MacArthur Lauds Juvenile Justice Reformers by Gary Gately
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Left to right, Juvenile Court Judge Sheri C. Roberts; retired Judge George W. Timberlake; Laurie Garduque, MacArthur Foundation; Hernan Carvente, John Jay College of Criminal Justice; and John Ryals, Jefferson Parish Department of Juvenile Services. Photo by David Kindler.
WASHINGTON — George W. Timberlake retired from the Illinois bench in 2006 — but certainly not from juvenile justice work.
Since 2004, Timberlake has devoted countless hours to five demonstration Models for Change reforms in Illinois supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
And since 2010 — when he was appointed chairman of the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission, a federally mandated state advisory group to the Illinois governor and the state General Assembly — Timberlake and others drawn largely from the ranks of Models for Change have played a pivotal role in reviving the volunteer commission.
On Monday, Timberlake received one of four prestigious awards for juvenile justice leaders from the Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation.
In brief remarks after being named the Champion for Change in State Leadership, Timberlake thanked and praised those who had helped him turn around what had been a struggling juvenile justice organization.
He also credited his parents with teaching him and his six siblings lessons like the importance of racial equality.
“Black lives matter!” Timberlake said, drawing a standing ovation from more than 400 people at an awards luncheon at the seventh annual Champions for Change Awards, part of the ninth annual Models for Change national working conference.