Council Background: Active since 2011, The St. Clair County Juvenile Justice Council is housed in the St. Clair County’s State’s Attorney Office. Under the leadership of their Coordinator, Tammy Vaughn-Walker, the Council has built a robust membership that includes a Teen Court program, youth community-based organizations, the juvenile detention center, the probation department, local school districts, faith-based …

Council Spotlight: Mitigating the Effects of COVID-19 Through Community Partnership Read Full Article »

As a federally mandated State Advisory Group leading a statewide movement to a fairer, more effective, collaborative juvenile justice system, the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission recommends Illinois takes the following six steps now to start reducing the harms of juvenile justice system involvement, which are borne disproportionately by youth of color:  Eliminating detention for children 10 – 12 …

A Call to Action: Racial Equity in Juvenile Justice Read Full Article »

Concerned about the spread of coronavirus in juvenile detention facilities, the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission issued a letter to Illinois’ judicial branch leaders. In the letter, the Commission requested action and provided recommended steps for protecting the wellbeing of young people, families, and caregivers in contact with the justice systems across the state. Read the letter …

COVID-19 Crisis: Protecting the health & well-being of justice-system-involved children & youth Read Full Article »

While analyzing data in 2017, Morgan County’s Juvenile Justice Council noticed that youth who had received truancy tickets, were on probation, or were assigned to community service had an increased risk of further system involvement. In addition, this problem was disproportionately impacting youth of color. Active since 2017, Morgan County’s Juvenile Justice Council is housed …

It takes a village: Leveraging community-level knowledge to decrease juvenile arrests Read Full Article »

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 …

Winnebago County’s juvenile justice stakeholders seek learning to reduce racial & ethnic disparities Read Full Article »

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 …

The Commission welcomes new Chair  Rick Velasquez Read Full Article »