I. Call to Order:
The meeting was called to order at 10:15 a.m.
II. Roll Call:
Chairman George Timberlake; Commissioners: Rodney Ahitow, Julie Biehl, Veronica Dixon, Esther Franco-Payne, Eugene Griffin, Lisa Jacobs, Patrick Nelson, Pamela Rodriguez, Rick Velasquez, Dana Weiner. By phone: Commissioners Jacqueline Bullard, George Hill and Wayne Straza. Quorum Present.
Staff: Karrie Rueter, Julie Stremlau, Lin Ferguson, Rob Vickery, Michelle Arnold, Andi Durbin, Dick Walsh, Ron Smith, Donna Taylor. By phone: Ashley Cross and Jeff Bradley. Guests: Ann Studzinski, member of the Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board, Safiya Merchant and Angela Caputo from the “Chicago Reporter”, Nicole Julius, intern from Office of the General Counsel.
III. Approval of Minutes:
Commissioner Gene Griffin made a motion to approve the minutes of the May meeting with corrections. Commissioner Pam Rodriguez seconded the motion. All in favor. None opposed. May 16th Minutes were approved.
IV. Procurement Presentation/Training:
Staff from Central Management Services and DHS Procurement Office were present to explain the process of procurement to the Commission and guests from the Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board. Chairman Timberlake asked the Commissioners if they would like to have a continuation of the procurement training. It was suggested that Planning and Grants continue with the training.
V. Status of Funds:
Title II and JABG: Executive Committee received a recommendation from the Planning and Grants Committee to fund Youth Outreach Services’ Domestic Battery project for an additional year for the purposes of gathering data. The other two sites, DuPage County Health Department and Peoria County Board will be JABG funded.
DJJ Funding Update: Chairman Timberlake will meet with Director Bishop next week. He will get an update at that time. Will continue to monitor implementation to determine if additional funding is necessary. Commissioner Pam Rodriguez made a motion to reauthorize the same use in the same amount in the new State Fiscal Year and continue to monitor closely for unexpended funds. Motion was seconded by Commission Velasquez. All in favor. Commissioner Eugene Griffin and Dana Weiner abstained. None opposed. Motion carried.
VI. Program Updates: Process & Timeline:
A. Domestic Battery Program:
Developing a monograph in which we are examining the policies and procedures, diversion processes that are in place and assessing them for effectiveness. The goal is to have it ready by November.
B. Transportation:
There is concern over eliminating these grants over the next three years. We have been looking at their data and we can’t determine the exact meaning. This may be due to under reporting. We are planning an on-site meeting at Franklin County Detention in August or September to discover how these programs are being utilized. We will report the findings back to the Commission. Ron Smith provided a compliance report that was submitted to the Feds showing that Illinois is in compliance with all of the requirements that are tracked. Because of the data issues, Commissioner Dana Weiner wants to meet to look at the situation.
C. DOC/Compliance:
DJJ has not expended the full amount of grant money that was provided to them. Ashley Cross added that they did finalize the Northwestern contract last week. Commissioner Rodriguez made a motion that we reauthorize the same amount of funds for the same use for FY2013. Commissioner Velasquez seconded the motion. All in favor. None opposed. Commissioner Griffin and Commissioner Weiner abstained. Motion carried.
VII. Data Liaison:
Rob Vickery and Candice Jones met with Commissioner Weiner to request her assistance in providing data analysis on an ad hoc basis to assist Committees with their reports and to work with Commission grantees to ensure the data collecting tools used are sufficient to collect the data the Commission wants to see. There will be two data calls each month. One will be a status update with researchers and the other to meet with those who have research questions. Commissioner Weiner doesn’t plan to do all of the research, but will centralize the information so we know what data is available for use. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact her. She plans to attend each committee meeting in August and then set up future meetings with each Committee Chair. When she has finalized the schedule, she will forward that information to the Commissioners.
VIII. Project Reports
A. Parole Study Update:
Plan to have community briefings on the study in the early fall. Stephanie Kollmann has been asked to assist on this. Will begin with four sites: Austin, Little Village and Englewood. The downstate site is Children’s Home and Aid Society of Illinois (CHASI). Stephanie is to review what the Commission originally recommended, what was proposed by Representative Gabel and the final legislation.
B. Raise the Age:
Commissioner Jacobs reported that they continue to wait for data from AOIC. Stephanie Kollmann was asked to take stock of where we are in the policy discussion and to identify what stake holders will be interested in seeing this report. We will not change transfers in raising the age for felonies. Chairman Timberlake reported that we now have 2010 data and hoping that the AOIC will provide 2011 data. There is not a county by county outreach, and most of the pieces are in place, except for 17 year olds in court. There will be a data discussion next week, all are invited to attend.
C. Juvenile Sex Offender:
Still collecting data. Candice Jones, Rob Vickery, Anita Weinberg and Commissioner Biehl went to Kewanee to do file reviews. They will analyze data from DJJ files, CPRD and probation departments and provide a report to the Commission at the September 18, 2012 meeting. Plan to have it finalized by January 30, 2013. The report plans to identify who the juvenile sex offenders are and what they have done. A description of the arrest and charge will be provided to further explain the process and inform the General Assembly. Chairman Timberlake added that we are putting facts to fears which will show how small a number of the youth population are juvenile sex offenders.
D. Reentry Update:
CHASI is staffed and ready to take referrals. They are making contacts with Parole to get referrals. They have identified a couple of kids that they are providing services to. In Chicago with YOS, there are 11 kids that will be referred for services. Rob Vickery will work with staff on how to get referrals. Rob talked with Phil Lee and Reentry staff on Results Based Accountability (RBA) to develop measures.
IX. Committee Updates/Motions for Consideration
A. Communications:
Working with the Juvenile Justice Initiative (JJI) in planning the Parole Summit on July 19, 2012. Jim Bray is working on the Annual Report. He submitted a report for the Committee to approve. An e-mail report will be sent to Commissioners for approval. Working with YNC on the IJJC website to pull the details together. A mock web page should be ready next week. It should up and running by the fall.
B. BARJ:
Focused on Harrisburg BARJ Project for the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). The Juvenile Crime Enforcement Coalition (JCEC) approved that expenditure. Anyone interested in serving on the BARJ Committee, please discuss with Chairman Timberlake.
C. JDAI:
Chairman Timberlake, Candice Jones, Ben Roe, Andi Durbin, Rick Velasquez and Jeff Bradley met with Bart Lubow and Gail Mumford from the Ansell Casey Foundation on June 12th. Contract problems were resolved and they received a guarantee for past due funding. JDAI also received a new contract for FY13 with an additional $10,000 to be used to help reengage the sites through training and conference work. Jeff Bradley is working with Youth Network Council (YNC) and putting together the FY13 grant with YNC.
D. DMC:
Commissioner Pam Rodriguez reported that Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) DMC Training session will occur on August 24, 2012. All Commissioners should plan on attending the training. DHS Staff and other task forces that deal with DMC issues will also be invited. Chairman Timberlake asked to include Judge Robb. Our goal for the meeting is to exhibit the State’s commitment to reducing DMC in the Illinois. We will have opportunity to speak in a smaller group with key people and this should include other commissioners than those on the DMC Committee. Commissioner Jacobs will attempt to reserve a space at Loyola. Julie Stremlau will post the training on the website.
E. Executive:
Non-JABG funded example of things we want to fund was approved by the Executive Committee.
F. Planning and Grants:
Planning and Grants did not meet in July. The Committee will meet again in August.
X. Legislative Update:
The Parole Summit tomorrow is being sponsored by JJI and the Mandel Clinic. The goal of the summit is to encourage communities to make their voices known on what should happen to youth paroled back into the community. The parole legislation topic is on the agenda. Ashley Cross reported that their biggest legislative problem is overriding line items on the budget in the fall veto session. August 31, 2012, is the official closure date for Murphysboro and October 31, 2012, is the official closure date for Joliet.
XI. Non-Commission Funded Program Updates
(Redeploy, JCEC, EUDL, 2nd Chance, JABG, NRI): Redeploy – The funding has been largely completed. For quality assurance certification and recertification has taken place through a contract with Nels Nelson. We have also purchased training materials from him. Funding was also used for supplies and products to improve the functioning of the sites. These expenditures were in an attempt to avoid a lapse in funds. JCEC funded every item the Commission recommended to them in expending the lapsing funds.
EUDL – Continues, no further update at this time.
Second Chance – JCEC approved JABG lapsed funds to get sites through the summer until a decision from OJJDP in the fall.
JABG funding – Chairman Timberlake contacted Director Cutrone. They are working on an interagency agreement to transfer funding decision authority of funds to the Commission.
NRI- Will shift to ICJIA.
XII. Federal & National Committee Updates
(FACJJ, FCC, CJJ) – Commissioner Roe is meeting to determine some priorities.
FCC – No Report
CJJ – Commissioner Jacobs reported that the annual conference was in Bethesda. She and Chairman Timberlake presented a Models for Change presentation on the influence of federal funds on grant making. She reported on two workshops she attended. One was on how SAGs or SAG members can help play a role in guiding the use of JABG money to assure juvenile justice issues are being considered. The other session was about Massachusetts Transit Authority police efforts to transform their interactions with youth and how they reacted to kids in relation to kids’ behavior and how to communicate with kids to effect lower arrest rates and abuse allegations.
XIII. Other:
Commissioner Griffin thanked everyone for coming to the Brain Trauma Conference in June. There were about 700 people in attendance. Erica Hughes thanked the Commission for the grant approved for ICJIA. She offered to show how to use the state data that is published in State Annual Reports. She is collecting race/ethnicity data for the Redeploy study.
XIV. New Business:
No new business.
XV. Adjournment:
Motion to adjourn made by Commissioner Griffin. Seconded by Commissioner Velasquez. All in favor. The meeting was adjourned at 2:48PM.