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- Our Mission -
The Juvenile Justice Initiative is a statewide advocacy coalition to transform the juvenile justice system. The JJI advocates to reduce reliance on detention, to enhance fairness for all youth and to develop adequate community based resources throughout the state.
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"But, in the end, I had to remind myself that I was dealing with children."
Alex Kotlowitz, End Note, There are No Children Here.
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ModelsforChange
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation launched an initiative to help states become models of juvenile justice reform. "Models for Change: Systems Reform in Juvenile Justice" is an effort to create successful and replicable models of juvenile justice system reform through targeted investments in four key states: Illinois, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Washington. The initiative seeks to accelerate progress towards a more rational, fair, effectice, and developmentally appropriate juvenile justice system. The Juvenile Justice Initiative is proud to participate in the Models for Change initiative.
Latest News from Illinois:
- Governor Quinn signed in to law legislation that makes Redeploy Illinois a permanent state program and provides an opportunity to reach juveniles statewide. Public Act 95-1050 removes the "pilot" status and permits the state to offer the program beyond the pilot counties. Click here for a copy of the press release from Chicago Metropolis 2020 & JJI. Click here for a copy of the press release from the Governor. Click here for a copy of the Chicago Tribune editorial supporting Redeploy Illinois.
- "New Illinois Law Offers 17 Year-Olds Charged with Misdemeanor Chance in Juvenile Court." Enacted on February 10, 2009, this new law will allow 17 year-olds charged with a misdemeanor to be tried in juvenile court. Click here for the fact sheet. Click here for the language of Public Act 95-1031. Click here for the State Journal-Register editorial in support of the new law. Click here for the Jacksonville Illinois Journal Courier editorial in support of the law.
- The Juvenile Justice Initiative will host a mini-afternoon teleconference series every month entitled "Nuts & Bolts of Juvenile Justice: Impact of Caselaw, Legislation and Research on Juvenile Justice Practice in Illinois." Click here for dates, times, and registration information.
- The Illinois Juvenile Defender Resource Institute has announced the launch of a new informative website created by and for juvenile defense attorneys practicing in Illinois at: www.iljuveniledefenders.org.
- Betsy Clarke has been honored as a "Champion for Change in Juvenile Justice" by the at the MacArthur Foundation's Models for Change national conference. Betsy was recognized for her work building a statewide coalition and increasing public awareness of juvenile justice issues in Illinois. The full press release is available here.
- JJI releases a video outlining the latest research from the Transfer Report that shows that keeping youth out of adult courts is better for children and safer for communities. Click here to to view the video on YouTube. Click here for the Press Release. Click here for the Report. Click here for newspaper stories about the report.
The state Senate passed Senate Bill 2275 on November 13, 2008. The bill raises the juvenile court age to 18 for misdemeanors only. The bill has a delayed effective date of January, 2010. The bill also creates a task force to examine the issue of felony offenses committed by 17 year-olds. The bill will now be sent to the Governor for consideration.
A juvenile justice survey was sent to the candidates running for State's Attorney in the counties that commit the highest number of juvenile court admissions to the Department of Juvenile Justice. Click here for a copy of the survey. Responses were received from Anita Alvarez and Tony Peraica both from Cook County as well as Imani Drew from Kankakee County and Charles J. Prorok from Winnebago County.
Senate Bill 2118, which passed the General Assembly without any opposition, was signed in to law by the Governor on August 15, 2008. The bill guarantees that youths can consult with an attorney prior to their first detention hearing which will provide more opportunities for them to receive community level rehabilitation services. Click here for a copy of the press release.
"Juvenile crime trends down, recidivism up" is a story in the OakPark-Leaves online edition on August 13, 2008. The story highlights recent trends and the public interest in offering juveniles rehabilitation instead of harsh punishment.
Voices for Illinois Children and the Juvenile Justice Initiative highlight the latest statistics released as part of the national 2008 KIDS COUNT Data Book by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The essay, "A Road Map for Juvenile Justice Reform," outlines new approaches to reform, including several underway in Illinois.
The State Journal-Register offers support for the legislation to raise the Juvenile Court Age in its editorial "Our Opinion: House can fix juvenile justice inequity" on May 14, 2008.
Chicago Tribune article, "Poll sees hope for young offenders," highlights the findings from the poll commissioned by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Click here for the MacArthur press release and click here for the full study: "Rehabilitation Versus Incarceration of Juvenile Offenders: Public Preferences in Four Models for Change States." The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin "Detention no solution for youths: poll" also covered the story.
On February 13 2008, the JJI presented testimony to the House Juvenile Justice Reform Committee regarding the status of the Department of Juvenile Justice. Click here to view the testimony.
On October 31, 2007, the Children and Family Justice Center of the Northwestern Law School and the National Juvenile Defender Center , released Illinois: An Assessment of Access to Counsel and Quality of Representation in Delinquency Proceedings. The report includes strategic recommendations for reform and was funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change project. In addition to other print coverage, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial and the Chicago Tribune both covered the release of the report. Additional coverage can be found at the National Juvenile Defender Center.
Jaap Doek, Law Professor at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam and Chairperson of the United Nation’s Committee on the Rights of the Child from 2001-2006, provided a briefing on the principles of the Convention as they relate to children in conflict with the law on April 16, 2007 in Washington, D.C. Click here for more information on the event. Click here for more information on the issue.
"New Poll Shows Public Strongly Favors Rehabilitation for Youth," a press release issued on February 7, 2007, indicates that the public supports rehabilitation and treatment, not prosecution in the adult court or incarceration in adult jails or prisons. The poll by Zogby International was commissioned by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency. Click here for the press release and click here for the poll.
JJI issued a press release highlighting the national report from the Justice Policy Institute entitled "The Dangers of Detention: The Impact of Incarcerating Youth in Detention and Other Secure Facilities" and focused on the need for reforms at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center.
Latest News from Around the Nation:
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The National Juvenile Justice Network recently released "Advances in Juvenile Justice Reform" which highlights juvenile justice reform efforts across the country over the past year and a half. Click here for the press release. Click here for the full publication.
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On August 23, 2008, the New York Times published a letter from Jonathan F. Fanton, President, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. In the letter titled "Juvenile Justice Reforms," he highlights the work of the MacArthur Models for Change initiative. "Young offenders in community-based programs show consistently better outcomes than do those who are incarcerated, at a far lower cost to society."
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A new issue brief from the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families (WCCF) provides data on outcomes for 17-year-old youth in the adult criminal justice system. The brief, "Risking their Futures: Why Trying Nonviolent 17-Year-Olds as Adults is Bad Policy for Wisconsin," analyzes the results of a WCCF study of 1,000 17-year-old offenders in the state. The results strongly suggest a policy change for treating 17 year-olds in juvenile court.
The New York Times editorial August 19, 2008 encourages Congress to "impose a clear federal standard" that states cannot hold kids under the age of 18 in adult jails except for "heinous crimes like rape and murder."
The federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), at the U.S. Department of Justice, released a bulletin on transfer laws and concluded that they have little or no deterrent effect on juvenile crime. The report, Juvenile Transfer Laws: An Effective Deterrent to Delinquency?, also mentions that recidivism rates have increased, because of the transfer laws. Click here on information from the Campaign for Youth Justice about this report. Click here for the New York Times editorial about this issue on August 14, 2008.
The national 2008 KIDS COUNT Date Book by the Annie E. Casey Foundation outlines the latest statistics on adolescents in the juvenile justice system and presents information and statistical trends on the needs and conditions of America’s most disadvantaged children and families. The essay, "A Road Map for Juvenile Justice Reform," discusses youth who are in the system and highlights new approaches to reform.
The New York Times editorial May 23, 2008 advocates for all states to "refrain from housing people under the age of 18 in adult jails.."
On May 20, 2008, the National Council of La Raza released an important report "Overcoming Language and Cultural Barriers Using Evidenced-Based Practices."
A report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Effects on Violence of Laws and Policies Facilitating the Transfer of Youth from the Juvenile to the Adult Justice System: A Report on Recommendations of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services,” finds that transferring youth to the adult criminal system increases violence, causes harm to juveniles, and threatens public safety. Click here to read the press release from the Juvenile Justice Initiative. Click here to view the article from the Washington Post.
"Sentencing Our Children to Die in Prison" is a new report from the University of San Francisco School of Law that examines the practice of juvenile life without parole.
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