I. Call to Order:
The meeting was called to order at 9:40 AM.
II. Roll Call:
Chairman Rick Velasquez, Chairman Timberlake, Commissioners Rod Ahitow, Eugene Griffin, George Hill, Randell Strickland and Barb Shipp. Quorum declared present.
Guests: Margie Groot, Ron Smith, Miguel Millett, Ben Rowe and Craig Martin. Staff present: Jeff Bradley, Karrie Rueter, Julie Stremlau, Lin Ferguson.
III. Approval of Minutes:
Motion to approve the March 28, 2011 minutes with correction as discussed made by Commissioner Ahitow. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Strickland. All in favor. Motion passed.
IV. Coordinator’s report:
Jeff Bradley gave an overview of his reports and has the accomplishments listed as bullet points. Sites have been reminded that Local Jurisdiction Reports are due August 31. Another reminder will be sent in July and early August. Chairman Velasquez asked about the completion reports. Jeff explained that they were completed but were not timely, and he does not anticipate any barriers, as we move forward into next year. Jeff has made contacts within Annie E. Casey Foundation (Casey) which will alleviate any problems with future reporting. He expects 100% compliance this year. Chairman Velasquez asked if we have been able to aggregate the data into a report for distribution to the Commission. Jeff reported that the reports are online at the help desk and it is available for review there. Jeff will look into preparing a hard copy report for distribution.
V. DSO/Detention Report:
Ron Smith reported that in the first 3 months of this year we have seven violations, three truancy, two non-offenders and two other. Last year at the same time we had two violations, one truancy and one non-offender. He thinks the main reason is that there are a couple new judges that are taking truancy and violating them on that. OJJDP now is not counting minors in possession of alcohol or alcohol charges. This is due to an oversight by OJJDP who made the core requirements converse to their intention. We are counting these kids because we want to track them and OJJDP is trying to get an amendment to count them. If they get it, we would have to go back and calculate again. Chairman Velasquez asked if the Committee had any questions concerning the increase in violations. Barb Shipp asked where the violations occurred. Ron reported that there were two in Winnebago, two in Vermilion and one in Champaign: Truancy: one Winnebago, one in Vermilion and one in Sangamon. Ron thinks this will level out by the end of the year.
Standards are being reviewed and reformatted but won’t go to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) for six months or more. Ron reported that they have been trying to get assistance from DOC policy and procedure staff. The Governor’s Office appointed a person to Juvenile Justice (JJ) but this appointment is moving slower than anticipated. Ron wants to talk to the new Director of JJ to see if this process could be done faster. Jeff added that a conference call is planned with Chris Bernard from John Howard next week. He thinks they are moving in the same direction as this Committee and strong collaboration can be developed. Ron has available the JDAI self inspection instrument and a cross walk to the new standards which will help us if we desire to begin to assist local jurisdictions to create their own inspection teams with the help of the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). Right now one or two people do inspections rather than a team. Ron added that the person doing inspections is very good with a lot of years of experience. Ron was with the inspector at Will County and it was a very thorough monitoring experience. Cook County went in as a team because of size, and we are waiting on the report.
We currently do not have a requirement for a uniform screening instrument. The current standards are mainly concerned with physical conditions. Margie Groot explained that the Administrative Office of Illinois Courts (AOIC) responsibilities are programming aspects and screening tools. Training standards are in place for all probation and court services and detention. Ron added that DJJ covers a wider area of health care, training, supervision, restraint, safety and environmental issues. Chairman Velasquez added that the area dealing with restraints and grievances is comprehensive under Casey self inspection model. Commissioner Strickland recommended that the Commission discuss how this kind of information is communicated to the public.
VI. Old Business:
A. Illinois JDAI Application: Jeff Bradley and Barb Shipp met to discuss the application. One major issue arose and that is the lack of people to do the actual work. There is some interest from some of Jeff’s co-committee members. Judge Schwarm from 4th circuit would be ideal for this team and we need to collaborate with him regularly. Jeff stressed Barb’s point of having people on the team that will come back and do the work. Chairman Velasquez asked if we are at a point to set a timeline to convene and would like a list of names of those that we want to include. Jeff thinks the application can be complete within 30-45 days, and he will draft an invitation letter to the prospective team within the next two weeks and have the team in place by our next meeting. There are people being considered that represent the prosecution team. Barb discussed differences between Illinois and New Jersey. NJ achieved because their detention centers are run by the state and they were a big part of the JDAI task force.
B. FY12 JDAI Coordinator’s Contract: Jeff’s contract with YNC comes to a conclusion June 30, 2011. Jeff’s accomplishments are outlined in his report, most of which are ongoing efforts. He attended and represented the Commission at the Pathways Conference; he presented at the 2nd Circuit Conference last year with Ben and will be presenting again this year as a Key Note Speaker and will be at the 4th Circuit Conference also; he is a liaison between all of the jurisdictions; he is forming relationships with prosecutors and was invited to the State’s Attorney Conference in December and will be invited to the Summer conference. Chairman Velasquez stated that he works closely with Jeff and it is imperative that we have dedicated staff working on these projects on an ongoing basis.
Jeff is successful in getting change implemented with his knowledge of the principles of JDAI and ability to communicate that successfully to a large target population. His work has moved this Committee forward.
Chairman Velasquez asked if the group had questions for Jeff. Commissioner Strickland would like to follow-up with Jeff on his work in St. Clair County. He would like to reach out across the state and bring others on board as soon as possible. Barb Shipp asked Jeff if his time has been split between JDAI and Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board (RIOB). Jeff said that he is doing both programs, but since the hire of contractual staff that work on RIOB has diminished. He added that there is enough work for more than one person.
Chairman Velasquez asked Jeff to leave the room and inquired if the group had any further discussion and if the Committee sees value in Jeff’s work and if they are in favor of continuing his contract or terminating the contract on 6/30/11. Commissioners Strickland and Barb Shipp agreed that there is great value in Jeff’s work. Commissioner Strickland made a motion to renew Jeff Bradley’s contract for the period of July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012. Commissioner Ahitow seconded the motion. All in favor. Motion approved. The request will be presented to the Commission on May 19, 2011.
Part-time vs. full-time to JDAI: Barb Shipp suggested that from his reports he clearly makes good recommendations to this Committee and he has stated that the work in JDAI is plentiful. Chairman Velasquez questioned whether there should be two full-time positions split between JDAI and RIOB or hire someone to do the technical work which would leave more time for Jeff to devote to the two programs. Karrie agrees with Barb from the standpoint that there is enough overlap between RIOB and JDAI with the Commission and we can continue to develop that. More work can be done by one person doing the work fulltime than two people doing it part-time. Make the decision if you want a fulltime person doing JDAI and make an offer to Jeff and request a response in two weeks. If Jeff declines, then this Committee would be in a position to find another person. RIOB will know going into that conversation that JDAI has asked Jeff to be fulltime in JDAI. Barb Shipp made a motion that the JDAI Coordinator’s position be a fulltime FTE. If Jeff declines and wants half time than we can hire another person. Commissioner Ahitow seconded the motion. All in favor. Motion approved. This will be recommended to the full Commission on May 19, 2011. Jeff Bradley was presented with the motion and accepted the position full time.
VII. New Business:
A. 4th Circuit Proposal: Jeff reported that the 4th Circuit sponsors a JDAI Conference. They have received funding from the JDAI partners for the Conference. They are requesting a sponsorship of $5,000 to support their conference this fall. They have revamped their conference to include some specific JDAI topics. Jeff has been added as a speaker and would like to invite Ben to join him. Jeff recommends that this Committee recommend that the Commission help fund this conference. Questions can be addressed to Judge Schwarm, who we can get on the phone to address questions. They are part of our JDAI data collection group and have completed their last report. Commissioner Ahitow made a motion to request $5,000 to support this Conference from the Commission. Motion seconded by Barb Shipp. Vote: Chairman Rodriguez, yes; Commissioner Ahitow, yes; Commissioner Strickland, yes; Barb Shipp, yes; Chairman Timberlake, yes. Motion approved. This request will be presented to the full Commission on May 19, 2011.
Chairman Timberlake asked Commissioner Velasquez to speak to Commissioner Jacobs about this prior to the Commission meeting, since it is a Planning and Grants function.
B. Revised Meeting Schedule: There has been a change in the original JDAI Committee meeting schedule. The new meeting dates are the second Thursday of odd months, from 9:30am to 11:00am. All dates are posted on the DHS website and have been sent to JDAI Committee Members.
VIII. Adjourn:
Commissioner Ahitow made the motion to adjourn at 11:06AM. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Strickland. All in favor. Motion approved.
Next meeting July 14, 2011.