General

In 2018, the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) reported seeing an increase in the number of youths being committed to the IDJJ from Winnebago County, making it one of the top counties for committing the most youth to IDJJ in Illinois. Additionally, youth of color comprised the majority of these commitments, with Black youth […]

The Commission is pleased to announce that the Pritzker administration appointed nine-year IJJC Commissioner Rick Velasquez to serve as its new Chair following his June 2019 retirement as CEO of Youth Outreach Services (YOS). Mr. Velasquez succeeds Judge George Timberlake, who served as Commission Chair for nine years. Mr. Velasquez’s career has been committed to seeking community-based

Smart, Safe and Fair: Strategies to Prevent Youth Violence, Heal Victims of Crime and Reduce Racial Inequality from the Justice Policy Institute and the National Center for Victims of Crime explores how to build more effective approaches to serve youth involved in a violent crime in the community, concluding that “in order to truly reduce

The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority released The Intersection of Homelessness and the Criminal Justice System, an overview of state and national homelessness including prevalence and causes of homelessness, criminal justice system contacts with the homeless and recommendations to address homelessness with a focus on justice-involved populations. The report concludes that justice system stakeholders can

After a ProPublica story uncovered that youth detained at the Harrisburg facility were given adult prison sentences for offenses previously addressed internally, a group of attorneys plan to represent those youth charged with assaulting staff at the southern Illinois youth prison.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation presents its vision for transforming juvenile probation into a focused intervention that promotes personal growth, positive behavior change and long-term success for youth who pose significant risks for serious offending in this new report.

The Juvenile Justice Initiative’s April 2018 report, “Detention of Juveniles in Illinois,” examines the current use of juvenile detention across the state, reviews research on the impacts of juvenile detention, examines local and national best practices in Illinois and makes recommendations. Recommendations include: Require that juvenile judges and law enforcement exhaust all less restrictive alternatives

A recent investigative story by the Chicago Reporter reminds us that despite the progress our state has made, we have taken a detour down a dangerous path.

"Stemming the Tide: Diverting Youth with Mental Health Conditions from the Illinois Juvenile Justice System" from the Illinois Mental Health Opportunities for Youth Diversion Task Force makes recommendations for putting youth with mental health conditions on the road to recovery so that they are less likely to come into contact with the juvenile justice system.

By: Julie Biehl

"Ever do something really foolish as a teenager? Spray-paint the water tower? Jump the turnstile? Take the neighbor’s car for a joy ride? Those and any number of other stupid mistakes are made by teenagers over and over in every corner of Illinois. Nearly every one of those kids will grow out of it and grow up to become crime-free, even productive, citizens. But actions like that can be life-changing — and not in a good way — for those who end up in a police station and possibly in juvenile detention. About 24,000 kids in Illinois are arrested every year, and the overwhelming majority of them will carry that arrest record around with them for the rest of their lives."