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ROCKFORD (WIFR) — Our kids are getting into trouble with police less often than they were a few years ago, but despite those numbers data from the state shows Winnebago County has one of the highest juvenile arrest rates in the state.

A Springfield group aimed at building racial unity is set to discuss “restorative justice” as an alternative to young people entering the prison system.

The Stephenson County Peer Jury Program resumes Oct. 8 to help first-time juvenile offenders understand the consequences of their crimes and avoid the pitfalls of the criminal justice system.

I recently learned of two traumatic events — both are connected to juvenile court but not to each other. I share both as further evidence of the need for best practices to take hold in our juvenile system.

Oficials of the Second Circuit Youth Council, formerly the Juvenile Justice Council, have planned its 21st annual one-day conference, Kids, Courts & Schools — What Works? The conference will be held on Thursday, Oct. 2 at the Rend Lake Resort and Conference Center. Registration for the conference will continue through Oct. 1. The registration fee is $55, which includes breakfast, lunch, handouts and door prizes.

Judge Jennifer H. Bauknecht will attend the National Leadership Summit on School Discipline and Climate in Washington, D.C., in October.

WASHINGTON – In a renewed private-public partnership, the Office of Justice Programs’ Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation are jointly providing $2 million to advance juvenile justice reform.

St. Clair County is piloting teen court — a justice program that allows first-time non-violent offenders to come before a peer jury after admitting guilt.

If a student happens to have been born black, he’s three times more likely to be suspended or expelled than his white classmates. That statistic comes from the U.S. Department of Education, and it’s often repeated by people who favor changing the way students are disciplined. But as with all averages, it obscures the rough edges that become apparent only when looking more closely at the numbers, and Illinois has some of the roughest edges around.