General

Think about it: Well over half of all youth adjudicated delinquent in U.S. juvenile courts each year are sentenced to probation. Even many youth referred to juvenile court but not adjudicated (24 percent in 2013) are placed on informal probation.

Yet there is virtually no evidence that probation as commonly practiced reduces the reoffending rates of youth. Quite the contrary. As I’ll detail below, what research exists on the impact of standard-issue probation suggests that, on balance, it does nothing, or next to nothing, to reduce offending. Nonetheless, probation has remained largely unchanged in recent decades, and it remains the disposition of choice for system-involved youth.

Juvenile Justice Commission Chairman, Judge George Timberlake, Ret., writes: "Among the many advances in juvenile justice reform propelled by a developmental approach is the reduction of the school-to-prison pipeline. […] But, as in many large and complex systems affecting juvenile justice, there is still work to be done to diffuse the knowledge gained from research. Schools across America face daily mysteries as to who is guilty of rule or law infractions, and administrators are tasked with seeking the perpetrators. Like police agencies, they use information from students and often rely on admissions of guilt to “solve the case.” They sometimes adopt police practices, including interrogation techniques."

"Court evaluations, new commitments, and technical violations are three ways in which youth may be admitted to the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, the state's juvenile corrections agency. This article is the first of a three-part series examining the use of incarceration to address juvenile delinquency in Illinois. Admissions to IDJJ for court evaluations is examined, including admission trends and the impact court evaluation admissions have had on the profile of committed youth."

Recent research has documented that black girls are punished at school at rates that are even more disproportionate than those experienced by black boys. For example, they are suspended six times more often than white girls. Morris calls this "a story untold," and she sets out to tell it in her new book, Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools.

"Child welfare youth involved in the juvenile justice system, or dual status youth, are more likely to be charged with a crime and more likely to be detained. Once detained, dual status youth will likely spend more time in custody. Child welfare officials have a difficult time placing these youth because they are typically older with a history of multiple placements. On top of the usual teenage issues, they are likely to have mental health- and trauma-related issues."

Court evaluations, new commitments, and technical violations are three ways in which youth may be admitted to the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, the state's juvenile corrections agency. This article is the first of a three-part series examining the use of incarceration to address juvenile delinquency in Illinois. Admissions to IDJJ for court evaluations is examined, including admission trends and the impact court evaluation admissions have had on the profile of committed youth.

"When juveniles are found guilty of sexual misconduct, the sex-offender registry can be a life sentence."

New research shows LGBT people are facing higher rates of incarceration and unfair treatment in the country's criminal justice system.

"The United States is a nation of second chances, but the experience of solitary confinement too often undercuts that second chance. Those who do make it out often have trouble holding down jobs, reuniting with family and becoming productive members of society. Imagine having served your time and then being unable to hand change over to a customer or look your wife in the eye or hug your children."

"The Justice Department has completed its review, and I am adopting its recommendations to reform the federal prison system. These include banning solitary confinement for juveniles and as a response to low-level infractions, expanding treatment for the mentally ill and increasing the amount of time inmates in solitary can spend outside of their cells. These steps will affect some 10,000 federal prisoners held in solitary confinement — and hopefully serve as a model for state and local corrections systems. "

On Tuesday, Governor Rauner "spoke in Springfield at a meeting of the Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform, where he commended the efforts of the group he created last year to achieve that goal…The governor added that the goal is to move the corrections system away from simply housing offenders and keeping them away from the public, and to focus on effective rehabilitation, such as substance abuse training, mental health treatment and counseling to ensure those offenders don’t make the same mistakes again."

In addition to addressing financial concerns, Governor Rauner also discussed the issue of reducing the over representation of minority youth coming in contact with the juvenile justice system. Governor Rauner "encouraged them not to shy away from emotionally charged racial issues that may be contributing to a disproportionate number of minorities and ethnic groups being incarcerated at a young age."