we should," she said.

To qualify, survivors must have an active criminal case with the State's Attorney's Office and demonstrate a transportation barrier that may prevent them from getting to court

They said the goal is simple — to make sure survivors can fully participate in their cases and that justice isn't delayed.