epcadmin

The Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ)’s Director Arthur Bishop today issued a statement on a report commissioned by IDJJ, conducted by Kinsale Management Consulting, following the latest national survey on rates of sexual victimization of youth in juvenile facilities.

Only 1 percent of 911 calls for injuries to children result from gunshots, but one in five of those children die, according to a recent study. Children injured by firearms were more likely to die than kids injured by any other means, including stabbings and car accidents.

As I write this, the government shutdown shows no sign of ending. Under the circumstances, it is hard to imagine a Congress capable of taking action to protect youth and promote safer communities. Yet it did so in 1974, when it passed the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), and did so again when it repeatedly reauthorized the act over the years — most recently in 2002.

The report from court-appointed expert Dr. Louis J. Kraus on the mental health services provided in Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice facilities details several areas in need of improvement:

It’s been nearly 20 years since the Quad-City Times investigated the failing juvenile justice system in our bi-state community. For one month in 1994, the Times published daily stories disclosing poor facilities to hold kids charged with crimes; virtually no communication or record sharing among authorities on opposite sides of the river; and few prospects for improvement. So much has changed since 1994. But not juvenile justice.

Illinois received more evidence last week that incarcerating young people doesn’t rehabilitate them. Independent experts told a federal court that Illinois’ juvenile prison system operates an education program far below minimally accepted standards, does not meet the basic mental health needs of incarcerated youth and uses solitary confinement too often and for too long, with potentially damaging effects on youth who return to our communities.