Call to Order
Chairman Gary Leofanti called the meeting to order at 9:11 AM.
Roll Call
Commissioners: Chairman C. Gary Leofanti, Rodney Ahitow, Vice Chair Wayne Straza, Pamela Rodriguez, Eugene Griffin, Patricia Connell, Rev. Charles Collins, Kurt Friedenauer, Andrew Jones.
Staff and Guests: Karrie Rueter, Deborah McCarrel, Barb Shipp, Miguel Millett, Mary O’Brien, Julie Stremlau, Lindsay Bostwick, John Hayes and Sarah Garza Resnick of First Defense Legal Aid, and Betsy Clark of the Juvenile Justice Initiative.
Approval of Minutes
Chairman Leofanti motioned to approve minutes and Gene Griffin seconded the motion. All in favor, minutes approved.
Retreat Review
Information available in separate sections of the minutes if not listed in the following. State Priority Juvenile Justice needs and activities were discussed in detail.
Youth Services Medicaid Project (YSMP) – Deb McCarrel
This has been a long time in coming but it appears it is almost complete. The Medicaid payment system is complex. DHS initially had concerns about sharing their system but the Divisions have worked on a Memorandum of Understanding to guide the process of claiming mental health services for kids through the DMH system. The cost to set up an independent claiming system within CHP was prohibitive. DMH provider’s bid of $72,000 was reasonable and includes modifying the DMH system to separately track YSMP claims and provide training and ongoing technical support to CHP providers. A request for $72,000 was submitted to the IJJC to cover the bid. Karrie Rueter added that we want to encourage other agencies to participate in this program. She also stated that we have reached a milestone as we have finally linked Youth Services to federal dollars. Youth Services has been out there on its own for far too long. It is critical that this system is set up properly so that the agencies can begin claiming mental health services for youth.
DMC Update and Planning – Miguel Millett, Rev. Charles Collins
DMC is still striving toward new and innovative techniques to address DMC. Populations are fluctuating and migration toward new areas is occurring. Legislation has been passed to address DMC issues. SB 2476 calls for the formation of a committee that will study disproportionate justice impact. SB 0776 was passed and declares a crisis among African-American males. A task force to address issues was established and DMC will work with a variety of juvenile justice stakeholders to contribute to the criminal justice section of the report. This report will make specific legislative recommendations for improving juvenile justice conditions for youth across the state. The IJJC will continue to explore the possibility of adding additional DMC sites and will request the continued cooperation of existing sites. There have been issues with data collection and we hope to have those addressed while moving forward. The IJJC will continue to work toward a formal evaluation of DMC initiatives and a report that will help guide the expansion of efforts across the state. A revised survey tool will be designed in late Summer of 2009 and implemented in 2010.
First Defense Legal Aid Project – John Hayes
A database is currently being purchased to track their efforts. They are tracking juveniles that they provide assistance to in the 25th district and in the city of Chicago. There is a 24-hour hotline and representation is provided to juveniles in custody no matter what the offense. Volunteers work the hotline and it is estimated that 150 and 300 juveniles (will be) or (have been) served. So far, no one has been denied access to juveniles. Mr. Hayes will provide a copy of the forms they use the activities, intake, declaration of rights, etc. to Karrie Rueter. Mr. Hayes introduced Sarah Garza Resnick to the Commission. She works for the First Defense Legal Aid Project. The Commission welcomed Ms. Resnick.
Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice – Kurt Friendenauer
There are concerns with contract development. Pontiac has stopped hiring. The grant money from the Commission is to fund development, promulgation and enforcement of new standards for the detention centers. The development process has been slow. The projected budget is devastating. Currently there are medical director issues, facilities that are old and in need of repair, and Pierre Marquette is set to close.
Commission Update – Karrie Rueter
Commission members were informed of the online process to reapply for continued membership to the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission. All current Commissioner’s term appointments are expired. The process is new and available online. The Commission suggested Chairman Leofanti send a letter to the Governor requesting reinstatement of current Commissioners. There was further discussion of the six applicants the Commission recommended before the change in Governor. The applications are due July 1, 2009.
Status of Funds Report – Karrie Rueter
Budget projections were reviewed. It was announced that if DHS is no longer able to fund professional and artistic contracts, it will effect our relationship with Youth Network Council (YNC). 2010 Projections are to continue funding DMC in 4 existing sites, and 3 new as well as the Statewide Coordinator. It is recommended that the Transportation Grant continue at its current budget for FY10 and be reassessed in 2011. Illinois Juvenile Detention Alternatives is to be funded along with the Statewide Coordinator.The Access to Counsel-First Defense Legal Aid project is to be funded. Juvenile Justice Mental Heath Initiative is to continue. The Truancy Review Boards, previous and newly awarded will continue to be funded. Youth Network Council, Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, JMIS, Illinois Juvenile Officers Training, Illinois Department of Corrections and Compliance Monitoring will all continue in 2010. Due to the uncertainty of the budget, at this time, there may be budget issues that are not addressed in this current plan. There will be a no cost extension requested for both the Title II and Title V Federal ’06 Awards due to delays in Medicaid funding as they will expire September 30, 2009.
Compliance Update – Ron Smith
We are doing well with numbers and running close to last year. We are still in compliance with violations. Separation remains at zero. Detention Standards grant may cover the required training. The OJJDP Compliance Monitor Training will be October 26-29th, 2009. This training is a requirement for Juvenile Justice Compliance Monitors.
DMC Site Updates – Miguel Millett
Miguel Millett provided a detailed update on the existing sites. Illinois’ project began in four pilot locations: Peoria, South Suburban Cook County, the Lawndale Community Area of Chicago and St. Clair County. It has expanded to Macon County, Englewood Community Area of Chicago, and Sauk Village.
The DMC Summit was held. It was a success and many communities gathered for this event. The Commission commended Miguel Millett for his diligence and hard work on the Summit.
Truancy RFP Decisions
Five Truancy Review Board applications were received. Applications came from four existing TRB sites and one new site. The Planning and Grants Committee reviewed the original grant applications. The Commissioners were given copies of the TRB RFPs for review. This is the second grant application review of the TRB RFP so training was not necessary in completing the summary or score sheets. Staff presented the criteria used to formulate their recommendations and presented the necessary documentation to the Commission. After a brief discussion and reminder to staff to closely review proposed match, Pat Connell made a motion to accept and fund all five applications. Pam Rodriguez seconded the motion. All in favor, motion passed.
Title V Grant Revisions
As a direct result of the low interest in the TRB grant opportunities, it will be necessary for the Commission to revise their original plans for the FFY08 Title V grant. Staff were directed to revise, for approval by Executive Committee, the Title V plan to address Gender Specific Priority Area Need.
Legislative Update – Betsy Clark, JJI
SB 1725 enables youth to have successful reentry. It will develop recommendations to ensure the effective reintegration of youth offenders into communities to which they are returning. Currently we lack basic data on youth reentry. The estimated cost is similar to Redeploy in a range from $2500 to $9500 per youth per year. Over 40% of confined youth in the Department of Juvenile Justice are technical parole violators. The reported repeat offending rate for youth returning to DJJ is 46%. Rodney Ahitow commented that an integrated system for all county records has been discussed for many years but it is difficult to compile the data. There were questions about the bill and how it will be interpreted.
Annual Report
No update given.
Re-Entry Report
SB 1725 will require a State report to be completed by September 30, 2009. Pat Connell, Julie Stremlau, Pam Rodriguez, Lindsey Bostwick and Ron Smith will be on this subcommittee. Due to time constraints, following completion of the report, the Executive Committee will have the authority to approve the report. The Commission does not meet again until the second week of September and that would not allow enough time to adjust the report if necessary. The full Commission will be involved in the process to provide input, revisions, etc. The first draft should be completed by the middle of August.
The Collaborative on Reentry will address complex issues raised by the numbers of men and women leaving incarceration and returning to local communities. One of the issue areas that evolved is Juvenile Reentry. The task is to create policies and programs within the juvenile justice system that utilize a positive youth development approach, incorporate balanced and restorative justice practices in juvenile rehabilitation, and provide comprehensive community support services during the aftercare process for juveniles returning the to the community.
There are ongoing meetings in four different areas: Alternatives to Incarceration/No Entry, Employment and Education, Housing and Juvenile Reentry. There is a state meeting scheduled for June 30th. Pat Connell will be attending this meeting and will notify Karrie Rueter of the meeting location when it is announced. The Juvenile Reentry session is scheduled for December 16, 2009.
JDAI Update
Barb Shipp, IJDAI Partners Group Chair, presented a proposal to the Commission asking them to consider bringing the IJDAI initiative and the Partners Group under the umbrella of the Commission. The IJDAI initiative began in Illinois outside of Cook County with the financial support of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Funding directly to sites ended in 2005. Since then the Partners Group has continued to support county/jurisdiction efforts through technical assistance and support aimed at data-based decision making, use of detention screening instruments, reduction of DMC, and development and sustainability of alternatives programs. The Partners have recognized that maintenance of current efforts and outreach and promotion to “new” jurisdictions requires a vastly different strategy when funding is not tied to the efforts. The Casey Foundation has made statewide replication one of its priorities, making New Jersey a national model site because of their state-wide replication effort to date. In several states the SAG has led the JDAI initiative. Benefits to Commission leadership include: reduction of fragmentation of juvenile justice efforts; increased credibility of IJDAI through recognition as an initiative of the Commission; and utilization of JDAI practices to assist the Commission in meeting the core requirements of the JJDP Act.
Pat Connell motioned to approve the Commission be the home of the JDAI Committee. Vice Chair Straza seconded the motion. All in favor, motion passed.
Redeploy Illinois Update
There has not been a Redeploy meeting for a couple of months. The Governor signed legislation which removes the pilot status from the initiative and creates a mechanism by which historically low-committing counties can received Redeploy services. Cook County went to a planning grant but will likely not materialize as a site. Judges Timberlake and Payne have met and are working out the data issues. Cook County cannot move forward without a change in the pilot sites requirements. The Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board is aware that legislation may have to be revised. Winnebago County has shown interest in a planning grant.
ICJIA Update – Lindsay Bostwick
The Juvenile Justice and Risk Factor Data: The 2005 report was completed in June of 2008. The 2006 report is completed and being reviewed by executive staff. Publication will be available by July 2009 at the latest. The 2007 report is complete except a few data issues. It will also be available publicly by July. The Authority created the Illinois Juvenile Justice System and Risk Factor Data center on the webpage. It contains the 2003, 2004, and 2005 annual reports. Lindsay is currently working on creating separate spreadsheets with the report data for each county so the county can access their information more readily. This project will be complete in a few weeks.
The Mental Health Screening and Assessment Survey-Part One was developed and approved by IRB in October 2008. The surveys have been received and a draft of the report is expected in July. Initial responses indicated justice professionals have a lack of knowledge about mental health screening and assessment. There was a question aboutdetermining how they look into substance abuse along with the mental health issues and once identified, what is the process? This refers to one of the areas we plan to review as stated in the 3-year plan. It will be further investigated.
The research report on the status of girls in the Illinois juvenile justice system was completed in May 2009. Results show that girls’ involvement in the Illinois juvenile justice system were statistically more likely to be for less serious offenses, particularly misdemeanor retail theft and misdemeanor battery. The information for the gender-specific data had to stay broad, as many of the areas indicated are not publishable. The Examining At-Risk and Delinquent Girls in Illinois report was available for the Commission to review. Twenty-nine profiles are available. Lindsey stated they are working on a brochure that indicates what happens in the juvenile justice system. Karrie Rueter will meet with Lindsay and Mark Myrent to discuss new items to work on. There has been no official request to evaluate contracts and funding levels.
Coalition for Juvenile Justice – Pat Connell
The Coalition of Juvenile Justice (CJJ) is celebrating its 25th Anniversary. Pat was recently elected the Midwest Regional Representative. Their function is to give feedback to congress on OJJDP as well as policies related to Juvenile Justice. The Federal advisory committee initially started with CJJ receiving most of its funding from OJJDP. Currently they are funded by dues and grant money. They want to restore CJJ to being an advisory body. Midwest is interested in teaming up with the Commission and Models for Change as they want to bring other people to the table. They are discussing a conference in the fall or spring. The focus will be DMC and Access to Counsel. Other Midwest states will be invited and Models for Change. The other states will bring people and cover their costs. John Hayes of the First Defense program would be asked to come and present at this conference. Pat Connell asked if the Commission would be in favor of supporting such a conference. The Commission agreed it was a great idea and is in favor of the conference.
Federal Coordinating Council Update
No update.
EUDL Update
No update.
Other Business
The DMH provider’s bid of $72,000 to modify the DMH system to separately track YSMP claims and provide training and ongoing technical support to CHP providers was reviewed. Rodney Ahitow motioned to approve. Pat Connell seconded the motion. Chairman Leofanti and Rev. Charles Collins abstained. All in favor, motion passed.
Next meeting is September 9, 2009. The following meeting will be December 9, 2009. No location was given and will be announced at a later date.
Adjournment
Rodney Ahitow motioned to adjourn. Vice Chairman Straza seconded the motion. All in favor, meeting adjourned at 12:13 PM.