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The Trajectory
Published On 7/14/2025
Chapters of Scrubs Addressing the Firearm Epidemic, or SAFE, an organization working to reframe gun violence as a preventable public health crisis — one that doctors are uniquely positioned to address through patient education and community engagement met at the University of Wisconsin. The group was part of SAFE’s pilot training initiative, which aims to support medical education so that every future doctor graduates with evidence-based strategies to prevent firearm injuries before they occur. The goal is to make what has long been a political issue into a standard medical competency that could save lives.
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Family sues Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart over ‘brutal’ jail death
Published On 7/11/2025
The family of a man who died in Cook County Jail last year after he was beaten by guards is suing Sheriff Tom Dart alleging civil rights violations and demanding punitive damages.
Cory Ulmer was jailed last June after police found him walking after midnight near Midway International Airport — a violation of the conditions for his pretrial release following armed robbery and assault charges in 2023, records show. Ulmer was fighting the charges and had pleaded not guilty.
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Prison Is Designed to Make Fatherhood Impossible
Published On 7/10/2025
Numerous studies have found correlations between parental incarceration and criminalized behavior, poor academic performance, and social and emotional problems in children. Prison punishes and traumatizes children just as much as their parents behind bars.
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A Chicago teen weighs in on ‘takeovers’ and city’s proposed snap curfew
Published On 7/9/2025
Many teenagers face the dilemma of not having a space to go spend time with friends besides school or home. In the absence of a go-to third space, many teenagers participate in large teen hangouts called “trends.” The problem is that some of the trends have led to violence, injury, and in the worst case, the death of a teen.
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A look inside the soon-to-open Monarch Youth Center in Lincoln
Published On 7/8/2025
The Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice is months away from opening the first youth center located in central Illinois. Lincoln will be home to the soon-to-open all-boys Monarch Youth Center, which will focus on the rehabilitation of the youths that will be housed there. The facility will be able to hold up to 30 boys.
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Guns kill more US children than other causes, but study finds state policies can help
Published On 7/7/2025
More American children and teens die from firearms than any other cause, but there are more deaths — and wider racial disparities — in states with more permissive gun policies, according to a new study.
The study, published in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics last week, analyzes trends in state firearm policies and kids’ deaths since 2010, after the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in McDonald v. City of Chicago. The ruling struck down the city’s handgun ban, clearing the way for many states to make it easier for people to buy and carry guns.
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Cook County Leaders Announce New Criminal Justice Dashboard
Published On 7/3/2025
Cook County leaders came together to announce the launch of the Cook County Criminal Justice Dashboard. The new dashboard consolidates data from across Cook County’s criminal justice agencies to promote increased transparency, access and understanding of data connected to the local criminal justice system.
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Rockford’s first Hope House, the first in Illinois, sets out to give teens a supportive family home
Published On 7/2/2025
A new approach to foster care starting in the city helps teens who have struggled in other homes live in a stable family environment that prepares them to succeed in adult life.
The Chicago-based nonprofit One Hope United has brought its Hope House program for youth ages 13 to 17 to Rockford. After operating 11 such homes in Florida, officials with the nonprofit, as well as the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, and representatives from Congressman Darin LaHood’s office cut the ribbon Wednesday on what is the first Hope House in Illinois.
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Why are police on Illinois college campuses stopping Black drivers at high rates?
Published On 7/1/2025
Black drivers are being pulled over at rates higher than both Black student enrollment and the Black population of the surrounding communities. One of the journalists behind the story as well as criminal justice and civil rights experts discuss some of the findings.
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Mary Davis Home confined kids illegally and didn’t document it
Published On 6/30/2025
The Mary Davis Home did not log confinements, multiple times, which is illegal under IL law. The law say juveniles can only be confined for 15 minutes at a time before they are reevaluated, and each of those occasions need to be documented. Despite those regulations, the reports says facility admin claimed no one was confined at the facility in June 2024 despite investigators finding four confinements that should have been reported.
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Illinois House Passes Bill to Raise Minimum Detention Age for Minors
Published On 6/27/2025
Key Provisions of the Bill:
1. Minimum Detention Age Raised: The legislation would prohibit the detention of children under age 13 in county jails or municipal lockups for more than six hours, raising the threshold from the current standard of under 12 years old.
2. Narrow Exceptions for Violent Offenses: Beginning July 1, 2027, only 12-year-olds accused of the most serious crimes, including first-degree murder, aggravated criminal sexual assault, aggravated battery with a firearm, or aggravated vehicular hijacking, could be detained in a juvenile facility.
3. Alternatives to Detention: Instead of traditional detention, minors under 13 who come into conflict with the law may be held accountable through petitions under the Minors Requiring Authoritative Intervention Article or through community mediation programs.
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One man’s 18-year journey to get his GED while locked up in Illinois prisons
Published On 6/26/2025
It’s not unusual for people locked up in the Illinois Department of Corrections to wait years to get into programming, such as GED or college classes. That’s especially true for people serving long sentences for serious crimes, as the state prioritizes enrollment for people who will be released from prison sooner. Hernandez was sentenced to 45 years as a teenager.
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Mayor Vetoes Controversial ‘Snap Curfew’ Policy
Published On 6/25/2025
On Wednesday, alderpeople voted 27-22 to allow “snap curfews,” following years of debate over how the city should combat so-called teen takeovers or trends. In a post-council press conference, Johnson blasted the measure and vowed to issue a veto — the first of his tenure and the first mayoral veto in Chicago since 2006.
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Nine injured in Mary Davis Home riot as state says facility still out of compliance
Published On 6/24/2025
Four staff members and five juveniles were injured in June at the Mary Davis Juvenile Detention Home in Galesburg in what officials describe as a disturbance that escalated into a riot.
This was the second riot at the facility in less than 15 months. Eight staff members and two juveniles were injured in a March 2024 incident.
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Serving ‘Dead time’
Published On 6/23/2025
Washington’s juvenile justice agency appeared to finally be reformed. After decades of court monitoring, a judge declared in late 2020 that the long-troubled Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) could return to the mayor’s control. Instead of "a focus on restorative justice," youth crime spiked.
Children committed to DYRS while awaiting treatment should be transferred to a rehabilitation program within 30 days, the agency director has testified. But the average wait time saw a nearly fivefold increase, to 62 days in 2024 from 13 in 2018, The Post found. Some teens waited more than six months for treatment.
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Inside Illinois’ journey to build a centralized platform for child welfare services
Published On 6/20/2025
In Illinois, officials have embarked on a years long initiative to address such concerns and resource gaps with a centralized portal to help families access mental and behavioral services earlier this year.
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Crisis Intervention: Supporting Neurodivergent Youth Podcast
Published On 6/18/2025
Many neurodivergent youth get caught up in the juvenile justice system as a response to their moments of crisis, or simply because of differences in their behavior. This episode considers the experiences of neurodivergent youth and their families in the juvenile justice system, and how crisis intervention on their behalf should focus on preventing harm, not punishing difference.
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Changing Courts from the Ballot Box
Published On 6/17/2025
"Our goal as the Defenders of Justice is to get people who have traditionally not been represented on the bench to run for office," said Leah Perez, La Defensa. "...getting a lot of prosecutors in this pipeline, people who come from a carceral, penal background. That obviously affects over-incarceration in our jails."
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Mix of Therapies Is Helping to Stop Youth Violence in Chicago
Published On 6/16/2025
A string of rigorous evaluations have found that CBT-based programs designed for teens and young adults in the community can significantly reduce the chance that they will be arrested for a violent crime. A University of Chicago study found that participants in Choose to Change were significantly less likely to be arrested compared to similar teens who were not in the program.
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Elisabeth Pollock gives a TED Talk about faults in the public defense system
Published On 6/13/2025
During a Habitat for Humanity trip to Mississippi as a teen, Elisabeth met several other teenagers coming from underprivileged backgrounds, some of whom already had felony charges. “Their future was doomed. They cannot get jobs, cannot get student loans, and, in many states in this country, cannot vote.”
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51st murder case tied to disgraced former Chicago police detective overturned: 'Justice will shine'
Published On 6/12/2025
Antonio McDowell spent 23 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted at 21 for a murder and carjacking that relied on witness statements coerced by a former CPD Detective.
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IL Lawmakers Ban Police From Ticketing and Fining Students for Minor Infractions in School
Published On 6/11/2025
Illinois legislators on Wednesday passed a law to explicitly prevent police from ticketing and fining students for minor misbehavior at school, ending a practice that harmed students across the state.
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Lawsuit claims teens on ‘suicide watch’ denied mental health treatment at Mary Davis Home
Published On 6/10/2025
The class action filing claims the allegations run deeper for teens on "Special Group Status", claiming, “Expedited discovery from third party mental health providers showed that Mary Davis Home repeatedly blocked youth on suicide watch from receiving visits from outside mental health counselors,” per page 11 of the ACLU’s class action filing.
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Project FLEX basketball tourney hosts youth from five juvenile justice centers
Published On 6/9/2025
Five Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) facilities – Chicago, Pere Marquette, Harrisburg, PEACE Center at St. Charles and Warrenville – sent teams to field an eight-squad bracket that also included three lineups of NIU students. Youth were chosen for the IDJJ teams based on a record of good behavior, staff recommendations and an interest in participating. IDJJ staff served as coaches for the teams, holding practices for the weeks leading up to the tournament and working to obtain uniforms and shoes for the teams.
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A new theory on gun violence
Published On 6/6/2025
People blame gun violence on different things depending on their political leanings. But Jens Ludwig, an economist at the University of Chicago, has found a different reason behind it. Today, we bring you a story on solutions to gun violence.
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Why juveniles pick up a gun, and how a community can intervene
Published On 6/5/2025
According to Illinois State University criminal justice studies professor Charles Bell,“ We’ve never really asked students what makes them feel safe, and when you talk to students, it’s relationships. It’s building that trust. When you set a guard with a large gun in a school—that just makes everybody feel uncomfortable... They have no idea what’s happening, and a lot of times they have no buy in or say so whatsoever.”
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Vote Blocked on Plan to Allow CPD to Declare ‘Snap Curfews’ to Stop Teen Gatherings
Published On 6/4/2025
Seventeen members of the Chicago City Council joined together in an unprecedented show of force Wednesday to block a vote on a measure to allow Chicago Police Department officials to preemptively impose a curfew anywhere in the city and begin enforcing it with just 30 minutes notice in an effort to stop large teen gatherings.
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Do Curfews Make Us Safer?
Published On 6/3/2025
20th-century urban studies theorist and activist, Jane Jacobs, who championed the idea that safety is inherently tied to community connectedness—a concept University of Chicago Crime Lab founder Jens Ludwig has recently promoted
“A well-used city street is apt to be a safe street,” Jacobs wrote. “A deserted city street is apt to be unsafe.”
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OPINION: Black and brown youth need commitment, not criminalization
Published On 6/2/2025
Young Black and brown youth have never had free space and safety in this segregated city. In Chicago, simply existing in our communities has always come with surveillance, suspicion, and the constant threat of criminalization.
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Coalition of 136 Organizations and Community Members Oppose the Felony Review Bypass Program
Published On 5/30/2025
The coalition sent an open letter to Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke urging her to end the Felony Review Bypass Program for gun possession cases in Chicago Police Department Districts 5 (Englewood) and 7 (Calumet), which include neighborhoods that are over 90% Black.
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Illinois public defenders, their clients deserve a FAIR shake
Published On 5/29/2025
This month, the Illinois Senate will consider the Funded Advocacy & Independent Representation Act, a bill to create a statewide, independent public defense system. If passed, the legislation will create an Office of the State Public Defender and a State Public Defender Commission. Together, they would establish workload standards, support training and enhance resources for county public defense systems across the state.
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How States Are Undoing Criminal Justice Reforms
Published On 5/28/2025
Louisiana voters go to the polls today to consider substantially stiffening juvenile justice laws. The proposal, constitutional Amendment 3, would give state lawmakers new leeway to send teenagers to adult courts, jails and prisons. Currently, 14-to-16-year-olds can only be charged as adults for the most serious crimes like rape and murder. Advocates for the amendment want the power to add new felonies, like the distribution of fentanyl.
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Keeping nonviolent gun cases out of restorative justice courts is a step backward
Published On 5/27/2025
The state's attorney for Cook County has announced that she will no longer refer cases involving illegal possession of a weapon - the majority of cases referred - to the restorative justice community courts. This decision is a step backward in protecting the public and ensuring that those accused of criminal activity do not offend again.
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Peoria inmates tell their stories to try to keep teens out of jail
Published On 5/23/2025
Seven Peoria inmates have been getting ready to re-enter society, and they want young people to know what jail is really like. Before the men graduated from the ELITE Community Outreach Re-Entry Program, they shared their stories with boys aged 14 to 16. All were at-risk teens who have gotten in trouble with school, or with law enforcement. “It’s lost hope in here. It’s boredom. It’s sadness. It’s horrible. The food is horrible, the living conditions are horrible. There’s nothing great about this place,” Jacobi Turner-Claudin said.
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Ivars Spalis: An educator supporting students and teachers
Published On 5/22/2025
The facility, part of the Kane County Judicial Center campus, follows Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice guidelines. freestar
Classes are small at eight to 12 students. By law, the center teaches children from age 10 to 18. And because it’s a regional facility, the Kane County Juvenile Justice Center serves children from Kendall, McHenry, Stevenson, Whiteside and Lee counties. In addition to English, the center teaches math, science, American history and health.
“We’re big on social-emotional learning, which teaches them how to get along with themselves and other people,” Principal Ivars Spalis said. “We get thank-you letters occasionally.”
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Caddo Parish official says May has most admissions for juvenile detention
Published On 5/21/2025
The Center Square spoke with Director Andrew Randall about upcoming efforts and partnerships in the parish that are ongoing to combat juvenile crime. "We're always, of course, working to not just be responsive to crime, particularly among juveniles, but to be preventative as well," Randall said.
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New bill would offer chance at parole for youthful offenders
Published On 5/20/2025
The bill is aimed at giving prisoners convicted of committing crimes before they turn 21 an opportunity to be released after proving they have been rehabilitated, the bill’s supporters say. U.S. Supreme Court rulings in recent years have deemed it unconstitutional to automatically sentence juveniles to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
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Appellate court throws out ‘excessive sentence’ for Chicago man denied parole over 30 times
Published On 5/19/2025
The appellate court panel ruled Carrasquillo, who served 46 years, should be resentenced based on changing legal precedents regarding how youthful offenders are treated and how mitigating factors, such as prison rehabilitation, are considered in sentencing. It also ruled that the Cook County Judge erred when he decided Carrasquillo’s original sentence of 200 to 600 years is not a de facto life sentence just because he has been eligible for parole for decades.
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Illinois lawmakers are considering whether to reestablish parole
Published On 5/16/2025
In addition to restarting parole for most people in prison, House Bill 2764 describes what the Prisoner Review Board should focus on: a statement by the candidate for parole, character references, participation in programs in prison, and evidence of the likelihood that the person will return to prison. “Looking at the nature of the case should be one thing, yes, but it should not be the sole basis for granting or denying,” Dorado said.
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Peters: Our juvenile justice system should focus on rehabilitation over punishment
Published On 5/15/2025
“Our juvenile justice system should focus on rehabilitation over punishment,” said Peters (D-Chicago). “By raising the age at which a minor can be detained and emphasizing alternative methods, we’re giving young people a fair chance at reformation without subjecting them to the damaging effects of detention at an early age.”
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Chicago ‘Snap’ Curfew Vote Delayed Amid Legal, Ethical Concerns
Published On 5/14/2025
A controversial proposal that would allow Chicago police to implement a curfew anytime and anywhere in the city has been put on hold. The pause came after hours of debate during a Public Safety Committee meeting Wednesday where alderpeople raised legal and ethical concerns about the ordinance. Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) said he thinks he has enough support to pass the measure, but he recessed the meeting to address lingering questions from his colleagues.
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Illinois bill seeks to raise minimum arrest age for minors
Published On 5/13/2025
Introduced by state Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, Senate Bill 1784 would also establish that arrests involving such minors can only be carried out as a last resort, in such instances where probable cause that they committed a crime is apparent, or if they have repeatedly failed to appear at scheduled hearings on the matter.
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Task Force brings together diverse stakeholders to advance positive change
Published On 5/12/2025
Recognizing that now is an opportune time to expand on the progress in juvenile detention practices, the Illinois Supreme Court (Court) recently created the Juvenile Detention Practices Task Force (Task Force) as a vehicle to support its strategic plan to strengthen juvenile detention practices. The Task Force is comprised of juvenile justice system stakeholders with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. The roster includes detention center superintendents, advocates, attorneys, judges and other juvenile justice practitioners from across the state.
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The ghosts of Geneva’s ‘home for wayward girls’
Published On 5/9/2025
If the IL State Training School for Girls in Geneva did serve as a school, it wasn’t reflected in the way the youth arrived or were identified. They were charged with crimes and went to court but were not sentenced to a set amount of time. Instead, they were held until a parole board determined they were “rehabilitated”. Receiving parole could take months or years. For some, it never came. And as with the institution’s name, language shifted over the decades between “girls,” “delinquents,” and “inmates,” but in all the academic papers and newspaper archives never was the word “student" used.
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NIU hosts basketball tournament for juvenile youths as part of rehabilitative sports initiative
Published On 5/8/2025
NIU hosted a basketball tournament for juvenile youth on campus March 26 as part of an initiative held by the NIU College of Education’s Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education.
NIU and the Illinois Youth Center came together in 2018 to create project FLEX (Fitness, Leadership, EXperience). Project FLEX is a research and outreach organization focused on providing physical fitness programs and organizing events for juveniles.
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Murals bring hope and creativity to Champaign County Juvenile Detention Center walls
Published On 5/7/2025
“And we talked about things that inspire them and give them hope for the future. And then I took those questions that they answered and went back to the drawing board and created a design for their education room, which then they came and helped me paint.” Said Leslie Kimble, local artist.
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Racial disparities in youth incarceration are the widest they've been in decades
Published On 5/6/2025
In 2023, the most recent year for which data is available, Black children were nearly six times more likely to be incarcerated than white children; American Indian children were nearly four times more likely.
"This is the largest Black-white disparity on record. This is the largest Native-white disparity on record," says Josh Rovner, director of Youth Justice at the Sentencing Project, a research and advocacy organization working to reduce incarceration in the U.S.
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Pritzker, Johnson applaud Peacekeepers violence prevention program as crime drops in Chicago
Published On 5/5/2025
Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson applauded a new Northwestern University study that found the Peacekeepers Program led to a 41% reduction in victimizations within violence “hotspots” in 2023 to 2024 compared to the previous two-year period. Peacekeeper community areas saw a 31% decrease in shooting victimizations from 2023 to 2024 compared to the previous two-year period, according to the study. Additionally, the study also found that 68% of the conflict mediations conducted by Peacekeepers were “successfully resolved.”
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Downtown curfew proposal may violate the rights of Chicago youth, legal advocates say
Published On 5/2/2025
This week, a Chicago alderperson introduced a new proposal that, if approved, would give Chicago police the power to declare curfews ahead of mass gatherings of unaccompanied minors. Legal advocates say this proposed ordinance could unfairly target Black and brown teenagers and potentially violate their First Amendment rights.
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A better way to treat juvenile offenders
Published On 5/1/2025
Inspired by reform efforts in Ireland and Germany, Illinois activists are working to pass legislation that would offer more rehabilitation opportunities for youth offenders, allowing them to get their lives back on track and stay out of prison.
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Lawmakers Moving Forward On Public Defender Reform
Published On 4/29/2025
According to an analysis of county public defender budgets compiled by Northwestern University, no Illinois counties have “sufficient” staffing in public defender offices. Some positions in public defender offices aren’t filled at all, including 83% of counties that don’t have any investigators in public defender offices, according to researchers.
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The Future of Public Defenders in Illinois
Published On 4/28/2025
A panel of public defenders at the Northwestern University School of Law discuss the FAIR Act and challenges public defenders are facing in Illinois.
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A Retreat from the Harshest Punishments for Emerging Adult Defendants
Published On 4/25/2025
A new report by the Death Penalty Information Center will focus on recent state courts decisions that have extended legal protections to emerging adults ages 18 to 20.
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Legislature Kills Bill That Would Have Made Youthful Parole Retroactive
Published On 4/24/2025
In 2019, youth under 21 became eligible for parole if their crimes occurred before 1/1/19. This bill would have made all youth eligible for parole, regardless of the date of their offenses.
"This bill would create a pathway for people sentenced as children and young adults to show that they have been rehabilitated and potentially return home and give back to their communities,” bill sponsor Rep. Theresa Mah, D-Chicago, told the House.
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Chicago’s murder drop ‘mirrors a lot of big cities,’ a leading crime data analyst says
Published On 4/23/2025
The best thing that Chicago and most big cities can do right now is invest resources in research to understand why murders have dropped, even as the city’s Police Department has lost thousands of officers since 2019.
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Chicago Police Continued to Target Black, Latino Drivers with Traffic Stops in 2024
Published On 4/22/2025
Just 4.5% of CPD traffic stops led to an arrest, and a gun was recovered in just 0.75% of stops, according to the report. Approximately 8.6% of stops led to a citation. Chicago police continued to target Black and Latino drivers with a massive campaign of traffic stops that failed to make the city safer in 2024 amid “significant concerns about transparency and accountability in CPD’s reporting,” according to a new analysis from a coalition of groups.
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They Served Their Time. Now They Want to Be Released From Illinois’ ‘Murderer’ Database
Published On 4/21/2025
An effort to shutter a violent offender registry raises questions about how Illinois should treat people who’ve completed prison sentences for gun violence. Illinois is one of at least five states that publicly posts the names, photos, and addresses of people who are convicted of violent crimes. In Illinois, the list includes first-degree murder or other violent crimes, mostly when they’re committed against people under age 18.
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Young offenders in Illinois still serving life sentences
Published On 4/18/2025
Illinois is one of 28 states that has banned juvenile life sentences without the possibility of parole. In just over half of these states, the law applies retroactively. Illinois is not one of them.
Sen. Rachel Ventura, a Democrat from Joliet, introduced a bill in the previous legislative session that would have made the ban on life without parole retroactive, but it failed.
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We asked hundreds of people in Illinois prisons how they define ‘rehabilitation’
Published On 4/17/2025
On this episode of Prisoncast!, from WBEZ and Illinois Public Radio, men and women in prisons tell us about the obstacles to transforming themselves in state prisons.
Men and women in prisons tell us about the obstacles to transforming themselves in state prisons – from a lack of education programming to poor living conditions and shoddy health care. We’ll also hear stories from people inside who did manage to transform themselves, despite their environment – whether through trauma-informed healing, music and writing, education, even yoga.
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Illinois’s public defense crisis
Published On 4/16/2025
Numerous speakers highlighted the need for substantive structural change to address funding disparities, conflicts of interest, and an overall dearth of data about public defense in Illinois.
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What Is Emerging Adult Justice? Posted February 21, 2025
Published On 4/15/2025
18- to 25-year-olds involved in the criminal justice system have unique developmental characteristics that make them both less culpable and more amenable to rehabilitation. Too often, the jus­tice sys­tem fails to rec­og­nize or meet the devel­op­men­tal needs of this pop­u­la­tion and treats emerg­ing adults in almost the same man­ner as old­er, ful­ly mature adults.
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Juvenile justice is more than either-or
Published On 4/14/2025
"As a judge, I presided over the arraignment of some 2,000 people in 2024, including teenagers charged with serious crimes. What I saw at Green Hill is not sustainable. I have few tools as a judge to help the young people I see. When our courts refer young people to DCYF, we need to trust that they will be safely housed and have access to the resources they need to address the issues that brought them into the system. For now, to fulfill that promise, we should invest upstream and downstream."
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The New Music Room at The Philadelphia Juvenile Justice Center
Published On 4/11/2025
Ruth’s Room isn’t just a new room, it’s a step toward changing how we think about rehabilitation for young people in the juvenile justice system. Named in honor of Ruth Bacon, a justice and education advocate, this space will foster creativity, healing, and growth for the facility’s youth.
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Suicide risk among LGBTQ+ youth in Cleveland’s child welfare, juvenile justice systems
Published On 4/10/2025
If successful, the YES model could be adopted by public systems nationwide, offering an affordable and effective way to address youth suicide. The project, called Youth Empowerment & Safety (YES), combines new screening and referral processes with trained peer support specialists (PSS) who share similar life experiences.
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Stop Crime Talk: Overcriminalization of Youth Spells Disaster for America’s Future
Published On 4/9/2025
From conventional therapy to culturally relevant initiatives and healing-based, trauma-informed programming, youth can grow in a healthy manner through a sustainable relationship with community-based caregivers.
The troubling national trend of rolling back justice reform efforts is raising alarms among advocates, as seen in Washington state where they are repurposing adult detention centers to create more juvenile lock-ups.
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In Chicago, cognitive behavioral therapy shows promise curbing youth violence
Published On 4/8/2025
Choose to Change is a six-month program that focuses on young people who are already struggling: Many have been arrested or have had gaps in school enrollment. Some may be affiliated with gangs or are on juvenile probation. Young people have a harder time managing emotions than adults, and trauma can make that even harder. Children exposed to violence are more likely to become perpetrators of it later on. Cognitive behavioral therapy has the potential to essentially rewire the brain, making it easier to do things like walk away from a beef rather than retaliate.
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Illinois weighs opening state financial aid to students in prison
Published On 4/7/2025
Researchers have found that higher education is one of the most effective ways to prevent people who have been incarcerated from re-offending. Yet just 615 out of 29,470 inmates in Illinois are enrolled in college classes, according to the Education Justice Project based at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Legislation could give more people inside access to college classes.
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To Make Guns Less Dangerous, One Group Teaches Young People How to Use Them
Published On 4/4/2025
One group is trying a different tactic, telling those youths: Keep your guns if you must, but learn how to handle them safely. Stick Talk, a Chicago collective, has taken to teaching small groups of teenagers and young adults skills like first aid for gunshot wounds and how to avoid accidental discharges.
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Jury Awards $120M to 2 Men Wrongfully Convicted of 2003 Murder, Setting New Chicago Record
Published On 4/3/2025
John Fulton was 18 and Anthony Mitchell was 17 when they were arrested in connection with the March 10, 2003, murder of 18-year-old Christopher Collazo, whose body was discovered bound with duct tape and partially burned in a Back of the Yards alley.
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Alderman Will Try Again To Pass 8 PM Downtown Curfew For Minors
Published On 4/2/2025
The move was prompted by a shooting outside a movie theater in Streeterville. The city currently enforces a 10 p.m. curfew daily for people 17 and younger.
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Legislation to exempt Illinoisans with intellectual disabilities from testing for prison programs
Published On 4/1/2025
House Bill 1810 would allow incarcerated Illinoisans with intellectual or developmental disabilities to have a waiver for the test and ensure equal access to sentence credit opportunities.
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Judge Grants First-Ever Racial Justice Act Motion In San Francisco
Published On 3/31/2025
Public defenders have filed RJA motions in numerous cases, but few have resulted in judges granting evidentiary hearings. This is the first instance where relief was granted based on the effect of racial biases in the case.
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Guest column: Public defense crisis has a clear root cause
Published On 3/28/2025
We’re losing them to retirement and we’re losing them because their pay is lower and their workloads are higher than attorneys who work outside of the public defense system.
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Chicago Restorative Justice Court Advocates Fear Sudden Policy Shift Will Cause More Harm
Published On 3/27/2025
Currently, the youngest participants have a 13% recidivism rate within one year of enrollment, compared to 65% among young people whose cases go through traditional court proceedings.
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Illinois banned life sentences for young offenders—but not for those already behind bars
Published On 3/26/2025
A bill to make emerging adult sentencing reforms retroactive stalled last session, but lawmakers are trying again this year.
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Attorneys behind RPS 205 civil rights complaint push state to end police ticketing at school
Published On 3/25/2025
Last fall, attorneys Angie Jimenez and Nina Monfredo from the National Center for Youth Law accused RPS of “blurring lines” with its relationship to the Rockford Police Department (RPD). Their argument centered on student punishment – claiming school resource officers (SROs) from RPD “disproportionately” punished Black students with municipal tickets.The U.S. Department of Education, however, did not consider that complaint for further proceedings. Since then, the attorneys collaborated with parents, school districts and state lawmakers to craft legislation stopping police from ticketing students for “misbehaving.” “We’re pushing students into a legal system that’s really designed for adults,” argues Jimenez – directing attorney with the National Center for Youth Law.
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Community violence intervention saves lives. Keep funding it for public safety's sake
Published On 3/24/2025
For too long, many of our communities have suffered extreme levels of crime and violence. And for too long, our society has addressed gun violence with only one approach: arrest and incarceration. But thanks to a 2021 law called the Reimagine Public Safety Act, Illinois is pursuing a viable and proven alternative that complements traditional law enforcement while offering people at risk a safe and legal off-ramp from the street life.
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Reform Groups Say CPD’s New Plan to Stop and Search Chicagoans Violates Constitution, Consent Decree
Published On 3/21/2025
New rules designed to limit when Chicago police officers can stop and search Chicagoans violate the U.S. Constitution by allowing officers to stop and frisk people based on their race or ethnicity, a coalition of reform groups told the federal judge overseeing efforts to reform the Chicago Police Department.
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Cook County State’s Attorney Will No Longer Divert Nonviolent Gun Cases to Restorative Justice Court
Published On 3/20/2025
Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has instructed her office to stop diverting people with gun possession charges to the county’s Restorative Justice Community Courts (RJCC), which reroute people with nonviolent charges from criminal courts to an alternative program.

The move guts the RJCC caseload, 82.8% of which was dedicated to adjudicating gun possession cases, according to the Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts. Already the caseload has been cut in half, according to Judge Patricia Spratt, who presides over the North Lawndale RJCC.
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Top Judge Favors a Second Chance for Those Languishing in Prison
Published On 3/19/2025
“If you stick with the traditional model, then a judge is making a determination about how long to incarcerate someone shortly after the person has committed a crime. And it’s sort of blind to the possibility that people change.”
Judge Rowan Wilson, who oversees the state’s entire court system, said in his annual address at the Court of Appeals in Albany that the proposed legislation, known as the Second Look Act, would give people who committed crimes years ago an opportunity to show they no longer pose a danger and could be a benefit to society.
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Survivors of Child Abuse at Illinois Youth Detention Centers File More Lawsuits in Hopes of Change
Published On 3/18/2025
Marcus Walker is among 800 people who have filed complaints since May against juvenile detention centers in Illinois alleging they were sexually abused by employees. Allegations from all the Illinois lawsuits are eerily similar. Many plaintiffs allege their abusers threatened them with beatings, transfers to tougher facilities and longer sentences if they reported the abuse. Some were given rewards like food, cigarettes or the chance to play video games if they kept quiet.
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Shooting of 9-year-old reanimates discussions about SAFE-T Act, juvenile crime in Peoria
Published On 3/17/2025
In the wake of this case, Peoria police Chief Eric Echevarria told the Journal Star he "absolutely" supports changes to the Illinois SAFE-T Act that would help curb recidivism crime among youth offenders.
Mayor Rita Ali said there are two types of cases that happen with juveniles: cases where the system fails the juvenile and cases where the juvenile fails the system. It is distinctions like that where solutions — and lines — can be drawn on the issue. She says once kids start down a bad cycle, it can be really hard to break it.
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School police ticketed students $60K for in-school incidents. A new bill wants to end this practice
Published On 3/14/2025
Over the past two full school years, school police wrote Rockford students more than 250 city ordinance violation tickets for in-school behavior. That adds up to $58,329 worth of fines. The tickets usually cost around $150 but can be as high as $750. To contest it, they have to show up at a code meeting at city hall on a Wednesday during the school day. Families generally have 30 days to pay the fine. These fees can skyrocket if they’re sent to a collection agency. Documents obtained by WNIJ say that many of the tickets were sent to collections.
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Health care is key for youths getting out of prison. A new law helps them get it
Published On 3/13/2025
A new federal law aims to better connect incarcerated children and young adults who are eligible for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program to services before their release. The goal is to help prevent them from developing a health crisis or reoffending as they work to reestablish themselves.
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Champaign County Public Defender’s Office is facing a funding crisis after tax referendum fails
Published On 3/12/2025
Champaign Public Defender Elisabeth Pollock said her office has been underfunded for years — making it hard to recruit and retain staff. And she expects the situation will get worse going forward, since a Champaign County referendum that would have likely increased funding for the office and other public safety initiatives failed to pass last fall.
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What is Street Outreach?
Published On 3/11/2025
What is Street Outreach? Elvis Ortega (Street Outreach Lead at the Community Safety Coordination Center and the Mayor's Office of Community Safety) and Sam Castro (Director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships at the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago) discuss the critical role of street outreach in fostering community safety, preventing violence, and building trust within neighborhoods.
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A debate class could change the future of parole in Illinois
Published On 3/10/2025
A Bring Back Parole in IL class drafted legislation that would allow those in prison a chance to turn their work, education and disciplinary history while incarcerated into freedom. It’s safer to give those in prison a reason to improve themselves. “After 20 years, you’re eligible to present your best self before the Illinois prisoner review board and plead your case for release, and it’s not a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card."
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Still Cruel and Unusual: Extreme Sentences for Youth and Emerging Adults
Published On 3/7/2025
The Sentencing Project has estimated that nearly two in five people sentenced to life without parole (LWOP) were 25 or younger at the time of their crime.3 These emerging adults, too, deserve a meaningful opportunity for a second look because their developmental similarities with younger people reduces their culpability in criminal conduct. The evidence provided in this brief supports bold reforms for youth and emerging adults sentenced to extreme punishments.
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Cook County juvenile detention center given high marks
Published On 3/6/2025
Two state agencies with authority over Illinois juvenile detention center operations have given the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center exemplary reviews in separate reports issued in recent weeks, officials said.
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Juvenile Detention Center in Springfield reopens with new security measures
Published On 3/5/2025
The Juvenile Detention Center in Sangamon County's East Complex in Springfield reopened late last month, 15 months after a teenager brandishing a gun was fatally shot by responding Springfield Police. There are currently three juveniles being housed at the facility at 2201 S. Dirksen Parkway.
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What Happened When America Emptied Its Youth Prisons
Published On 3/4/2025
By 2020 America incarcerated fewer young people than at any point since the 1920s. But the figures alone don’t explain why this happened. How can it be that a country as punitive as ours reduced its juvenile incarceration rate to a level last seen when Calvin Coolidge occupied the White House and silent movies sold out theaters? And can that progress be sustained — or is America about to reverse course and embark on another juvenile incarceration binge?
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Illinois Judicial Conference launches 2025 Operational Plan with 10 strategic initiatives
Published On 3/3/2025
“If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.” It was with these words from Yogi Berra that the IJC began its strategic mission from the Illinois Supreme Court. The IJC is a diverse, multi-disciplinary body chaired by Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis. The IJC has 29 members: 15 judicial members and 14 non-judicial members. The non-judicial members include attorneys, trial court administrators, clerks of court, and members of the public.
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People were strapped to chairs for hours, days at Madison County Jail.
Published On 2/28/2025
In Illinois Answers’ investigation into the use, misuse, and abuse of restraint chairs in Illinois county jails, Madison County stands out. From 2019 to 2023, the jail reported more incidents exceeding the chair manufacturer’s upper limit–10 hours–than any other jail in the state.
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Trump’s new Justice Department leadership orders a freeze on civil rights cases
Published On 2/27/2025
Attorneys in the department’s Civil Rights Division were ordered not to file any new complaints, amicus briefs or other certain court papers “until further notice,” one of the memos said.
Another memo directed attorneys to notify leadership of any settlements or consent decrees — court-enforceable agreements to reform police agencies — that were finalized by the Biden administration within the last 90 days.
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Law & Order Taught Americans to Root for the Police
Published On 2/26/2025
"It might seem cliche to blame societal ills on the media, but the relationship between our country’s comfort with mass caging and the depiction of crime and punishment that we see in popular culture seems more than coincidental. Media consumption is what we all have in common. It’s why even my mother, who lives in The Bahamas, often tells me “some people belong under the jail,” or that “some people are just evil, Olayemi.” She, too, has spent years watching Law & Order: SVU."
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Police Should Not Respond to Incidents Involving Autistic People
Published On 2/25/2025
"Because I was my brother’s legal guardian, a representative from the group home he lived in called to notify me that he'd had a meltdown and struck someone else in the house. The police had been summoned. This was a terrifying scenario because my brother is a six-foot tall, 200-pound Black man with autism who cannot respond to verbal commands."
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They Were Acquitted But Sentenced to Life Anyway. Now, They’re Finally Free.
Published On 2/24/2025
Terence Richardson and Ferrone Claiborne are coming home after President Joe Biden granted them clemency. The pair spent decades in prison despite being found not guilty of the 1998 murder of a Virginia police officer.
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New York’s Second Look Act Could Save People Incarcerated When They Were Young—Like Me
Published On 2/21/2025
"The Second Look Act will also take this into consideration. People who were 25 years old or younger when they committed their offenses will get new opportunities to plead for more just sentences. Incarcerated people age 55 and over will also benefit. There is ample evidence that the chance of recidivism drastically lowers as people age. The carceral system is also less equipped to care for individuals as their health and cognition decline."
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Plan For Back Of The Yards Gunshot Detection Pilot Shot Down By Mayor’s Office
Published On 2/20/2025
BACK OF THE YARDS — Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration dashed a Southwest Side alderman’s call to run a gunshot-detection technology pilot program in his ward. On Monday, Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) presented a six-month pilot program for a gunshot detection technology that would replace ShotSpotter, starting with his Southwest Side ward. But Deputy Mayor for Community Safety Garien Gatewood said Wednesday that Lopez doesn’t have the authority to run a pilot in his ward.
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Legislative budget proposes $7 million cut to Kansas public defenders, despite shortage
Published On 2/19/2025
Heather Cessna, executive director of the Kansas Board of Indigents’ Defense Services, or BIDS, painted a picture for the Senate Judiciary Committee at its first meeting Tuesday of a state struggling to keep up with high case volumes, an aging workforce and economic pressures. More than half of Kansas counties have 10 or fewer lawyers and even fewer who specialize in criminal defense. One-third of lawyers in Kansas are over the older than 60, signaling a swath of soon-to-be retirees.
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Will Illinois restore voting rights to incarcerated people?
Published On 2/18/2025
“The reason why it’s the norm for people in prison not to have the right to vote stems directly from slavery, Black laws and Jim Crow," according to Chicago Votes Exec. Director Stevie Valles. “The logic behind taking someone’s right to vote away when they’re incarcerated is just not there. It was always used as a political tool to suppress Black voices in the political system but still be able to count Black bodies in the census system where districts are drawn.”
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Rural Texas needs more public defenders. A state commission wants nearly $44M to help
Published On 2/14/2025
A June 2024 report by Texas A&M University’s Public Policy Research Institute in partnership with the Texas Indigent Defense Commission found the number of attorneys who represent at least one criminal defendant who is indigent — or low-income — was steadily declining between 2014 and 2022. That comes even as the number of some indigent defendants is on the rise.
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A Chicago judge just erased her predecessor's historic ruling on forensic firearms analysis
Published On 2/13/2025
In the case of Illinois v. Winfield, attorney Richard Gutierrez of the Cook County, Illinois Public Defender Office asked a Chicago judge to hold a hearing on the scientific validity of forensic firearms analysis. Judge Hooks issued a landmark opinion in February 2023 which barred prosecutors from putting their analyst on the witness stand.
But as of last month, Hooks’s ruling is no longer valid in Illinois.
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Justice Department Launches 2025 Access to Justice Prize to Address the Rural Justice Gap
Published On 2/11/2025
Nationwide access to justice barriers are often exacerbated for rural Americans, especially by unique circumstances like long travel times, limited internet access or lack of attorneys. Additionally, rural criminal justice systems are strained by part-time judges, contract defense counsel and lacking prosecutorial resources.
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Kane Court Services Director reappointed to Committee on Juvenile Courts
Published On 2/10/2025
Kane County Court Services Director LaTanya Hill was reappointed to the Supreme Court’s Committee on Juvenile Courts with a term expiring on Dec. 31, 2027The Committee on Juvenile Courts was established in 2018 to review and inform the juvenile court process for both the criminal courts and child protection systems. Members make recommendations after they review, analyze and examine the impact of legislation and case law, the release stated.
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Even the much lauded Nordic prisons are facing overcrowding and understaffing
Published On 2/7/2025
In Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland, life in prison resembles the outside world as much as possible. However, like any prison system, they aren’t perfect. Criminal policies in these countries are more punitive than they were 40 years ago. There are a myriad of reasons for this, such as stronger support for conservative political parties and tougher approaches to crime and less reliance on experts in criminal policy.
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Crime Trends in U.S. Cities: Year-End 2024 Update
Published On 2/6/2025
Examining trends over a longer timeframe, most violent crimes are at or below levels seen in 2019, the year prior to the onset of the COVID pandemic and racial justice protests of 2020. There were 6% fewer homicides in the study cities in 2024 than in 2019. Similarly, sexual assault (-26%), domestic violence (-11%), and robbery (-19%) were lower in 2024 than in 2019. In contrast, aggravated assaults (+4%), gun assaults (+5%), and carjackings (+25%) were higher in 2024 than in 2019.
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In ‘Searching For Justice,’ A Cast Impacted By The Prison System Explores Criminal Justice Reforms
Published On 2/5/2025
In “Searching for Justice,” five characters use spoken word and real-life statistics to discuss the intersection of justice, violence and the juvenile prison system. At the heart of the one-hour production are lingering questions: Should young people face steep prison sentences? And should imprisoned people benefit from modern reforms? For Beals and the play’s five actors, that message extends beyond the page.
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Top Trends in Criminal Legal Reform, 2024
Published On 2/4/2025
The U.S. has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world. Nearly two million people – disproportionately Black – are incarcerated in the nation’s prisons and jails. In the early 1970s, 360,000 persons were incarcerated. Stakeholders, including formerly incarcerated activists and lawmakers, saw some success in scaling back mass incarceration. Advocacy organizers and officials in at least nine states advanced reforms in 2024 that may contribute to decarceration, expand and guarantee voting rights for justice impacted citizens, and advance youth justice reforms.
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Johnson appoints director of reentry to lead office to help people leaving prison
Published On 2/3/2025
Chicago's Department of Reentry, with a $5 million budget funded by cannabis tax revenue, according to the mayor’s office — is set to start drafting a policy agenda for 2025 and work to make existing resources more accessible for people leaving prison. It operates under the Mayor’s Office of Community Safety Team. Mayor Johnson said connecting people leaving prison with resources for housing and jobs is important in helping people stay out of prison. “We’re seeking opportunities to change the trajectory of their lives so they don’t repeat the sins of the past. The solution isn’t policing alone, it’s about lifting people up and investing in them on the front end. These resources will give them the best chance to become strong, resilient residents in our society.”
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Criminal justice, victims rights laws in effect as of Jan. 1 in Illinois
Published On 1/31/2025
Around a dozen new laws go into effect Jan. 1 making changes to Illinois’ criminal justice system. Beginning New Year’s Day, law enforcement training will have a course to assist officers identifying and responding to people with autism. Of the nearly 300 laws going into effect Jan. 1, a handful give crime victims more authority. One measure adds the use of an electronic tracking system to the definition of “course of contact” of stalking. A juvenile charge that was the result of a human trafficking situation can be expunged from the victim’s record.
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Disciplinary referrals, teachers, and the sources of racial disciplinary disproportionalities
Published On 1/30/2025
These discrepancies are particularly troubling for two broad reasons. First, suspensions are associated with a host of negative impacts on academic achievement, school engagement, and even outcomes in young adulthood (e.g., exposure to the criminal justice system, SNAP receipt, and college completion). Second, such disparities might reflect systematic biases in how schools handle student discipline and not underlying racial differences in student behavior.
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Why school referrals to the juvenile justice system are often unfair and harmful
Published On 1/29/2025
Our findings reflect a troubling inequity. Some students, particularly Black and Hispanic female students, find themselves referred to juvenile justice more often for minor offenses than their otherwise similar peers. This could widen gaps in academic achievement, even beyond the documented inequities caused by school actions like suspension and expulsion.
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How research leads to health impacts in juvenile justice
Published On 1/28/2025
Despite a 75% decline in the number of youth detained in juvenile justice centers over two decades, the U.S. still leads the industrialized world in locking up children – 27,600 as of 2022. “A lot of this comes down to policymaking and how we define our budgets,” said Dr. Barnert. “Are we putting our budgets into preventive services supporting pregnant women, early childhood education, adolescents doing well in school, adolescents getting the mental health care they need? Or are we waiting for them to fall through the cracks and putting our dollars into the juvenile legal system?”
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200 years of locking up children in America
Published On 1/27/2025
This year, the nation marks the 200th anniversary of the first juvenile correctional institution. From the start, the stated goal was to offer treatment and achieve rehabilitation. But, throughout, there have been allegations of abuse — and, for decades, researchers have found evidence that confining kids correlates with worse outcomes for them, and for public safety. Today, the system is at another pivotal moment: After decades of reducing youth confinement, the pendulum appears to be swinging back, as states across the country look to a tough-on-crime approach.
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New Cook County state's attorney announces change to detention policy under SAFE-T Act
Published On 1/24/2025
O'Neill Burke said beginning Monday, the Cook County State's Attorney's office will seek detention for anyone accused of the following:
every detainable felony offense where an offender used/possessed a firearm equipped with an extended magazine, drum magazine, automatic switch, or used a ghost gun or defaced firearm;
any domestic violence-related, stalking or sex offense where the offender used/possessed a weapon;
any detainable felony offense that is committed on public transportation;
all Murder or Class X felony offenses
all sex offenses where the victim was under the age of 13 and the offender was an adult throughout the duration of the offense; and
all cases involving the manufacture, dissemination, or possession of child pornography.
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Lawmakers may consider restoring the right to vote for convicted felons
Published On 1/23/2025
"(Convicted felons) are lacking a lot of access to the things that are promised to rehabilitate them and to make sure that when they're done serving their time, they can transfer seamlessly back into society and be productive,” IL Sen. Lakesia Collins, D-Chicago said. “But oftentimes, because they don't have the right to vote currently, a lot of their issues are being ignored.”
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New Illinois law will establish emerging adult program for young prisoners
Published On 1/22/2025
The new law requires the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice to establish an emerging adults program for 18 to 21-year-olds in prisons. At the juvenile justice center in Harrisburg, they can participate in therapy sessions, case management, vocational training and higher education opportunities.
"This bill provides that when those folks do return home, this population will be able to return home with a diploma and with some skills that will enable them to reintegrate into community and find successful opportunities in the future," said Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago).
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Bill would require publicly funded defense attorneys for indigent juveniles
Published On 1/21/2025
Senator Sue Shink (D-Northfield Twp.) said there is a hole in Michigan’s indigent defense system that leaves juveniles accused of felonies more vulnerable than adults in the same situation. A bill on its way to Governor Gretchen Whitmer would help ensure that juveniles accused of crimes have the same right to an attorney as adult defendants.
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Murder conviction for Springfield teen reversed and vacated
Published On 1/17/2025
The ruling for a teen convicted of the stabbing death of a Lanphier High School student in 2021 has been reversed and vacated by the Fourth District Appellate Court for Illinois. On Tuesday, new court records stated that the county had improperly transferred the suspect's case from juvenile court to adult criminal court. As a result, the case is being sent back to Sangamon County juvenile court.
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Incarcerated firefighters battling L.A. wildfires
Published On 1/16/2025
In any given year, up to 30% of the state’s wildfire-fighting force earns as little as $26.90 for a 24-hour shift. That’s because they’re prisoners in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and more than 900 of them have helped battle the wildfires ravaging Southern California this week.
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Chicago’s new Director of Re-Entry brings experience of incarceration to role
Published On 1/15/2025
Director Joseph Mapp said nearly 16,000 people returned home last year from the Illinois Department of Corrections, with a majority of them heading for Chicago. As someone who has himself served time, but with great support achieved success, Mapp said he’s passionate about offering returning citizens the same opportunities he had.
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Sangamon County provides us with a juvenile screening document
Published On 1/14/2025
The document is used to ensure that children who are arrested for committing a crime are given a fair chance at being released. Even if a child meets the twelve-point threshold for detainment, if there is no room for them in a facility, they are released back to a guardian. It also adds more to the "Mitigating Factors" section, providing more options that could be in play that could lead to a pretrial release for a child.
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Not ‘Mini-Adult Court’: Lawyers lacking qualifications defended 1,200 Cuyahoga County kids
Published On 1/13/2025
“This isn’t just mini-adult court,” said Leah Winsberg, a former senior policy attorney with the Children’s Law Center, a nonprofit that provides legal services to children and advocates for policy reform. “Lawyers don’t just know stuff because they are lawyers. That is why we need ongoing training.”
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OJJDP Remains Committed to Keeping Kids Out of Adult Correctional Facilities
Published On 1/10/2025
A recent cohort study of nearly 9,000 individuals who were incarcerated in adult correctional facilities before age 18 found their risk for early death (between ages 18 and 39) was 33 percent higher than for peers who were not incarcerated before age 18. The research summarized some of the other dangers young people face in adult jails and prisons.
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'Kids for Cash' Judge has sentence commuted by President Biden
Published On 1/9/2025
"While we believe in a compassionate justice system that rejects an historically hyper-punitive approach to holding people accountable, we also hope former judge Michael Conahan has reflected on the harm he caused to thousands of kids, [and] we would like to see the same kind of compassion and mercy extended to children nationwide who continue to suffer harm from our juvenile and criminal legal systems."
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How Political Games Hamstrung Illinois’ Parole Board—Trapping Thousands in Prison
Published On 1/8/2025
So far, the backlash from state republicans has worked: In the first three years of his term, Pritzker commuted the sentences of 100 people, according to Pritzker spokesperson Alex Gough. In the years since Republicans successfully kneecapped the PRB, he’s granted just 23. Pritzker didn’t grant any commutations in 2022 and has given just four in 2024.
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Civic leaders: Smart investments in public safety are beginning to pay off. Just look at the data.
Published On 1/7/2025
A growing body of research includes one study which shows that individuals who complete Community Violence Intervention (CVI) programs are 73% less likely to get rearrested. According to researchers, reduced arrest data clearly indicates positive changes in behavior. Some research also suggests a reduction in shootings directly attributable to CVI.
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Why school referrals to the juvenile justice system are often unfair and harmful
Published On 1/6/2025
Our findings reveal that the decisions to report incidents to the police and refer them to court are largely discretionary, with similar offenses leading to different outcomes for different students. This led us to inquire about who gets referred to juvenile justice and how it affects their academic outcomes.
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New York Tackles Racial Disproportionality in Juvenile Justice Decisions
Published On 1/3/2025
In 2021, New York State set out to fix a dire problem in its juvenile justice system: Black youth being unfairly criminalized because of their race. Five counties were each awarded $50,000 to devise plans for addressing that disparity.
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What the juvenile justice system can learn from child welfare reforms
Published On 1/2/2025
Just as the child welfare field is realizing surveillance and punishment of parents may not be the solution to child and family safety, it’s time we recognize these punitive approaches to juvenile delinquency are failing our kids. We must pivot and look to early childhood supports and programs for troubled teens that can lessen delinquent behavior and improve overall well-being.
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New York Tackles Racial Disproportionality in Juvenile Justice Decisions
Published On 12/31/2024
Instead of probation officers concluding on their own which youth should face charges after an arrest, a team of professionals weighed in. The social workers, behavioral health specialists and youth service agency staff discussed challenges the young person faced that may have led to the arrest, and what other types of interventions might steer them away from crime. Young people offered their input as well.
And for the first time in this majority-white county, demographics and any identifying information in case files that can tip off the team to a child’s race is now withheld. This “blind” system aims to eliminate implicit racial bias that may steer decision-makers to unfair conclusions.
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What the juvenile justice system can learn from child welfare reforms
Published On 12/30/2024
Incarceration is an ineffective strategy for deterring youth from criminal and delinquent behavior. The U.S. incarcerates youth at rates 11 times higher than European or Asian nations, and yet our juvenile violence rates are still substantially higher. In San Antonio, the number of adolescents with felony charges increased by 55% last year alone.
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IL AG Said It’s Illegal for Schools to Use Police to Ticket Students. But Told Only One District
Published On 12/27/2024
The attorney general’s office, which had been investigating student ticketing in one of Illinois’ largest high school districts, found that Township High School District 211 in Palatine broke the law when administrators directed police to fine its students for school-based conduct, and that the practice had an “unjustified disparate impact” on Black and Latino students. But the attorney general’s office did not alert other districts of its findings, which came in July, and did not issue guidance that the common practice violates the law.
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Lawsuit claims years of discrimination against disabled young people in Illinois prisons
Published On 12/26/2024
The complaint states that the correctional agencies have failed to identify eligible students; notify eligible students of their right to these educational services; or provide any special education services and high school credit-bearing courses.
“These violations are the result of a widespread failure to attend to the educational welfare and needs of students with disabilities who have not yet earned their high school diploma."
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Why school referrals to the juvenile justice system are often unfair and harmful
Published On 12/24/2024
We find differences across both gender and race. Specifically, Black female students are 15% more likely than average, and Hispanic and white female students nine percent more likely than average, to receive a juvenile complaint for a school-based offense. On the other hand, Black male students are six percent less likely, Hispanic male students four percent less likely, and white male students 10% less likely to receive a juvenile complaint than the average student in our data.
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Editorial: Illinois failed its juvenile inmates
Published On 12/23/2024
Illinois is one of multiple states where sexual assault allegations at juvenile facilities have been arising, but Illinois is an outlier for the magnitude of allegations it’s receiving. As of Sept. 25, 667 victims have come forward about being sexually assaulted as children in youth facilities run by the state and Cook County.
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IL juvenile justice court alternative proves successful
Published On 12/20/2024
Anyone age 18 or younger accused of violating Illinois law, who has formal charges filed against them, has historically had their case tried in a courtroom but some judges are choosing another option in hopes of keeping young people out of the system.
Courts in Avondale, Englewood, North Lawndale and Sauk Village in Cook County use restorative justice for nonviolent felony or misdemeanor cases for people ages 18-26. They attend court-appointed conferences or "peace circles" with family, friends and community members to encourage accountability.
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In Five Years, Chicago Has Barely Made Progress on Its Court-Ordered Police Reforms. Here’s Why.
Published On 12/19/2024
In fact, all told, police have fully complied with just 9% of the agreement’s requirements. And while excessive force complaints from citizens have dropped, complaints about all forms of misconduct The goal is to emerge from the consent decree by 2027 with a police force finally ready to move beyond a long history of civil rights violations targeting Black and Latino Chicagoans. But the city is now on a path to devote substantial resources and large amounts of money to the reform effort for years beyond that.
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Two Lanphier High School students tased after fighting
Published On 12/18/2024
A school resource officer tased two students to end a fist fight at Lanphier High School.
Both students were arrested for aggravated battery, but neither met points for incarceration and were released to a parent or guardian.
The students did not respond to the school resource officer's commands, Lanphier principal Alicia Miller wrote in a message to parents and guardians.
Miller wrote that the officer “deployed his taser and one prong struck each of the students fighting."
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Chicago seen as safe haven for homeless youth in uncertain climate: ‘I wouldn’t trade it for the wor
Published On 12/17/2024
The city’s most recent count of its homeless population reported that about 10%, or 495 people, of its homeless population were 18 to 24. The Chicago Coalition to end Homelessness estimated in a 2023 report using 2021 figures that about 11,885 people ages 14 to 24 were homeless, factoring in the high likelihood of couch-surfing.
Unlike school-age homeless people or chronically homeless adults, homeless youth are extremely likely to cobble together their living arrangements by “couch surfing,” the jumping among the homes of relatives and friends and shelters. The Center on Halsted offers them a place to shower and charge their phones and a clean place to sit.
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Peoria Health Board prioritizes juvenile court for redirection of Cure Violence money
Published On 12/16/2024
Peoria County Health Board has chosen to re-direct money that once went to Cure Violence, to a Juvenile Specialty Court. The one-time $560,000 will be used to fund a multi-disciplinary approach that involves mental health services and case workers.
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Is The Age of Progressive Prosecutors Over?
Published On 12/13/2024
Critics of traditional tough-on-crime district attorneys have argued that the old approach fueled mass incarceration and the racial disparities it creates. Progressive prosecutors offered a different path, one guided by minimizing and correcting past harms.
But after the general election, some are wondering whether this marks the end of a movement.
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Dwight’s Demise 10 Years Ago Highlights Current Issues
Published On 12/12/2024
In his research, John Eason found that comparing places that are demographically similar, a town that gets a prison sees a “huge improvement” compared to a town that does not. There’s an increase in median home value and median family income and a decrease in unemployment and poverty.
“We build them all over the country because it is a public works project,” Eason said. “It’s a way for rural communities to repair their reputation … not just economic, but political and social decline … That’s why locals don’t fight prisons”
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Springfield Police, community groups seek to combat youth violence and racial disparities
Published On 12/11/2024
What are the reasons for an 9.3% increase in overall crime in Springfield?
One big reason, According to Deputy Police Chief Andrew Dodd, is that there were 48 incidents in Springfield involving 56 juveniles between July 1 and Oct. 31 in which juveniles were eligible and should have been detained but had to be released because of the unavailability of the Juvenile Detention Center in Springfield.
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Will a 12-year-old homicide suspect be tried as an adult?
Published On 12/10/2024
The criminal case against a 12-year-old Milwaukee boy accused of shooting his mother to death two years ago will remain in adult court, a judge ruled.
Wisconsin State law allows for children as young as 10 to be charged as adults for certain serious crimes, at least to start the case. Those crimes include first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide.
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An Illinois City Funded Violence Prevention — Then Scuttled Its First Major Program
Published On 12/9/2024
It’s not lost on community activists that it was a constant battle to get less than $1 million for a violence intervention program, while the Peoria Police Department accounts for around 21 percent of the city’s budget. In 2025, the department’s proposed budget is just north of $58 million.
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Illinois Lawmaker Says People With Felony Convictions Should Be Allowed to Run for Local Office
Published On 12/6/2024
“In Illinois, there are many people out there — citizens who may have paid their debt decades ago for something unrelated to the position they seek,” State Rep LaShawn Ford said at a Wednesday news conference. “While they may be incredibly qualified and possess a valuable perspective for local government, we’re still permanently banning them based on the office they seek, instead of the crime they committed.”
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Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton and First Lady MK Pritzker Continue Justice Reform Collaboration
Published On 12/5/2024
“Strengthening support services for justice-involved women creates positive ripple effects for their children and our Illinois communities,” said First Lady MK Pritzker. “Through rehabilitation programs and support services, we can help ensure every woman has the resources and opportunities needed for a successful future.”
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Finding space for Illinois juvenile offenders no easy task
Published On 12/4/2024
Sangamon County Administrator Brian McFadden, “We only have a handful of these detention centers in the state, there used to be a lot more of them. Everyone’s having the same staffing issues that we’re having."
Sangamon County has partnered with Adams, Champaign, and Peoria counties, while the Sangamon County facility remains closed.
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Four Peoria County Jail inmates graduate from the Elite Re-Entry Program
Published On 12/3/2024
Four inmates at the Peoria County Jail are planning for success once they’re released back into society.
The Elite Re-Entry Program is designed to give inmates the resources they need to thrive outside of prison.
The six-week program includes classes on overcoming self-sabotaging behaviors, fatherhood, managing addictions, and healthy communication skills.
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Recidivism of Supermax Prisoners in Washington State
Published On 12/2/2024
This study of recidivism among Washington supermax prisoners used a retrospective matched control design, matching supermax prisoners one-to-one with nonsupermax prisoners on mental illness status and up to eight recidivism predictors. Supermax prisoners committed new felonies at a higher rate than nonsupermax controls, but the difference was not statistically significant. Prisoners released directly from supermax to the community, however, showed significantly higher felony recidivism rates than their nonsupermax controls and committed new offenses sooner than supermax prisoners who left supermax 3 months or more before prison release.
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Reentry Research at NIJ: Providing Robust Evidence for High-Stakes Decision-Making
Published On 11/27/2024
Over the past several decades, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has been a leader in the study of reentry. Former NIJ Director Jeremy Travis helped popularize the term “reentry” in the late 1990s when he said that interest and progress in understanding “‘prisoner reentry’ has been nothing short of remarkable.” [5] Since then, reentry has remained a priority for NIJ. In the 21st century, several federal reentry initiatives have invigorated the attention paid to the needs of persons who have been convicted of crimes as they return to society. Policymakers, practitioners, and community and criminal justice stakeholders, as well as others, have learned — and continue to learn — what works and what matters in the reentry process.
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What Incarcerated People Want Voters to Remember
Published On 11/26/2024
The Appeal partnered with two incarcerated journalists, Kwaneta Harris and Christopher Blackwell, to survey a small sample of their fellow prisoners’ top election issues at Lane Murray Unit, Texas, and Washington Corrections Center, Washington State.
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Bureau Of Prisons Could Do More To Send People Home, Why Aren’t They?
Published On 11/25/2024
The BOP operates 122 federal prison complexes across the country, many are more than 30 years old. The facilities are used 24/7/365 and many are now in need of repair to the tune of $3 billion. Each year, the BOP is given only a fraction of that amount so each year the prison infrastructure crumbles a bit more.
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Can the State of Iowa Charge Acquitted Defendants for Court-Appointed Attorneys?
Published On 11/22/2024
"Courts cannot uphold a fair justice system if they are funding it on the backs of the most vulnerable people that come before them."
If the court takes up the case, State of Iowa v. Ronald Pagliai, it will be the second time in recent years that Iowa's highest court has ruled on the state's unusually aggressive practice of billing poor defendants for court-appointed attorneys.
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The Push To End 'Prison Gerrymandering' Gains Momentum
Published On 11/21/2024
November's elections will be the first time voters in Wilmington, Delaware, cast their ballots in city council districts that aren't distorted by the location of prisons.
That's because the city decided after the last census to abolish a long-standing practice sometimes known as "prison gerrymandering," in which people in prison are counted as residents of the places where they're incarcerated rather than where they're actually from.
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The Deadliest Year Inside One of America’s Deadliest Jail Systems
Published On 11/20/2024
Ms. Upton was the first of 19 detainees at Riverside County jails to die in 2022. That total, the highest the department had reported in at least three decades, ranked the jail system, east of Los Angeles. The deaths, attributed to homicide, overdose, natural causes or suicide, reflected troubling patterns: neglect by jail employees, access to illicit drugs, and cell assignments that put detainees at increased risk of violence or did not allow for close oversight.es, among the most lethal in the nation that year.
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McLean County Family Treatment Court accepts first client and receives a $750K grant
Published On 11/19/2024
McLean County’s new Family Treatment Court accepted its first client and received a $750,000 grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to fund operations. The county has been working to get a family treatment court operational for a couple of years. It’s the first of its kind in Illinois, meant to aid parents who are at risk of losing their children and have substance use issues.
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One group of Illinoisans can’t vote this November – those serving felony convictions
Published On 11/18/2024
“The incarcerated community is probably the largest group of people who have the most skin in the game, yet we’re not acknowledged as stakeholders,” Raúl Dorado said. Dorado is serving a life sentence in the Danville Correctional Center. He said restoring the right to vote to those with felony convictions would create a large constituency that public officials would have to respond to.
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JB Pritzker & Jared Polis launch coalition to protect against 'threats of autocracy' under Trump
Published On 11/15/2024
The goal of Governors Safeguarding Democracy, or GSD, is to protect state-level institutions of democracy — and to utilize their collective legislative, budgetary, executive and administrative powers. Pritzker said it will “catalyze collaboration across state lines.”
“There’s been outreach to Republican governors,” Pritzker said. “Good conversations, I might add, and there is continued interest by lots of governors. But I’m not going to name the ones that we’ve talked to.”
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How a Book Club Helps Me Find Hope Behind Bars
Published On 11/14/2024
The book club had just started as a pilot program that fall. According to a 2018 article in the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma, therapeutic prison models like the book club “create a climate of safety, purpose, and positive relationships, facilitating readiness to change and hope for the future.” The group has certainly provided that for us.
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Defenders of the Innocent celebrate exonerations
Published On 11/13/2024
Last year, Illinois became the first state in the country to mandate wrongful conviction training for law enforcement. (Illinois is also number 1 in wrongful convictions.) Young officers learn about factors that can lead to wrongful convictions and ways they can spread awareness throughout their work.
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“Youth Are Worth It” Learning Event for Juvenile Detention Facilities
Published On 11/12/2024
Kane County's 16th Judicial Circuit hosted Illinois' first statewide assembly of juvenile detention facility stakeholders, coordinated by the Administrative Office of IL Courts (AOIC). Over 60 participants including IL Supreme Court Chief Justices gathered to discuss collaboration, facility management, and juvenile justice.
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Medicaid Opportunities to Support Youth Leaving Incarceration
Published On 11/11/2024
“All youth-serv­ing sys­tems and providers need to be aware of these new oppor­tu­ni­ties to ensure youth have access to the sup­port and ser­vices they need as they tran­si­tion back to their com­mu­ni­ties,” said Joe Rib­sam, the Foundation’s direc­tor of Child Wel­fare and Juve­nile Jus­tice Policy.
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AOIC Hosts Illinois #Youth Are Worth It Learning Event
Published On 11/8/2024
The AOIC presented “Illinois #Youth Are Worth It: A Learning Event for Illinois Juvenile Detention Partners” on October 9, in Kane County. In addition to raising awareness, the purpose of this event was to foster collaboration among Illinois juvenile detention partners and be a catalyst for improving juvenile detention sites.
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What we owe the wrongfully convicted
Published On 11/7/2024
They missed out on school, marriage, having children, and all the joys that come with family. They missed saying goodbye to parents who died and going to their funerals. And when they were released, they walked out with only the clothes on their backs and a few personal items. What do the wrongfully convicted get? No services at all.
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A different approach to juvenile crime starts with a new court in Peoria County
Published On 11/6/2024
10th Judicial Circuit Judge Ierulli took the lead on the judicial side in creating the court, which has been in development for awhile. After a guilty plea, the accused are directed to services addressing the underlying factors of their crime, like poverty, addiction and mental health.
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Challenge to the Constitutionality of Solitary Confinement of Children in Juvenile Justice Settings
Published On 11/5/2024
It explains that the 14th Amendment protects children from illegitimate or excessive use of isolation in juvenile justice and adult correctional settings. It further explains how placing children in isolation harms them, and how a lack of essential services exacerbates that harm.
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Two ex-felons turn to God, now helping save youth from crime
Published On 11/4/2024
Once living a life of crime, Donzell Taylor and Mario Godfrey turned to God and planted seeds of entrepreneurship at the Illinois Kewanee Life Skills Re-Entry Center. Selling cookies to save youth from crime became a reality through the Brigitte G. House of Hope.
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Want to know a police officer’s job history? There’s a new tool
Published On 11/1/2024
The National Police Index, created with Innocence Project New Orleans and Human Rights Data Analysis Group, compiles data from state police training and certification boards. The tool shows data in 17 states, including Illinois. Data for more states will be available soon.
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Police seldom disclose use of facial recognition despite false arrests
Published On 10/31/2024
In fact, the records show that officers often obscured their reliance on the software in public-facing reports, saying that they identified suspects “through investigative means” or that a human source such as a witness or police officer made the initial identification.
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Expand Consent Decree to Include Traffic Stops, But Give Chicago Police Oversight Board Some Control
Published On 10/30/2024
Anthony Driver, Jr., the president of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, known as the CCPSA, said the police oversight board should be “an equal partner” with the monitoring team, judge and the office of Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
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Thin blue lies
Published On 10/29/2024
The trio are among nearly 120 current and former Chicago police officers with sustained misconduct complaints for lying or making false or misleading statements missing from State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s Brady lists, according to an investigation by the Invisible Institute and the Reader.
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America’s Public Defender Crisis: How the System Fails the Most Vulnerable
Published On 10/28/2024
In a 2016 article, the Guardian indicated that approximately 90 percent of all criminal defendants qualify for a public defender. Hence the workloads for these attorneys are horrendous. One commentator referred to them as the “pack mules” of the legal system.
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CPS mentoring program drastically reduces arrests for violent crime
Published On 10/25/2024
“The exciting thing that we’re seeing is both short-term and long-term reductions in the likelihood of being arrested, and reductions in being arrested for a violent offense,” said Dr. Nour Abdul-Razzak, research director of the Inclusive Economy Lab at the University of Chicago.
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Lawyerless No More
Published On 10/24/2024
It’s no accident that incarcerated people face significant barriers to legal representation once in prison. Instead of a path to rehabilitation or justice, the U.S. criminal legal system is designed to entrap convicted people, who are disproportionately people of color.
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In Illinois, a Private Prison Company’s Long Trail of Deaths and High-Dollar Contracts
Published On 10/23/2024
An attorney for Michael Broadway, said his death is “just one example of IDOC and Wexford’s pattern of delay and unpreparedness and inadequate medical treatment.” Illinois is bound by a 2019 federal decree to improve the treatment it provides incarcerated people after a lawsuit.
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The Hardest Case for Mercy
Published On 10/22/2024
That every defendant, no matter the seriousness of the crime, is owed a robust defense is a bedrock principle of America’s criminal legal system. It is a just and even noble promise. But for those who deliver on that promise, making the case for mercy can sometimes be absolute hell.
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Exclusive: Watchdog finds Black girls face more frequent, severe discipline in school
Published On 10/21/2024
Black girls had 45% of suspensions, 37% of in-school suspensions and 43% of expulsions for actions like "defiance, disrespect, and disruption." Nationally, Black girls received discipline at rates 3-5.2 times those of white girls. Disabled black girls faced the highest rates.
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Juveniles offered a clean slate with new state law
Published On 10/18/2024
Effective 1/2025, on the date a juvenile’s sentence ends or the date of the order committing him to Depart. of Juvenile Justice, the judge must schedule an automatic expungement order when it becomes eligible. The minor gets notice of that hearing but doesn’t have to appear.
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Preckwinkle’s $9.9B Budget Proposal Funds Violence Intervention, Pauses Guaranteed Income Program
Published On 10/17/2024
Preckwinkle’s $9.9 billion plan, a 6.8% increase, calls for investments in opioid addiction, community violence intervention, how AI can be used, adding employees, and adding solar panels to properties. 2025 will bring a temporary halt of the pandemic guaranteed income program.
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Project Success Receives Violence Prevention Grant
Published On 10/16/2024
Project Success will receive a $115,000 Restore, Reinvest and Renew (R3) Program grant through the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. Revenue for the $35 million to support 88 programs statewide comes from recreational cannabis sales, according to the authority.
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School District With Highest Student Arrest Rate in the Nation Agrees to Reform How It Disciplines
Published On 10/15/2024
The agreement with the U.S. Department of Education will end a federal investigation into the Four Rivers Special Education District that was launched following a 2022 investigations that found the district turned to police constantly to discipline students with disabilities.
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Death of Michael Broadway, Who Died While Incarcerated at Stateville
Published On 10/14/2024
On June 19, Michael Broadway, who had asthma, was struggling to breathe, and called officers for help. at 4:09 pm. A med-tech arrived at 4:30. The med-tech had told the staff prior that “it’s too hot, I’m not going up there, tell him to come down here.," and walked back outside.
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Long Prison Terms Deserve a Second Look and ‘a Little Humanity,’ Judge Argues
Published On 10/11/2024
The book, “A Second Chance: A Federal Judge Decides Who Deserves It,” arrives as federal courts are divided on the question, one prompted by a 2018 law, the First Step Act. The law, enacted by bipartisan and President Donald J. Trump’s backing, overhauled federal sentencing.
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Former Mary Davis Home resident seeks damages over sexual abuse
Published On 10/10/2024
A lawsuit filed in Knox County, IL claims Jane Doe was 14 in 2012 when she was detained at the Mary Davis Home, one of 16 Juvenile Detention Centers. She alleges an employee targeted, and isolated her; and initiated non-consensual sexual contact at least 6 times in the day room.
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The Island’s youth ambassadors learn life skills and ways to help their community
Published On 10/9/2024
The Island has 13 new youth ambassadors, ages 12-15, who've completed the Island Civic Association Youth Ambassador’s summer program, designed to teach them life-skills and civic engagement. The expectation is that these new skills will be used in school and in the community.
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Should police be able to interrogate kids alone? A growing number of states say no
Published On 10/8/2024
“They didn't call my mom. They didn't call a lawyer. They told me my rights, but I'm 12. So I didn't fully understand." He didn’t ask for a lawyer; he talked. Studies show 90% waive their Miranda rights. Yet experts say children and teenagers don’t understand the consequences.
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Chicago Police Made Nearly 200,000 Secret Traffic Stops Last Year
Published On 10/7/2024
“It is quite concerning, especially if CPD is intentionally not recording traffic stops so they can claim they’re fixing the problem, when all they’re doing is hiding it behind an absence of data,” said Alexandra Block, director of the Criminal Legal System & Policing Project.
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IDJJ to Receive Young Adult Transfers from IDOC to Provide High School Educational Services
Published On 10/4/2024
Governor JB Pritzker signed into law SB 426, which grants the IL Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) and IL Department of Corrections (IDOC) the ability to transfer emerging adults who qualify for high school educational services from an IDOC facility to an IDJJ facility.
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Chicago Police Made Nearly 200,000 Secret Traffic Stops Last Year
Published On 10/3/2024
Chicago Police officers have secretly pulled over as many as 20,000 more drivers per month in the past year than they have reported publicly, in violation of a 2003 law requiring them to document every traffic stop, a Bolts and Injustice Watch investigation has found.
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IDJJ to Receive Young Adult Transfers from IDOC to Provide High School Educational Services
Published On 10/2/2024
This legislation allows qualifying emerging adults 18-21 to be considered for transfer to IDJJ to participate in educational services as well as holistic services such as individual or group therapy, case management, vocational training, and higher education opportunities.
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Chicago police officer sidelined after choking handcuffed boy having mental health crisis
Published On 10/1/2024
A Chicago police officer was sidelined after body camera footage revealed he choked a handcuffed boy in the throes of a mental health crisis earlier this summer.
The officer was training a new officer when he used what amounted to “deadly force” against the boy.
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YouthBuild seeks more community partners, celebrates graduation
Published On 9/30/2024
“I would love to see more exposure to different careers and things like that, so the young people can really understand what they want to do and be able to get those experiences through community partners (who partner with YouhtBuild), " Champaign County Director Lily Walton said.
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Pritzker signs plan establishing emerging adult program for young prisoners
Published On 9/27/2024
"This bill provides that when those folks do return home, this population will be able to return home with a diploma and with some skills that will enable them to reintegrate into community and find successful opportunities in the future," said Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago).
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How Chicago’s young peacekeepers build up community to bring down violence
Published On 9/26/2024
“They are learning communication and restorative justice practices. They are forming strong bonds with their peers, they are networking and they are learning positive ways to communicate with one another.” Brandie Knazze, Department of Family and Support Services.
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Illinois law clearing hurdles for former juvenile offenders
Published On 9/25/2024
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a law that automatically starts the expungement timeline for juvenile offenders as soon as they’re released from detention. It’s a move aimed at helping young people who’ve served their time in juvenile detention centers clear their records.
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Facing Rollbacks, Criminal Justice Reformers Argue Policies Make People Safer
Published On 9/24/2024
In other states, reforms are holding up, but in moments of uncertainty, politicians go to old playbooks and “tough-on-crime” messages. That is what is playing out in CA, where Proposition 36, could roll back parts of Proposition 47, which downgraded some drug and property crimes.
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How Safe Are Youth in Detention From Sexual Assault?
Published On 9/23/2024
Research shows that there have been improvements. The prevalence rates have been decreasing since PREA was implemented in 2003. Standards came into effect in 2012, And data collections sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics have shown a steady decrease in prevalence.
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Congressional Democrats Take Aim at For-Profit Probation, Electronic Monitoring Companies
Published On 9/20/2024
Over the years, jurisdictions across the U.S. have outsourced probation and state-mandated supervision services to private companies, giving for-profit agencies largely unchecked power to impose fees and restrictive conditions on individuals who are disproportionately poor.
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Project Unloaded has Chicago teens using social media to tackle gun violence
Published On 9/19/2024
"It really is hurtful. But at the end of the day, you got to tell your family there's no need to pick up another gun. Just accept it. Picking up a gun isn't going to do anything. It's just going to hurt somebody else and hurt you more," 16-year-old Ladanna Wimberly said.
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I Was Sentenced to Life as a Juvenile. Now I Help Kids Build Brighter Futures.
Published On 9/18/2024
But the job wasn’t what I expected. I thought I’d come in and speak to a bunch of youth about my experiences, and they’d learn from that. I was so naive. I just needed to be there and listen, to what was said, and what was not said. It’s about building relationships and rapport.
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The Big Prison Myth That Hurts Reform
Published On 9/17/2024
The prison boom, costing $30 billion and extending over 35 years across nearly every state, is one of the largest uncoordinated public works projects since the New Deal. The U.S. incarcerates so many in 1,700 prisons that it has been the world leader in incarceration for 30 years.
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Funding Public Defense Furthers Community Safety | Opinion
Published On 9/16/2024
The fact of the matter is that public defenders need to be better funded in every jurisdiction in America. Public defenders tend to be mission-driven people who go the extra mile because it is a calling. Think of the impact they have, not just on the clients, but on communities.
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The Police Killing of Sonya Massey Argues for Alternatives to Reform
Published On 9/13/2024
About 20% of police killings involve someone in mental distress. To better cope with those experiencing homelessness, addiction or mental health crises, cities like Albuquerque launched alternative programs, in which unarmed civilians are dispatched to respond to 1000s of calls.
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A Humboldt Park Youth Shelter Is Coming To North Hotel Building
Published On 9/12/2024
The city of Chicago granted three special-use applications to La Casa Norte, a longtime service provider for homeless youth. The group wants to take over the North Hotel apartments at 1622 N. California Ave. to operate a non-congregate shelter housing 35-45 people ages 18-24.
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Five Things About Youth and Delinquency
Published On 9/11/2024
Research and data on youth delinquency is critical for identifying opportunities and developing strategies to support positive development through prevention and intervention. Responses to youth misbehavior by youth-serving systems play an important role in youths’ development.
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He has a badge and a gun — and he investigates school truancy
Published On 9/10/2024
School absenteeism surged during the pandemic, and it has remained high. In the 2022-23 school year, 25% of U.S. students were chronically absent, according to data found by the American Enterprise Institute. That means, excused or not, they missed 10% or more of the school year.
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Healthcare Providers Need Youth Incarceration Screening Tools
Published On 9/9/2024
A recent study revealed that justice-involved youth had 428.2 more physical health diagnoses and 269.2 more mental health per 100 than their peers. Specific issues were more prevalent, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, trauma and stress-related disorders, and suicide.
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Sending Unarmed Responders Instead of Police: What We’ve Learned
Published On 9/6/2024
In the 4 years since George Floyd’s murder, many attempts to reform policing have faltered. But one proposal that has worked across the country, and growing, is launching alternative first response units that send unarmed civilians, instead of armed officers, to some emergencies.
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Nearly 200 people allege decades of ‘systematic’ abuse at youth jail in Chicago
Published On 9/5/2024
Two new lawsuits allege decades of sexual abuse. The complaints – one against Cook County and one against the state – were filed on behalf of 193 people housed in the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center in Chicago, formerly known as the Arthur J. Audy Home, between 1995 and 2022.
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Feds Approve Medicaid Coverage for State Violence Prevention Pilot Project
Published On 9/4/2024
CMS is authorizing the provision of violence prevention and intervention services to Medicaid beneficiaries who are enrolled in managed care and who: 1) have survived violence; 2) are currently experiencing violence; or 3) are at risk of experiencing violence.
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These Teenagers Needed Help, and What They Got Was a Nightmare
Published On 9/3/2024
When even well-informed parents can’t distinguish between good and bad care, our system is broken. As the U.S. faces a post-pandemic mental health emergency, we need immediate reform. As with medications, behavioral health treatments for teens must be safe and effective.
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Your child was arrested in Chicago. What happens next?
Published On 8/30/2024
When a child is arrested, Chicago police will bring them in to be fingerprinted, photographed, processed, and interviewed. There is no minimum age of arrest in Illinois, unlike in other states. But kids younger than 12 cannot be held in a municipal lockup for more than 6 hours.
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The Promising Program Keeping Young People Out of the Criminal Legal System in Hawai`i
Published On 8/29/2024
Hale Opio Kaua i has diverted 100s of youth from criminal prosecution and supported them in avoiding future involvement with the criminal legal system. It is built upon a host of support programs and is designed to meet the youth's needs, many of which surface through Teen Court.
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Philly leaders agree on a need to divert kids from the justice system. But can they agree how?
Published On 8/28/2024
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Bethel led a groundbreaking diversion initiative for the School District that cut in-school arrests by 90% and envisions a system in which police will be trained to connect youth with community-based crime-prevention programs instead of arrests.
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Funding Public Defense Furthers Community Safety
Published On 8/27/2024
Public defenders work for people's best legal outcome, and try to get clients support to improve their lives, through expungement housing, job opportunities, social services or helping them find educational opportunities that can provide a path to succeed and thrive.
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Body slams, pepper spray and other recent abuses inside KY juvenile detention centers
Published On 8/26/2024
The investigation identified 18 serious acts of misconduct involving 15 employees at the Department of Juvenile Justice that investigators substantiated during the first four months of this year. It obtained 259 pages of investigative reports through the Kentucky Open Records Act.
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FCC slashes cost of phone calls for inmates, capping decades-long effort
Published On 8/23/2024
The cost of phone calls will drop dramatically for the incarcerated under new rules, concluding a long effort to provide relief to the 2 million inmates and their families. A 15-minute call to or from large jails, which now costs as much as $11.35, will cost 90 cents in 2025.
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THE OFFICE OF STATEWIDE PRETRIAL SERVICES RELEASES NEW INTERACTIVE DATA DASHBOARD
Published On 8/22/2024
This interactive pretrial data dashboard covers several initial decision points since the effective date of the Pretrial Fairness Act, with plans for added data fields in the future.
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Testing the effectiveness of youth activism as a mental health intervention
Published On 8/21/2024
The five-year study will assess whether activism can lower depression symptoms in minoritized teens, as well as alter physiological factors known to be increased with exposure to racism, such as blood pressure and markers of stress and inflammation in the blood.
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Denver kids and teens will now receive free public defenders in municipal court
Published On 8/20/2024
Young people ages 10 to 18 who are accused of municipal violations in Denver, Colorado, such as alcohol possession or trespassing, can now start receiving free legal representation from a public defender, thanks to a law unanimously passed by the City Council in December.
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Journalist Sues Cops Who Handcuffed Him for Photographing 'Cop City' Arrests
Published On 8/19/2024
In 2022, photojournalist Benjamin Hendren photographed some Atlanta police officers arresting a group of protesters at a construction site. Though Hendren didn't interfere with police activity—he even offered to let the officers speak with his editor—the officers arrested him.
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Supreme Court Committee on Equality has been renamed the Supreme Court Committee on Equal Justice
Published On 8/16/2024
The Court also added a new charge: to “strengthen and advance the ideals of fairness, equity, and diversity in the entire Illinois legal system; identify and work to dismantle inequalities, disparities, and biases in the Illinois legal system; foster and develop a high level of public confidence; and extend respect and dignity to all.
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Treat Kids in the Juvenile Justice System as … Kids
Published On 8/15/2024
HB 1381's reforms include: ending direct file to adult court, putting caps on juvenile probation, requiring a juvenile to consult an attorney before waiving rights, prohibiting solitary confinement, getting rid of most court fees, and stopping prosecution of children under 10.
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The U.N. calls restraint chairs torture. Illinois jails use them every day
Published On 8/14/2024
Statewide, staff restrained someone in a chair almost daily, totaling more than 5,500 incidents. Then restrained ranged in age from 18 to 70, with the exception of at least 4 minors, ages 12, 13, 16 and 17. The charges ranged from disorderly conduct, traffic offenses, to murder.
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Englewood Restorative Justice Community Court Graduates Largest Class In 4 Years
Published On 8/13/2024
64 people graduated from the Englewood program, launched by Illinois Cook County Circuit Court to help people ages 18-26 with non-violent felony or misdemeanor crimes reintegrate into their community. It was founded in North Lawndale in 2017. Two more courts began in 2020.
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Chicago schools that removed police officers saw slight drop in high-level discipline violations
Published On 8/12/2024
The study, from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research, comes as Chicago Public Schools plans to launch a new safety policy for the upcoming school year that will unilaterally remove school resource officers, or SROs, from all campuses.
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Firearm Violence in America
Published On 8/9/2024
Since 2020, firearm‑related injury has been the leading cause of death for U.S. children and adolescents (ages 1–19), surpassing motor vehicle crashes, cancer, and drug overdose/poisoning. Over 8,000 more lives were lost than in 2019 and over 16,000 more lives lost than in 2010.
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National report highlights severe cost of inadequate juvenile justice system
Published On 8/8/2024
The report shows that our juvenile justice system often fails to consider the realities of adolescent development. Adolescents, unlike adults, are still maturing cognitively, meaning they lack the capacity to effectively self-regulate, plan for the future, or control impulses.
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5 takeaways from our investigation into youth justice in Chicago
Published On 8/7/2024
While police arrested about 3,600 kids last year, they referred only 286 to the program in its first 11 months. Of those, just 35 completed the program between the beginning of June 2023 and the end of April. That’s roughly one for every 100 kids police arrest.
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For kids arrested in Chicago, the city has little to offer
Published On 8/6/2024
An Injustice Watch review of Chicago’s efforts at youth justice reform — including dozens of interviews, thousands of pages of public records, and a decade of arrest data — reveals an inept, grindingly slow response to kids who commit crimes. It’s been a Band-Aid on a deep wound.
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Intervention over Incarceration: A Limited Government Approach to Youth Violence
Published On 8/5/2024
By treating violence as a public health problem, community violence intervention (CVI) programs represent a paradigm shift in protecting vulnerable communities. They remove law enforcement from the equation, going beyond the familiar “limited government solution” framework.
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Schools still rely on cops to ticket kids for minor violations. It's a practice that should stop.
Published On 8/2/2024
Policymakers mirror the judiciary by treating schools like prisons, like adult surveillance measures. Scholars say it’s because of the 1990s "superpredator" myth, a racially coded concept. School shootings, perpetrated largely by white young men, caused intensified policies.
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Michael Byrd promoted to Superintendent of Illinois Youth Center Chicago
Published On 8/1/2024
Michael Byrd’s goal is to habilitate through restorative justice, implementing rewards and consequences for good and bad behavior, while building trust and relationships with the youth, many of whom come from broken homes and many from families where crime is a way of life.
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Mary Davis Home moves toward compliance with new state standards
Published On 7/31/2024
While they are striving to abide by new standards from the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice implemented in 2022, the Mary Davis Home is not under the jurisdiction of any state agency but the Ninth Judicial Circuit.
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PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION IS A LIFELONG JOURNEY. FOR PRISONS, IT’S WORTH THE INVESTMENT
Published On 7/30/2024
Writing about transformative growth in prisons is difficult because much of my transformation occurred despite—not because of—the criminal legal system. I’ve read the Washington Department of Corrections slogan, “Working Together for SAFER Communities,” more times than I can count.
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State Supreme Courts May Abolish Life Without Parole For 'Felony Murder'
Published On 7/29/2024
California Chief Justice Rose Bird had harsh words for the “felony murder rule,” a relic of English common law that allows people to be convicted of murder and face severe punishments even when there was no intent to kill. The concept is “barbaric,” “outdated,” and “unwise."
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Chicago curfew up in the air; experts debate its effectiveness
Published On 7/26/2024
The Chicago City Council delayed voting on an ordinance that would establish a curfew for unaccompanied minors. The measure was proposed in response to a violent attack on a Streeterville couple. Alderman Brian Hopkins, who chairs the public safety committee, proposed the ordinance.
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POLITICIANS PUSH FAILED ‘TOUGH-ON-CRIME’ MEASURES AS CRIME RATES NEAR RECORD LOWS
Published On 7/25/2024
The past tells us this “tough-on-crime” approach will predictably fuel mass incarceration and increase recidivism, wasting billions of taxpayer dollars on efforts that disproportionately damage low-income communities of color and ultimately harm long term public safety.
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COOK COUNTY JAIL’S DEADLIEST YEAR IN DECADES REVEALS REPEATED LAPSES AND FAILED OVERSIGHT
Published On 7/24/2024
18 people died at the jail last year, and half of the deaths were due to inadequate supervision and medical care, an investigation found. Sheriff Dart blames detainees overdosing on drug-laced paper and says the problem has been addressed, but here’s a renewed need for oversight.
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Pennsylvania’s underfunding of public defenders unconstitutional, ACLU says in suit
Published On 7/23/2024
The class action, filed in Pennsylvania, says the state’s failure to sufficiently fund indigent defense has limited public defenders’ ability to represent clients, stretching them thin across overwhelming caseloads and limiting Pennsylvanians’ access to a fair criminal trial.
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Incarceration and Crime: A Weak Relationship
Published On 7/22/2024
The recent move away from evidence-based policymaking includes New York’s reversal of its bail reform law, Louisiana’s expansion of its already draconian prison sentences, and Oregon’s repeal of Measure 110, which had decriminalized the possession of controlled substances.
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Chicago Police Profiling
Published On 7/19/2024
A federal court in Chicago denied the city’s effort to strike elements from a class action brought by Black and Latino drivers. It also partially dismissed their complaint that police have systematically targeted Black and Latinos for 50 years, most recently through traffic stops.
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Preliminary FBI Data: Crime Steeply Declined in Early 2024
Published On 7/18/2024
The decline of violent crime is politically significant for the criminal justice reform movement and its opponents. Although crime has been dropping, public perception has gone the opposite direction. 63% of poll respondents described crime as either extremely or very serious.
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‘This Is Our Lane’: Health Experts to Lead First-Of-Its-Kind Anti-Violence Council
Published On 7/17/2024
"This Is Our Lane,” a council chaired by gun violence survivor and trauma surgeon Dr. Joseph Sakran, will be composed of healthcare professionals intersecting professions across the country. Sakran, became the Brady Center’s first chief medical officer and board chair last year.
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Victim Compensation can include counseling and relocation costs, and includes siblings under 18
Published On 7/16/2024
If you, or someone you know, have been a victim of a violent crime, you might be eligible for reimbursement from the state of Illinois to help cover some of your costs. Recent changes to the Illinois Crime Victim Compensation Program have made it easier for applicants.
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Kim Foxx's proposal to not charge felonies from certain traffic stops has had success elsewhere
Published On 7/15/2024
Foxx says her intent is to reduce the incentive for police to conduct “pretextual stops,” where an officer uses a minor violation in order to find probable cause for another crime. Data shows such stops disproportionately target people of color and rarely result in charges.
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Schools make a difference for students exposed to violence, new report shows
Published On 7/12/2024
Between 2011 and 2019, 1 in 5 Chicago Public Schools students lived within roughly two city blocks from the location of a homicide in any given year, with Black students more likely to have this experience. Six percent of students had the experience multiple times in a year.
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An Illinois School District’s Reliance on Police to Ticket Students Is Discriminatory
Published On 7/11/2024
Two civil rights groups accused Illinois’ third-largest school district on Tuesday of relying on police to handle school discipline, unlawfully targeting Black students with tickets, arrests and other discipline. Rockford has 28,000 students: 26% white, 31% Black and 32% Latino.
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Greater focus on crime sparks another wave of juvenile justice bills
Published On 7/10/2024
Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Tennessee examined how to handle juvenile crimes. Bills would create oversight of juvenile corrections agencies, create new diversion programs, or automatically transfer juveniles to adult system.
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Greater focus on crime sparks another wave of juvenile justice bills
Published On 7/9/2024
Some legislatures considered policies that would create alternatives to incarcerating teens, while others debated bills that would toughen penalties for kids as young as 10. Criminal justice advocates warn that strict new policies could roll back previous system overhauls.
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A Michigan City Ended Low-Level Traffic Stops. Now the County Could Follow.
Published On 7/8/2024
The Driving Equality Ordinance, passedin 2023 in the progressive university town that welcomes reform. The measure prohibits officers from pulling drivers over for small infractions, and instead mailing drivers tickets. The policy has opened up a larger debate in Washtenaw County.
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Why Some States are Trying to Get People Medicaid Before They Leave Prison
Published On 7/5/2024
People in prisons tend to be sicker in general, and after release, are more likely to rely on expensive, stopgap health care from emergency rooms. After their release, these people are 13 times more likely to die, from drug overdoses, heart disease, homicides, suicides.
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Reform takes work and sometimes isn’t linear, but ‘there’s always hope somewhere’
Published On 7/4/2024
Tyson is one of more than 50 juvenile offenders – referred to by middle name or pseudonym – who spoke to The Plain Dealer/cleveland.com about their recent experiences within the Cuyahoga County juvenile justice system, which puts more children behind bars than any other county in Ohio.
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In Arizona, Life Sentences for Juveniles Test Supreme Court Precedents
Published On 7/3/2024
A third ruling from the state court last year seemed to run headlong into another Supreme Court precedent. It said juvenile offenders could be sentenced to die in prison under a state law that did not allow for the possibility of parole.
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Scientists are fixing flawed forensics that can lead to wrongful convictions
Published On 7/2/2024
Researchers want to improve science in the courtroom. The question for all evidence is “How do you know it is right?” Science can’t provide 100% certainty that a witness’s memory is correct or 1 fingerprint matches. But it can improve the likelihood that evidence is tested fairly.
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Dozens more former youth inmates sue over alleged sexual abuse at Illinois detention centers
Published On 7/1/2024
The filings make disturbing allegations that guards, teachers and counselors at 8 detention centers sexually assaulted inmates between 1997 and 2019. After months of assault, the perpetrators offered to reduced sentences or snacks or extra free time in exchange for their silence.
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‘If the culture doesn’t change, it’s going to remain the same’
Published On 6/28/2024
Rebuilding prisons sparked a multilayered discussion of competing concerns amongst formerly incarcerated, prison abolitionists, and the prison guard union. At a time when the prison population is shrinking, it raises the questions: Why are we rebuilding prisons? And for whom?
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INSIDE VERMONT’S RADICAL APPROACH TO HELPING THE FORMERLY INCARCERATED SUCCEED
Published On 6/27/2024
The results have been remarkable. Studies show that nationally, the vast majority of those with a past sexual crime don’t reoffend. But several studies have found that those who go through the circles model have lower rates of any type of re-offense than those who don’t.
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IL School Districts Sent Kids to a For-Profit Out-of-State Facility That Isn’t Vetted or Monitored
Published On 6/26/2024
16 IL students have enrolled at Shrub Oak this year, more than the other 24 unapproved residential schools that IL students are attending. With the school charging $573,200 per student for tuition and a dedicated aide for most of the day, it's one of the highest priced in the US.
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Recently Incarcerated Account for Nearly 20% of US Suicides
Published On 6/25/2024
In 2019, seven million people (77% male), or 2.8% of the US adult population, were released from US jails, after brief pretrial stays. Of those, 9121 died by suicide. Compared with people who had never been incarcerated, risk was nearly nine times higher within 1 year of release.
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How cognitive behavioral intervention is reducing gun violence in Chicago
Published On 6/24/2024
Cognitive behavioral intervention (CBI) can help participants change the way they process their trauma and “think before they respond.” CBI involves helping participants analyze their thoughts and reactions and implement strategies to keep them from turning into violent actions.
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Illinois bill creating emerging adult program for young prisoners heads to Pritzker
Published On 6/21/2024
This legislation calls for the IL Dept. of Juvenile Justice to establish an emerging adults program for 18 to 21-year-olds in prisons. They could be transported to a juvenile justice center in Harrisburg for therapy, case management, vocational training and higher education.
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Chicago PD misconduct files will soon be made public. ‘This is a huge step forward for transparency
Published On 6/20/2024
The department and the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability vowed in a statement to work together in the coming weeks to create a policy that allows for the release of Chicago Police Dept.'s disciplinary records maintained by the Bureau of Internal Affairs.
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Making Communities Safe, Without the Police
Published On 6/19/2024
People are intervening to prevent violence, interrupt it, hold people accountable for it, and help people heal. Some solutions are non-profits, others are neighbors rushing to crime scenes even before police arrive, to help minimize retaliation and support people in early grief.
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Illinois changing ‘unlawful use’ to ‘unlawful possession’ of gun charges
Published On 6/18/2024
Rep. Kam Buckner filed HB4500 to change firearm possession charges to get away from unlawful use charges. Some are charged and convicted with possession of a firearm but did not use in the commission of a crime are also charged with unlawful use which carries a negative stigma.
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Chicago Police Department Consent Decree Set to Expand to Include Traffic Stops After Fatal Shooting
Published On 6/17/2024
A federal court order requiring the Chicago Police to change the way it trains, supervises and disciplines officers is set to include traffic stops. The move comes 2 months after 4 officers fired 96 bullets in 41 seconds during a traffic stop, killing 26-year-old Dexter Reed.
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Illinois Judge: State has 'successfully turned the Titanic' with cash bail reform
Published On 6/14/2024
"We are detaining those that need to be detained, those that are not a significant risk to society we are no longer paying to house," said Gleeson. "Allowing them to go to work, pay their bills, no longer stuck in jail, and financial fallout from that. The paradigm has shifted."
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Chicago schools’ plan to be safe without police
Published On 6/13/2024
Since Chicago’s Board of Education voted in February to remove school resource officers from Chicago Public Schools, the district has released its new police-less safety plans – which includes implementing alternative discipline practices like restorative justice.
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Cook County plans to replace juvenile detention center with smaller ‘centers of care’
Published On 6/12/2024
Cook County officials plan to drastically reduce the size of the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, the nation’s largest juvenile jail, long criticized for its inhumane treatment and ineffective care of vulnerable kids, and replace it with community-based treatment centers.
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‘A state of triage’: Illinois public defenders in crisis amid staffing shortage
Published On 6/11/2024
The reform that made it the furthest came from state Rep. Dave Vella-D., a former public defender himself. Known as the Funded Advocacy and Independent Representation (FAIR) Act, the bill would have created a statewide public-defender office as well as a new oversight commission.
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Juvenile justice: ‘From nothing to something and then right back to nothing’
Published On 6/10/2024
Despite reforms enacted in 1995 that made it a national model for rehabilitating young offenders, Kentucky now faces renewed federal oversight after the announcement of an investigation into conditions at 8 juvenile detention centers and 1 residential violate civil rights.
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A program in Tampa offers a new start to teens arrested for carrying guns
Published On 6/7/2024
Teens in the program also meet with parents of kids who died in shootings. They visit hospitals and funeral homes, to show the painful consequences of gun violence. The program was started last year by the nonprofit Safe & Sound Hillsborough. Freddy Barton is executive director.
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HOW THE HISTORY OF PAROLE SHOWS THE CRUELTY OF THE U.S. LEGAL SYSTEM
Published On 6/6/2024
By 1927, parole was established in almost every U.S. state. But, between 1976 and 2000, during the “tough-on-crime” era, 16 states and the federal prison system eliminated parole. In the states where parole still exists, the process can seem like an arbitrary storytelling contest.
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Ticketed at School as a Teen, a Young Black Woman Is Suing an IL City for Violating Her Rights
Published On 6/5/2024
Harris said she hopes the lawsuit, not only rectifies her experience but leads to students being treated fairly. The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages of $20 million, punitive damages and for Naperville police to implement training to prevent future civil rights violations.
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Appeals Court overturns gun conviction, questions legality of CPD traffic stop-and-search strategy
Published On 6/4/2024
While the Cook County State's Attorney's office plans to appeal that decision, as the I-Team first reported this week, State's Attorney Kim Foxx has proposed a new plan to not charge gun crimes if the firearms were found during traffic stops for minor infractions.
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ShotSpotter Showdown Set Amid Fierce Debate Over Value of Gunshot Detection System
Published On 6/3/2024
The dispute over ShotSpotter is one of many issues that exposed tension between two factions of Johnson’s political base: progressive Chicagoans who want to see the system scrapped and Black Chicagoans demanding officials do everything to reduce persistent levels of violence.
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Youth detention facilities face increased scrutiny amid a wave of abuse lawsuits
Published On 5/31/2024
The lawsuits allege abuse across decades. Some say they were raped, or they were forced to perform oral sex or were inappropriately touched by employees. They were given rewards, like special snacks or extra recreational time, if they complied; or they were punished for refusing.
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Can police misconduct be stopped before it starts?
Published On 5/30/2024
A new report from UChicago explores how an algorithm may be able to identify which officers are likely to commit misconduct. Reset sits down with the lead author of the report for more on how an early-intervention system could work.
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In some Chicago neighborhoods, almost half of all youth are not going to school or working
Published On 5/29/2024
Experts believe that re-engaging youth who are neither working nor going to school is key to addressing poverty, racial disparities, and gun violence. Even short stints of disconnection can have big effects on earning potential, health, relationships, and possible incarceration.
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Chicago Public Schools pitches safety plan calling for restorative justice, no police in schools
Published On 5/28/2024
The district’s proposed plan extends beyond campus police. The plan builds on existing district efforts to teach kids about social-emotional skills and restorative justice practices, which are alternatives to discipline meant to resolve conflict and understand student behavior.
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Gulf South states among U.S. leaders for juvenile life without parole sentences, study shows
Published On 5/24/2024
Then report said 28 states have banned juvenile life without parole, and 5 more have no one serving the sentence. Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, however, were among a group of 10 states having the most people still imprisoned under juvenile life without parole sentences.
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The Second Look Movement: A Review of the Nation’s Sentence Review Laws
Published On 5/23/2024
This report presents the evolution of the second look movement, which started with ensuring compliance with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions in Graham v. Florida (2010) and Miller v. Alabama (2012) on the constitutionality of juvenile life without parole (“JLWOP”) sentences.
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Watchdog describes what led to years of abuse in Illinois juvenile detention centers
Published On 5/22/2024
A new scathing lawsuit accused state employees of sexually abusing 95 people while they were children detained in IL detention facilities. Several watchdog groups said there should be public access to discipline decisions and personnel records of staff at detention centers.
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'They help me so much': Project Oz is dedicated to ending youth homelessness
Published On 5/21/2024
Project Oz has existed in Bloomington for 50 years, and it’s the only social service organization in the county dedicated to helping youth and adolescents — ages 10 to 23 — facing a housing crisis. Project Oz sees around 300 clients over 18 right now, and 100 youth under 18.
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Stateville may close as early as September under Pritzker’s prison plan
Published On 5/20/2024
The governor announced the plan in March, and his administration provided more details, revealing Logan Correctional Center – one of only two women’s prisons in Illinois – may be rebuilt on the grounds of Stateville, which would expand operations into a multi-functional campus.
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Breaking walls, building bridges: A call for restorative justice in school discipline
Published On 5/17/2024
Restorative justice is an alternative to suspension that involves working with a mediator. The goal for those who have misbehaved to understand any harm they’ve caused and work to repair it, prioritizing connection over isolation and understanding over punitive discipline.
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Here’s how I use my story to teach incarcerated kids that writing matters
Published On 5/16/2024
I explained how reading “Long Walk To Freedom,” the autobiography of Nelson Mandela, showed me the power of forgiveness and restorative justice. I also revealed how I became serious about writing: As a lost 18-year-old in an adult prison, penning poems helped me find myself.
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What Happens When Suspensions Get Suspended?
Published On 5/15/2024
In 2013, the LA School District banned suspensions for defiant behavior, in an effort to move away from punitive discipline. The California legislature took note. Lawmakers argued that suspensions for minor infractions harmed kids, and led to the school-to-prison pipeline.
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Clinicians are Partnering with Lawyers to Help Youth
Published On 5/14/2024
To treat a child’s behavioral symptoms, clinicians and lawyers target the root cause. This teamwork comes through Yale Child Study Center’s Medical-Legal Partnership — a collaboration in which health and law professionals team up to address patients’ “health-harming legal needs”.
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Biden just Quietly Took a Key Step to ‘Decriminalize’ Traffic Safety Policy
Published On 5/13/2024
The Biden administration recently took a crucial but little-noticed step to improve public safety: it ended a deeply flawed policing program that encouraged law enforcement nationwide to use traffic stops as a pretext for fighting crime.
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Lawsuit Claims Widespread Sex Abuse at Illinois Youth Detention Centers
Published On 5/10/2024
A lawsuit accused Illinois of allowing state workers to systematically abuse juvenile prisoners for decades, the latest in a series of legal cases across the country to assert that youth correctional facilities had long failed to prevent pervasive sexual misconduct by employees.
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An AI Tool used in Thousands of Criminal Cases is Facing Legal Challenges
Published On 5/9/2024
The software, Cybercheck, is an AI tool used to help investigate, charge and convict suspects accused of murder and serious crimes, but defense lawyers have questioned its accuracy and reliability. Its methodology is opaque, they’ve said, and it hasn’t been independently vetted.
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Illinois Ended Cash Bail. Now Reformers Want More Support for People on Pretrial Release.
Published On 5/8/2024
Advocates who successfully pushed for the state to abolish cash bail last year are now hoping to build on that reform with The Pretrial Success Act, a bill that would direct $15 million to community organizations around the state to provide services to people awaiting trial.
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Violent Crime Is Falling Nationwide — Here’s How We Know
Published On 5/7/2024
Violent crime dropped in 2021 and 2022, and declined again, significantly, in 2023. We’ll have to wait until the fall for final data to confirm this trend. Until then, here’s what we know, and what it means, drawing on both city data and the most recent information from the FBI.
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Solitary confinement in Illinois prisons violates human rights, Chicago lawyers group says
Published On 5/6/2024
“Prisons exist to punish/rehabilitate people, not to torture and ruin them,” the report says. “Solitary confinement causes the brain to shrink, and severe harms, including suicide. As practiced in IL, solitary confinement constitutes torture under international human rights law.”
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Delinquent: Our System, Our Kids
Published On 5/3/2024
Juveniles can be transferred to the adult system to face adult sanctions, including adult prison, with adult offenders. That process, bindover, is complex and much debated, including Cuyahoga County, which binds over more juveniles than 4 counties combined. 90% of them are Black.
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Want to Fight Mass Incarceration? Start With Your Local Jail
Published On 5/2/2024
Jail incarceration is the result of local complex political and economic struggles. Politicians play on real or imagined antisocial behavior, often using thinly veiled rhetoric about race or citizenship status to argue that locking people up is the only way to ensure safety.
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IL Senate President’s Bill would Create Statewide Office Supporting Public Defenders
Published On 5/1/2024
The office would have 2 main jobs. One would be providing support to public defenders such as money and resources. The other function would be a strategic plan to enhance public defender services and ensure everyone has access to counsel regardless of where they are in Illinois.
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CTA Touts its ‘Second Chance’ Program for Ex-Offenders, but Few End up with Permanent Jobs
Published On 4/30/2024
Second Chance aims to give people with criminal records and barriers to employment an opportunity to gain job skills by cleaning bus and L car interiors. But some former apprentices say they feel the agency is taking advantage of them. “They’re using us,” says Gregory Dixon.
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11% of Felony Defendants Charged with New Crime on Pre-Trial Release, Data Shows
Published On 4/29/2024
“Statistics show that our jurisdiction has reduced the number of defendants in custody and most of them on pretrial release are doing what they’re supposed to be doing – going to their court dates and staying away from criminal activity,” Cook County chief judge Tim Evans said.
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Urbana Residents Want to Divert Calls from Police while a Consultant Recommends Hiring More Officers
Published On 4/26/2024
64% of calls for service don’t involve criminal activity. Activists argue that a police response isn't needed for those. Instead, officials could establish alternative responses for these calls, involving domestic violence experts, social workers and mental health professionals.
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Reduced Sentences May be Eluding Hundreds of Illinois Prisoners due to Poor Record Keeping
Published On 4/25/2024
IL state Senator Robert Peters, the bill sponsor, wrote that the law is also supposed to retroactively grant people a half day credit for participation in self-improvement programs, volunteer work, and some work assignments that they had not previously received credit for.
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Murphy Measure to Provide Young Adults in Custody Vital Educational Opportunities
Published On 4/24/2024
“As a state, we have a duty to ensure young adults in custody have the tools they need to thrive when they return to their communities,” said Murphy (D-Des Plaines). “Emerging adults deserve a fresh start, and this measure will put them on the path to successful reintegration.”
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Many states don’t educate people sentenced to life. Now some are coming home
Published On 4/23/2024
Juveniles like Qualls-El received sentences of life without parole and entered prison at an age when their peers were going to college. But inside, education is for those who will soon return to society. So, those seen as the least likely to get out had the fewest opportunities.
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Videos Show Chicago Police Fired early 100 Shots over 41 Seconds during Fatal Traffic Stop
Published On 4/22/2024
Plainclothes Chicago police officers fired nearly 100 gunshots in 41 seconds during a traffic stop that resulted in 1 man dead and 1 officer injured. 5 officers were in an unmarked vehicle that surrounded an SUV driven by Dexter Reed, allegedly for failing to wear a seatbelt.
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Supreme Court Case on Homelessness May Limit Prisoner Rights and Expand Executions
Published On 4/19/2024
When the Supreme Court hears the case of Grants Pass v. Johnson, they will consider how far cities can go in policing the homeless. They could use this to upend how we interpret “cruel and unusual punishments.” It could have wide ramifications across the criminal justice system.
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RI State Lawmakers Field Bills to Empower Judges to Rethink Long Sentences
Published On 4/18/2024
Legislation has been submitted in the House and Senate that would give judges the latitude to reduce a person’s sentence after they’ve served 10 years, taking into consideration factors such as their age at the time of the crime, current age and rehabilitation efforts.
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I was a teen in Virginia prison. Books were my lifeline.
Published On 4/17/2024
I was tried as an adult and sent to VA prison. I was as vulnerable as any child would be in such a place. So the hole was the safest spot for me. Every minute I was awake, a book was in my hands. Because literature was the only thing that kept me imagining a future for myself.
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What an Eclipse Lockdown Reveals about Dignity in Prisons and Jails
Published On 4/16/2024
Prisons and jails are subject to lawsuits arguing that they violate people’s rights in ways that are tied to religious, racial, sexual orientation, and gender identity. This dynamic is likely given the near-total control that detention facilities exert over all who enter.
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Report: Illinois Prisons Among Worst in U.S. for Mental Health Care
Published On 4/15/2024
Mental health services in IL prisons are among the worst in the U.S., creating “abysmal and harmful” conditions for staff and inmates, with Pontiac Correctional Center hosting a “disgusting and neglected environment,” according to a report on mental health care in IL facilities.
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Chicago Police Continued to Target Black, Latino Drivers With Flood of Traffic Stops in 2023: Report
Published On 4/12/2024
The majority of 537,000 traffic stops made by Chicago police in 2023 were based on dubious evidence of minor violations aimed directly at Blacks and Latinos but spared Whites according to a report from Impact for Equity, a nonprofit that to reform the Chicago Police Department.
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Friends Don’t Let Friends Buy Guns
Published On 4/11/2024
In a major shift, some gun reform advocates have decided that it’s time to try a different strategy: Go directly to the people. And, for the first time, this bottom-up approach has been drawing major attention and funding in the gun violence prevention world.
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NYC Jails Flagrantly Deny Young People's Legal Right to Education
Published On 4/10/2024
Young people incarcerated in New York jails said in court filings that they’ve been denied their legal right to education and that the city has failed to comply with a 2016 order requiring education access for people between 18 and 21 held in in Department of Correction custody.
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Can TikToks Reduce Gun Violence?
Published On 4/9/2024
Project Unloaded has flooded feeds of youth with content about the danger of gun ownership, reaching 2 million teens 30 times. A statistic led to Project Unloaded: a Gallup poll finding that gun ownership in the house is protection had jumped from 35% to 63% during 2000-2014.
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An incarcerated Teacher Taught his Students that Jim Crow Literacy Tests were Racist
Published On 4/8/2024
Anthony McNeal was teaching a peer-led civics class required by the state for people exiting prison at Centralia Correctional Center. In February, a federal lawsuit was filed against the counselor and the prison for firing McNeal for teaching that literacy tests were racist.
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“Superpredator” Labels Are a Relic of the 1990s, but Tough-on-Crime Policies Persist
Published On 4/5/2024
“Superpredator” is what prosecutors called people like me in 1995, when I was tried as an adult for a crime I committed at 15. Generational trauma was the rationale for "a young person bred for violence,” and I became the youngest person in the county to be tried as an adult.
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Is Young Thug on Trial for Using His Imagination?
Published On 4/4/2024
According to Andrea Dennis and Erik Nielson's book “Rap on Trial: Race, Lyrics, and Guilt in America,” there have been 700 cases in the U.S. in which rap lyrics were used as evidence, and while that number is staggering, the two important words to note are “rap” and “lyrics.”
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ISP Concludes Investigation into Shooting at Juvenile Detention Center
Published On 4/3/2024
An Illinois State Police investigation failed to determine how a 17-year-old obtained the handgun he fired inside the Sangamon County Juvenile Detention Center and carried as he tried to escape the facility with a hostage Sept. 30 before being shot by police.
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Behind The Unique Hurdles Of Rural Access To Justice
Published On 4/2/2024
We argue that rural access to justice challenges and the rural attorney decline have become viewed as a single crisis in which the declining number of attorneys is said to be the cause of the rural access to justice problem, and recruiting new attorneys is therefore the solution.
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From Troubled Youth to CEO: Rockford Man Has a Story Young People Need to Hear
Published On 4/1/2024
It's one thing to have your life turned around by an at-risk youth agency. It's quite another to be at the helm of that agency and changing the lives of others. That is the case for Comprehensive Community Solutions Executive Director and CEO William Chatman.
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Judges Use ‘Arbitrary,’ ‘Horrendous’ Reasons to Keep Teens in Adult Court
Published On 3/29/2024
A review of 36 court hearings over 3 years found the process subjects teenagers to adult jails, courts and sentences despite decades of research showing these push teens to more crimes. When deciding to treat these children as adults, judges relied on questionable reasoning.
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For a Handful of Lawyers in Cuyahoga County, Juvenile Cases Are Big Business
Published On 3/28/2024
The juvenile court paid 60 attorneys to represent 100s of children accused of crimes. Of those, judges steered more than two-thirds of the work to just 10 of the lawyers, according to a Marshall Project Cleveland analysis of recent case data and state reimbursement filings.
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This is How We Help
Published On 3/27/2024
Social workers belong in boardrooms and at the tables where policies are too often determined by individuals who somehow can’t see that stripping a child of their freedoms constitutes a violation of innocence and human life.
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Protect and Redirect: America’s Growing Movement to Divert Youth Out of the Justice System
Published On 3/26/2024
This momentum to make diversion key to juvenile justice reform coincides with research showing that youth who are diverted from the justice system have much lower recidivism and are more likely to succeed in education/employment than youth who are prosecuted in juvenile court.
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Limited Capacity in Juvenile Detention Centers Statewide
Published On 3/25/2024
The temporary closure of the Sangamon County Juvenile Detention Center almost six months ago and a shortage of staffed beds in detention facilities statewide could affect public safety, Springfield's police chief says.
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Chicago student homelessness is rising. Could a tax change backed by the mayor help fix that?
Published On 3/22/2024
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson promised to house the city’s homeless, focusing on more than 20K students currently facing housing instability. In the last year, the number of CPS students in unstable housing — which can disrupt derail students’ academic progress — has risen 50%.
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Kane County Juvenile Justice Center Educators Join Select Group of Honorees Across Illinois
Published On 3/21/2024
“The work being done through this program is essential to prevent learning gaps for the students at the Juvenile Justice Center,” said Patricia Dal Santo, Regional Superintendent. It is designed to guarantee these students a successful transition back to their public schools.
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Chicago Teens Help Create a Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
Published On 3/20/2024
The key message of Project Unloaded is that everyday interactions become all the more risky when a gun enters the scene. The founder of Project Unloaded, Nina Vinik, said the organization educates young people about the risks of guns so they can make informed decisions.
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With Prison Reform, A Second Chance Should Be Our First Choice
Published On 3/19/2024
According to the National Reentry Center, there are “40K state legal and regulatory restrictions that limit people convicted of a crime or adjudicated for delinquency from accessing employment, business & occupational licensing, housing, voting, education, and other rights, etc."
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CORE Re-Entry Program Aims to Provide Ex-Convicts the Chance for Good Work
Published On 3/18/2024
He was once an inmate at the Danville Correctional Center. He’s been out since June of 2022. Today, Mike Brawn, is promoting a program he began as a way to give ex-convicts the opportunities they need, and give human resource departments and businesses the labor they need.
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Treat, Don’t Criminalize, Maryland’s Young Children
Published On 3/15/2024
Juveniles under 13 who commit crimes do so because of either family neglect or forced criminality, which is a form of human trafficking. Victims are made to commit crimes by their adult trafficker. Gang leaders are typically mid-20s-30s, and prey on kids from broken homes.
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Commentary: Juvenile Sentencing Bill is About Politics, Not Reducing Crime
Published On 3/14/2024
We have seen this movie before. When crime goes up, moral panic ensues and politicians compete with one another to enact tough-on-crime measures, such as mandatory minimum sentences, three-strikes laws and pushing more adolescents into the adult criminal justice system.
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To End Mass Incarceration, Reform our Excessively Punitive Systems
Published On 3/13/2024
A disproportionate number of Black people are incarcerated instead of living in their communities. Prison populations have ballooned since the 1970s showing a need for community-based public safety that is not violent arrests, lengthy prison terms and collateral consequences.
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Digital Court Hearings Cause Uneasiness for Young Offenders
Published On 3/12/2024
Attorney Angie Vigil, specializes in children's rights, "Judges are people and decision-makers are people and when you're in the presence of other people, you make a humanity-based decision. When you're looking at a screen you don't make as much of a humanity-based decision."
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Court Clerk’s Error Exposed Data Involving Thousands of Juvenile Defendants, Violating State Law
Published On 3/11/2024
In violation of state law, the Cook County court clerk’s office accidentally exposed online the names of 5,000 children charged with crimes, raising serious concerns by their attorneys that their clients could be dogged by allegations that are mandated by law to be kept secret.
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Illinois to Launch Portal Streamlining Access to Youth Mental Health Services
Published On 3/8/2024
The state is creating the Behavioral Health Care and Ongoing Navigation portal as one of its 12 strategies to address youth mental health from a report released last year by the Illinois Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative, created by Governor J.B. Pritzker.
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The Right to an Attorney
Published On 3/7/2024
Today, though, public defenders represent up to 80% of people charged with crimes. So what changed? Today on the show: how public defenders became the backbone of our criminal legal system, and what might need to change for them to truly serve everyone.
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They Committed Crimes when They were Young. Do We Owe Them a Second Chance?
Published On 3/6/2024
Under the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act of 2016, the judge has to weigh the prisoner’s rehabilitation, maturity and growth, their childhood circumstances and whether their crime was committed under the influence of someone older. It's been expanded to include under 24.
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"District of Second Chances"
Published On 3/5/2024
FAMM’s latest storytelling endeavor is “District of Second Chances,” a documentary film that dives into the impact of D.C.’s “second look” laws on three men. D.C. - legislation that is part of a transformational criminal justice reform movement spreading across the country.
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L.A. County has 2 months to fix problems in juvenile hall — or get everyone out. Again
Published On 3/4/2024
Los Angeles County will once again have to figure out where to place over 300 young people in its custody — unless probation officials can pull off dramatic improvements at their long-troubled facilities in the next two months after they were voted "unsuitable".
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Providing criminal defense is not a crime. So why do some demonize lawyers for it?
Published On 3/1/2024
The public needs to know the difference between people and organizations that behave outrageously, and their rights to legal representation. This includes the right of lawyers to take unpopular cases and their responsibility to give their clients the strongest possible defense.
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An 18-year-old is Not an Adult, Brain Science Shows
Published On 2/29/2024
There is no difference between someone who is 18 years old and someone who is 18 minus one day. Research tells us that the brain doesn’t reach adult maturity until we are in our mid-20s. But the criminal justice system considers adolescence over by the time a person turns 18.
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Youth with autism are more likely to be arrested. A Nevada judge wants to remedy that
Published On 2/28/2024
Started by Judge Sunny Bailey in 2018, the Eighth Judicial District's diversion program aims to address the behaviors of at-risk juvenile offenders with autism and to prevent them from entering the revolving door of the criminal justice system as adults.
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Trying Times: When Defense Counsel Stand Against Coercive Plea Bargains
Published On 2/27/2024
The Pew Research Center’s (PRC) analysis of pleas entered in 2022 reveals that of the 71,954 defendants in federal criminal cases, 89.5% pled guilty, while another 8.2% had their cases dismissed. Only 290 of the 71,954 defendants — just 0.4% — went to trial and were acquitted.
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A Wave of States Reduce “Death by Incarceration” for Young Adults
Published On 2/26/2024
"Youth aged 18-20 are notbeyond redemption, and that they should receive the same consideration as minors. “A sentence of life in prison without parole for those up to age twenty-one, individuals with diminished culpability and a capacity for change." Justice Scott Kafker wrote.
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Bill Backed by Pritzker Would Require a Lawyer for Kids under 18 during Interrogations
Published On 2/23/2024
“Illinois has a painful legacy of being the wrongful conviction capital of the world,” Sen. Peters said. “Providing children with legal counsel during an interrogation is an important step in the right direction. It’ll bring safety by rebuilding public trust and ensure justice.”
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Several Northern Illinois Juvenile Detention Centers Non-Compliant in Education & Discipline
Published On 2/22/2024
“We have kids who may be detained and then released at their detention hearing. That could be within two days, But we have kids who are in our detention facility for a very long time who might be pending on adult charges, and some of those kids could be here for over a year.”
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Winnebago County Juvenile Detention Ends Timed Confinement after Scathing Report
Published On 2/21/2024
Winnebago County Juvenile Detention Center officials have implemented a new disciplinary system, made major staffing changes, hired therapists and altered policies in the wake of an alarming June inspection that raised concerns about excessive confinement.
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Review: Exposing a Broken Juvenile Court System
Published On 2/20/2024
In Rutherford County, TN, kids as young as 7 were getting thrown in jail for minor offenses. Some kids were even jailed for acts that weren't crimes at all. Worse still, the kids were frequently put in solitary confinement, even though that's prohibited for children under TN law.
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How Chicago Became an Unlikely Leader in Body-Camera Transparency
Published On 2/19/2024
Notably, an independent accountability firm — not the police department — decides what footage from police shootings and other serious incidents is released to the public. That straightforward setup, the product of the city’s policing reforms, puts Chicago in a league of its own.
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DOJ Calls on States To Eliminate Juvenile System Fines and Fees
Published On 2/16/2024
A 2023 DOJ report critiques punishing practices in much of the country that saddle low-income families of minors who’ve been arrested with big bills, from court-appointed attorneys to ankle monitors to probation supervision. All can be charged to the accused or their family.
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1,300 State Laws Prevent People with Criminal Records from Moving On After Serving Their Sentences
Published On 2/15/2024
An estimated 3.3 million people have criminal records, ranging from arrest to time in prison. After their case has run its course in the legal system — punishment continues. The1975 Probate Act prohibits anyone with a felony conviction from serving as executor over an estate.
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Winnebago County Juvenile Center Accused of Shutting off Water to Children as "Preventative Measure"
Published On 2/14/2024
The water shutoff would happen overnight per the IDJJ report. It also reported that shutting off the water to one cell would impact the adjoining cells, cutting off water access to a child who didn't do anything. IDJJ condemns the practice of denying access to essential needs
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More Policing Won’t Solve Youth Crime
Published On 2/13/2024
High-profile shootings, robberies, etc. all play into a persistent public impression that youth crime is on the rise. But official statistics reveal that youth crime and violent crime are down —about 20 percent since the year 2000, according to recent reporting based on FBI data.
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Police Are Stopping Fewer Drivers — and It’s Increasing Safety
Published On 2/12/2024
There's been a growing movement to end police stops for traffic infractions that do not pose an immediate safety concern, like expired tags, a missing headlight, etc. Reports found racial disparities in traffic stops all over the country, along with high traffic fatalities.
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Project FLEX Earns $2.55M to Maintain, Advance Work in Juvenile Justice Centers
Published On 2/9/2024
Project FLEX has secured a five-year, $2.55 million grant from the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) to continue and expand its work providing positive interventions with youth who are in secure custody of the state.
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Peoria Seeks Broadening Mandatory Detention for Youth & Adults in State's Cashless Bail System
Published On 2/8/2024
Peoria wants IL to tighten the penalties for several types of offenses under the cashless bail reforms. That includes pretrial detention for those charged with a Class 1, 2, and X felony, including minors. The changes would affect both the SAFE-T Act and the Juvenile Court Act.
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After I Was Shot, My Friends Wanted Retribution. I Chose Empathy
Published On 2/7/2024
"I didn’t want the guys who shot me to go to prison, Prisons are a cage meant to punish, not rehabilitate. Would you want society to handle you with grace and care or with punishment and violence? Would you want to have the chance at rehabilitation or be thrown away forever? "
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Commentary: Where Poverty is Pervasive, Solutions must be Radical and Relentless
Published On 2/6/2024
Eliminating poverty in a community requires a strategy that includes expanded safety-net programs, access to quality early childhood education, good-paying jobs, affordable housing and a reformed criminal justice system that includes support for those re-entering the community.
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Trauma-Informed ‘Hubs’ Reduce Chicago Youth Incarceration
Published On 2/5/2024
As part of a strategy to keep youth from Chicago and other areas of Cook County out of incarceration, Redeploy staffers have been driving many of those youth, Monday through Friday, to Redeploy hubs. There, they participate in intensive outpatient and extracurricular projects.
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Peoria Seeks Overhaul of Mandatory Detention for Youth & Adults due to Cashless Bail
Published On 2/2/2024
Peoria wants Illinois lawmakers to tighten the penalties for several types of offenses under the state's cashless bail reforms. The proposed changes would affect both the SAFE-T Act and the Juvenile Court Act. They also wants to see harsher penalties for certain felony charges.
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Navigating the Shadows – Unveiling the Trauma of Incarceration and Reentry in America
Published On 2/1/2024
The trauma of incarceration does not lie only within prison walls; it reverberates in the reentry process. A longitudinal study published in the Journal of Criminal Justice and Behavior highlights the challenges faced by people rejoining society after prolonged incarceration.
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Study Estimates Roadside Drug Tests Result in 30,000 Wrongful Arrests Every Year
Published On 1/31/2024
Roughly 30,000 people every year may be getting wrongfully arrested and jailed because of police departments' widespread use of unreliable roadside field tests for drugs, according to a study by the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at the University of PA.
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Skipping School: America’s Hidden Education Crisis
Published On 1/30/2024
Absenteeism reflects what has beset youth recently, including falling grades, deteriorating mental health — exacerbated by social isolation — and increased violence and car thefts. But schools are using little of the federal billions that they received to address absenteeism.
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Lawsuit Alleging Inhumane Conditions, Franklin Co. Juvenile Detention Center Closes
Published On 1/29/2024
Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center closed on Dec. 31, Chief Judge Mellissa Morgan announced, six months after a class-action lawsuit was filed on behalf of several minors. It accused the facility of inhumane conditions and subjecting them to long solitary confinements.
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Racial Disparities in Youth Incarceration Stagnate
Published On 1/26/2024
Despite decreases in youth incarceration over a decade, youth of color remain vastly more likely to be incarcerated than their white peers. New data released by The Sentencing Project reveal Black youth and Tribal youths’ incarcerations are unchanged compared to 10 years prior.
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State’s Attorney Hopefuls Back Effort to Require Lawyers for Kids in Police Interrogations
Published On 1/25/2024
Both Democrats vying to become Cook County’s next top prosecutor, Eileen O'Neill Burke and Clayton Harris, say they will help strengthen Illinois requirements for children to get an attorney during police interrogations.
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Old-School Hair Analysis Is Junk Science. But It Still Keeps People Behind Bars
Published On 1/24/2024
In courtrooms across America, “scientific evidence” used to imprison people for heinous crimes has been increasingly discredited. Blood-spatter patterns, arson analysis, bite-mark comparisons, hair samples, even some fingerprint evidence have all turned out to be unreliable.
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Google Just Killed Warrants That Give Police Access To Location Data
Published On 1/23/2024
Geofence warrants — also known as reverse-location searches — have the potential to implicate anyone is in the vicinity of a crime, Google’s decision to end access to location data is a big win for privacy advocates and criminal defense attorneys who have decried these warrants.
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The Suburban Drug War
Published On 1/22/2024
The war on drugs has continually flourished as a bipartisan crusade thanks in no small part to these racialized tropes of the person-of-color urban pusher and foreign trafficker, set against an idealized white suburban victim.
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Medical Staff at Notorious Atlanta Jail Let Autistic Teen Waste Away and Die, Lawsuit Says
Published On 1/19/2024
At 15, Shane Kendall, an autistic child with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and intellectual impairment, allegedly fatally shot his mother. Despite Kendall’s disabilities, prosecutors charged him, as an adult, with murder. Before he turned 19, he died at the Fulton County Jail.
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Police Tech Isn’t Designed to Be Accurate — It’s Made to Exert Social Control
Published On 1/18/2024
Predictive policing algorithms lead to racial bias by directing police to communities rife with police surveillance, high arrest rates, and enables a “self-fulfilling prophecy.” The more police go to an area, the more police will make more arrests there regardless of crimes.
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Statewide: Youth Mental Health Care Challenges
Published On 1/17/2024
In late 2021, a coalition of some of the country’s top pediatricians declared the youth mental health crisis a national emergency — and it isn't going away any time soon. But for families needing help, they often face various hurdles, including long waits to access care.
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How do Virtual Hearings Affect People on the Wrong Side of the Digital Divide?
Published On 1/16/2024
It found that internet service providers were often offering “substantially lower quality internet” to people in poorer communities, communities of color and neighborhoods historically redlined, but white, affluent areas were often offered faster speeds for the same price.
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Low-Quality Schools are a Double punishment for Youth in Prison
Published On 1/15/2024
For many incarcerated youth, the schools they attend in juvenile detention end up being their last experience with formal education. Studies show that few complete a high school degree while in prison. Many don’t return to school —and those who do are less likely to graduate.
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Louisiana Pays Tens of Thousands a Month to Lock up Kids in Adult Jail
Published On 1/12/2024
Louisiana’s Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ) pays thousands per month to lock up kids in the Jackson Parish Jail. Jackson Parish Sheriff’s Office has billed the OJJ more than $160,000. Some children at the jail had been housed in the former death row unit at the infamous Angola
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“I’m Just Another Traffic Stop”
Published On 1/11/2024
But rather than police encounters aimed at building community trust, data show the Community Safety Team, which quickly grew to over 800 officers in less than a year, focused instead on interactions known to harm community relations: hundreds of thousands of traffic stops.
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AI is Supercharging Child Surveillance and the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Published On 1/10/2024
Controversial, data-driven technologies are showing up in public schools nationwide at alarming rates. AI-enabled systems such as facial recognition, predictive policing, geolocation tracking, student device monitoring and even aerial drones are commonplace in public schools.
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Police Commission Votes to Ban Chicago Police Officers from Joining Extremist Groups
Published On 1/9/2024
The commission that oversees the Chicago Police unanimously approved a policy banning officers from joining hate groups and extremist organizations, increasing the pressure on the Police to make good on promises to rid the department of Proud Boys and Oath Keepers' members.
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Chicago Has a Plan to Revolutionize Community Mental Health and End Police Violence
Published On 1/8/2024
Chicago’s new progressive mayor, Brandon Johnson, has embraced the community policy demand, Treatment Not Trauma (TNT), as a central policy for rebuilding the city’s public health infrastructure and addressing deep-rooted abuse and corruption in the Chicago Police Department.
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Judges Challenge Police Credibility in Court
Published On 1/5/2024
The result of false testimony, according to defense attorneys and legal advocates, is not only a blatant disregard for the due process rights of people facing criminal prosecution but also an increased risk of wrongful conviction, a category in which Cook County leads the nation.
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The Kids of Rutherford County
Published On 1/4/2024
In 2016, a video of kids fighting in Rutherford County, TN., was posted online and caught the attention of a police officer. She began an investigation that led to the arrest of 11 Black schoolchildren, some as young as 8 years old, for watching the fight and not stopping it.
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‘This Jail is for Adults’: Kids Moved out of Angola Report Mistreatment at New Facility
Published On 1/3/2024
Since they arrived at Jackson Parish jail, children transferred out of Louisiana’s Angola state prison have been repeatedly maced, according to one boy.. The boy also said that officials failed to separate them from adult detainees, in possible violation of federal regulations.
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Inside Illinois’ Youth Lockups, Children go without Basic Services and Face “Excessive” Punishments
Published On 1/2/2024
The lawsuit alleges huge failures, namely that the detention center had violated youths’ constitutional rights by subjecting them to excessive restraint and seclusion while denying them adequate education and mental health services, and subjecting them to "inhumane conditions."
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Youths Say Boredom and Basic Needs Landed Them at Detention Centers
Published On 1/1/2024
Many incarcerated youths said they first got in trouble because they were bored, looking for something to do, and started hanging out with other kids who were bored and restless. Others simply lacked basic necessities like enough clothes, or wanted money they otherwise lacked.
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How The Supreme Court Changed Juvenile Justice
Published On 12/29/2023
Rather than deliver constitutional certainty, the Jones Court simply created more judicial confusion leaving politically conservative states to take more hard-lined measures in the delivery of juvenile justice while in contrast, liberal states adopt more humane measures.
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Secrecy Shields Powerful Adults in Our Juvenile Justice Systems. Kids Showed Me What’s Really Happen
Published On 12/28/2023
Tennessee has 98 juvenile courts and more juvenile judges. Those judges make decisions on everything from whether to take a case to whether a kid should get locked up and for how long. Tennessee kids have no right to a jury trial. So, there’s no check to a judge’s authority.
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Shobha Mahadev Fearless Children's Lawyer of the Month | October 2023
Published On 12/27/2023
To Shobha Mahadev, being fearless means playing the long game, being patient, and pushing to make change. She is assistant dean of the Bluhm Legal Clinic, a clinical professor of Law, and project director for the IL Coalition for the Fair Sentencing of Children at Northwestern.
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Chicago Police with Extremist Ties Have Troubling Records
Published On 12/26/2023
The Chicago Police Department has resisted taking action against officers for their ties with the Oath Keepers — once again placing a spotlight on a troubled disciplinary system as police leaders struggle to make sweeping, court-ordered changes to policies and practices.
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Violence Prevention Programs Aim to Reach Young People. They Have to Earn Their Trust First
Published On 12/25/2023
Many Black and Latino Chicagoans witness at least 1 shooting by the time they turn 14. There are many programs looking to help young people heal from the trauma they experience living with high rates of gun violence. Needs can't be addressed if youth don't trust the program.
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Judge Plans to Dismiss Landmark Illinois Prison Mental Health Lawsuit
Published On 12/22/2023
A federal judge has signaled his intent to dismiss a massive civil rights lawsuit pending since 2007 against the IL Department of Corrections seeking significant improvements in mental health care for more than 12K inmates. Judge Michael Mihm said he plans to dismiss the lawsuit.
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Prisons and Jails are Violent; They Don’t Have to Be
Published On 12/21/2023
The impact of incarceration far outlasts whatever time people do. The inhumanity of U.S. jails and prisons—the physical violence and abuse, as well as unsanitary conditions and low-quality health care—means people can leave incarceration in poorer physical and mental health.
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Killings in the U.S. are Dropping at a Historic Rate. Will Anyone Notice?
Published On 12/20/2023
Homicides in the U.S. dropped significantly in 2022 and have plummeted even faster this year, putting the country on track for one of the biggest declines in killing ever recorded, statistics show. That national tide has started to recede, but public perception has not kept pace.
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Here’s How I Use My Story to Teach Incarcerated Kids That Writing Matters
Published On 12/19/2023
While these kids face the school-to-prison pipeline rather than the youth superpredator panic that ensnared me when I was convicted and sentenced. But if they don’t change, what awaits them is prison or death. So I urge my students to write. Writing can help heal their trauma.
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Opinion: Reforming Juvenile Justice. Trying Youths as Adults is a Crime in Itself
Published On 12/18/2023
Youth who are prosecuted as adults are 34% more likely to recidivate and with more violent offenses, compared to those in juvenile system. Juveniles are much more likely to be sexually assaulted than older inmates. Youth in adult prisons are 5 times more likely to die by suicide.
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A New Case Against Family Courts
Published On 12/15/2023
Starting with the first juvenile proceedings in Chicago, in 1899, due process and constitutional rights were an afterthought. Spinak argues that family courts seemed a “great idea” to early activists seeking to aid poor immigrant families — fueling an “immense court industry.”
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Schools Are Normalizing Intrusive Surveillance
Published On 12/14/2023
"Over the last two decades, a segment of the educational technology (EdTech) sector that markets student surveillance products to schools — the EdTech Surveillance industry — has grown into a $3.1 billion a year economic juggernaut with a projected 8% annual growth rate."
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Appellate Court Affirms Conviction & Sentence of IYC St Charles Staffer
Published On 12/13/2023
Defendant, Michael Klimek, was charged with 76 offenses related to his
involvement in a “fight club” at the Illinois Youth Center in St. Charles (IYC). Defendant was
charged with official misconduct (53 counts), aggravated battery, unlawful restraint, theft, and mob action.
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Police Blame Some Deaths on ‘Excited Delirium.’ ER Docs Consider Pulling the Plug on the Term
Published On 12/12/2023
The officers’ attorneys seized on a discredited, 4-decade-old diagnostic theory called “excited delirium,” which has been increasingly used over the past 15 years as a legal defense for how a person experiencing severe agitation can die suddenly through no fault of the police. “
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How a New Approach to Public Defense Is Overcoming Mass Incarceration
Published On 12/11/2023
One pilot program for Partners for Justice (PFJ) a nonprofit with a mission: to transform the public criminal-defense system. PFJ's way to change this dynamic is to embed advocates to take on tasks that would boost a client’s chances for a good outcome, in court and in life.
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Can the Parole Process Make Prison Sentences More Just?
Published On 12/8/2023
“By studying the parole process, we can see how the United States created the crisis of mass incarceration, and how we might find a way out.”
2 men's 1970s convictions and trajectories track the peg for Ben Austen’s book: the 50th anniversary of mass incarceration.
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Black Drivers ‘Stay Ready,’ Navigating Low-Level Traffic Stops
Published On 12/7/2023
Black drivers accounted for nearly 30.5% of all traffic stops in Illinois, even though the state’s adult population is only 13.6% Black. Last year, most Black drivers were pulled over by police for non-moving violations: talking on the phone, no seatbelt or expired tags.
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Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2022 and Indicator 2
Published On 12/6/2023
These official estimates of school crime and safety include national surveys of students, teachers, principals, and post-secondary institutions. It presents data on types of student victimization, measures of school conditions, and student perceptions about their personal safety.
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The Perpetual Crisis in Indigent Defense
Published On 12/5/2023
Criminal defense attorneys are widely despised because forcing the government to prove its case can sometimes mean advocating for people who have committed hideous crimes. Public defenders are often perceived as incompetent, even by their own clients. But they are overworked.
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New York Bans Facial Recognition in Schools after Report Finds Risks Outweigh Potential Benefits
Published On 12/4/2023
But an analysis by the Office of Information Technology Services, issued this year, “acknowledges that the risks of the use of (facial recognition technology) in an educational setting may outweigh the benefits.”
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Google User Data Has Become a Favorite Police Shortcut
Published On 12/1/2023
Google maintains one of the world’s most comprehensive location banks. Drawing from GPS coordinates, Wi-Fi networks and cellular towers, it can locate a person within feet. It gathers this information in to sell advertising, but police dip into the data during investigations.
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Illinois Traffic Stops of Black Drivers Reach a 20-Year High
Published On 11/30/2023
“...There are massive racial inequalities in who police officers in IL pull over and what kind of treatment those drivers are then subjected to,” Levin said. “The Statistical Study Act has been in place for 20 years Yet we see the problem persists, and in many ways, worsening."
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Girls are in a Mental Health Crisis. What Can Schools Do?
Published On 11/29/2023
A report in 2021 found that 60% of H.S. girls in the U.S. felt sadness or hopelessness, 20% had experienced sexual violence, and 25% had made a suicide plan. A Chicago-based program could be a model to help girls, especially girls of color, cope with this trauma and distress.
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Youth Prison Riot, Damarion Allen's Injuries Result of Ohio's Broken Juvenile Prisons Systems
Published On 11/28/2023
"One might scoff at this and argue that these kids should never have escalated matters to the level of a 'stand-off' and property damage. I argue that it was an inevitability: these kids tried to be heard in calmer, clearer ways. It didn't work." Elena Christofides, Attorney
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Jacob Wideman Says ‘Vindictive’ Arizona Officials Violated His Rights
Published On 11/27/2023
Wideman, whose case is featured in the “Violation” podcast, was granted parole in 2016 after 30 years in prison for killing Eric Kane when they were both 16. 9 months after his release on home arrest, he was sent back to prison for missing an appointment with a psychologist.
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Wrongly Accused of Rape in L.A. County as a Teen, Man Freed from Prison after 28 Years
Published On 11/24/2023
Gerardo Cabanillas swore he was innocent when arrested on suspicion of rape at age 18. When a police detective allegedly promised he’d be given probation, he confessed.
The false confession resulted in 28 years in prison, until DNA evidence showed he hadn't committed the crime.
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What's the Future of Parole and Clemency in Illinois?
Published On 11/23/2023
HB3373 and SB2129, the "Earned Reentry" bills would phase in parole eligibility for people who have served at least 20 consecutive years of their sentence. Eligibility does not mean automatic release. They would be considered for release at a hearing before the IL Review Board.
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What Happens When Children Commit Crimes?
Published On 11/22/2023
"Nothing about the Illinois Juvenile Court Act (JCA) has changed under the SAFE-T Act. We seek detention of dangerous minors in Madison County, but their names cannot be released. There are 20 juveniles detained, charged with crimes ranging from domestic battery to murder."
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A Look Inside Cook County Courtrooms on the Day Cash Bail Ends in Illinois
Published On 11/21/2023
During misdemeanor and felony court at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago, Judge Mary Marubio noted that rather than considering a cash bail, they would be setting conditions of release while awaiting trial. Marubio described this as “release with conditions court."
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D.C. Settles Lawsuit Over Failure To Provide Special Education At D.C. Jail During Pandemic
Published On 11/20/2023
3 students at the D.C. Jail were enrolled in the Inspiring Youth Program run by D.C. Public Schools to meet their special education needs. They alleged DCPS never resumed classes after March 2020, and students did not meet with teachers or receive instruction mandated by law.
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Facial Recognition Technology Jailed a Man for Days. His Lawsuit Joins Others from Black Plaintiffs
Published On 11/17/2023
The technology allows law enforcement agencies to feed images from video surveillance into software that can search government databases or social media for a possible match. Critics say it results in a higher rate of misidentification of people of color than of white people.
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From the President: Let’s End Our ‘Two-Tiered’ Criminal Legal System
Published On 11/16/2023
The history of our nation abounds with evidence that ours is indeed a two-tiered legal system. The institution of slavery in 1619 began this odyssey in creating the system of justice for those who enslaved Black people versus the enslaved, who absolutely had no rights.
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N.M. Public Defenders Hail New Study that Says They're Overburdened
Published On 11/15/2023
Public defense officials say they need 602 more lawyers to provide constitutionally adequate defenses for clients and are having trouble attracting contract attorneys. The shortage is especially acute in rural New Mexico. They need ways to increase pay and more state funding.
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Juvenile Detention Centers Face One Scandal after Another
Published On 11/14/2023
Beth Schwartzapfel detailed the conditions in 1 youth lockup, finding teens were shackled, held in solitary confinement for more than 23 hours a day, and received dismal educational services. State officials pledge a shift to a more therapeutic approach in youth detentions.
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Fulton County Sheriff Draws Stiff Criticism over Proposal to Move Inmates across State Lines
Published On 11/13/2023
Public defenders are urging officials to reconsider moving inmates out of the overcrowded Fulton County Jail 100s of miles away. 1,000 inmates would be transferred to either the D. Ray James Correctional Facility in GA or the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in MS.
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Police Suggested Charging a Child for her Explicit Photos. Experts say the Practice is Common
Published On 11/10/2023
In body camera footage, the father asks if there’s anything the police can do. A female officer replies that his 11-year-old could be charged with creating “child porn.” Father replies "She's a child who was manipulated by an adult." “It doesn’t matter,” she’s still creating it."
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One Simple Fix for our Broken Policing System: Hiring More Women
Published On 11/9/2023
Newark Police Chief saw that female applicants did better than male on the entrance tests and background checks, but 60 to 85% of them were flunking out of the academy. The fitness test, which most used to pass, had been changed to the 1st 3 weeks rather than the end at 5 months.
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‘A good place:’ Queer Youth Seek Acceptance at State’s First Foster Home for LGBTQ+ Teens
Published On 11/8/2023
Nationally, about one-third of foster care youth identify as LGBTQ+, and according to researchers, they are at significantly higher risk of experiencing homelessness, physical harm and exchanging sex to meet basic needs. Lawrence Hall is the first LGBTQ+ foster home in Illinois.
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NACDL Report Demonstrates Impact of Tracking Police Misconduct and Urges Every Defender to Join The
Published On 11/7/2023
A new NACDL report demonstrates how defenders have transformed the legal system by tracking and exposing newly available police misconduct data. For decades, law enforcement misconduct has hidden behind a “blue wall of silence” that permits officers to operate with impunity.
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Mr. Dad’s Father’s Club Aims to Build Up Chicago’s Youth
Published On 11/6/2023
Mr. Dad’s Father’s Club, the nonprofit Williams founded and leads, uses literacy and mentorship to nurture the social-emotional learning of Chicago youth so that they are better equipped to handle life. “We’ve got to be there for children who don’t have a father role model.”
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Juvenile Life Without Parole Sentences Are a Failed Policy That Needs to End
Published On 11/3/2023
Since 2009, 1,000 youth who were condemned to life without the possibility of parole in prison have been released. They are now home and free. These are all humans who were told as children that they would die in prison, but today, many are shining examples of community leaders.
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2023 PEN America Prison Writing Contest Winners Announced
Published On 11/2/2023
34 incarcerated writers were named winners of PEN America’s 2023 Prison Writing Contest. Catherine LaFleur is the first winner of the award for an imprisoned woman writer; the Chevigny Prize is for Bell Gale Chevigny, a mentor for PEN America’s program since the early 70s.
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Behavioral Science-Based Police Training Program Led to Drops in Use of Force, Discretionary Arrests
Published On 11/1/2023
“The Situational Decision-making training findings show reductions in two outcomes. It reduces uses of non-lethal force by 23%,” We also examine effects on discretionary arrests, such as disobeying police. We find the training leads to a 23% reduction in discretionary arrests.”
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Youth Service Bureau (YSB) Helps Reduce Number of Incarcerated Youths in the Illinois Valley
Published On 10/31/2023
YSB provide community-based services to meet the needs of youth who would otherwise be incarcerated. “Participants work with a case manager and a therapist,” explained Hannah Chapman, YSB Director. “Our team continues to have success in positive choices and less recidivism.”
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Disparately Resourced Public Defenders Prepare for End of Cash Bail in Illinois
Published On 10/30/2023
Cash bail hopes to create a more just justice system, but implementation accentuated disparities between the court systems in Illinois’ 102 counties.
Part-time public defender status is not rare; more than half of Illinois’ 102 counties don’t have full-time public defenders.
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Louisiana Fights to Keep Kids at Angola after Judge's Removal Order
Published On 10/27/2023
LA filed the motion asking a U.S. Judge to put her decision on hold while they appeal.
“The judge has issued damning findings about treatment of children in Angola,” said rep from National Prison Project. “It'd be a better use of state resources to invest in its children..."
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Youth Solitary Confinement Harms Mental Health, Rehabilitation
Published On 10/26/2023
I endured unsanitary surroundings and limited exposure to sunlight. The state's justice is not to reform, it is to punish, to try to make a monster of us who want to do better. I felt trapped by both the walls and the weight of a system that punishes people of color like me.
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Court Watchers Prepare For the End of Cash Bail in Illinois
Published On 10/25/2023
Matthew McLoughlin, with the IL Network for Pretrial Justice, discussed court-watching training for activists to monitor implementation to defend the reforms. 20-30 people will court-watch in 9 counties, including Cook and Winnebago, which have the 2 largest jails in Illinois.
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Public Defenders Are 'Dangerously' Overworked, Report Finds
Published On 10/24/2023
A National Public Defense Workload Study looked at the 50-year-old guidelines that estimate the maximum number of cases that defense attorneys should handle, and found that these standards are out of date, in part because cases now involve new complex forensic data or technology.
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Bloomington Police Reduce Racial Disparities in Traffic Stops; ACLU Says Still Unacceptable
Published On 10/23/2023
Black drivers in Bloomington were four times more likely to be pulled over by police than white drivers according to data compiled by the (IDOT). Police Chief Jamal Simington says they've reduced that ratio by 35%, but the (ACLU) says the disparity still remains “unacceptable.”
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Mayor Brandon Johnson says He’ll Run for Reelection, Says Youth are the Key to Chicago’s Success
Published On 10/20/2023
“Every time you give a young person an opportunity to see themselves and know their worth and value, that is the best public safety plan,” Johnson said. “Twenty-four thousand young people were working this summer. The long-term focus should be on making those jobs permanent."
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Police Oversight Board Votes to Permanently Scrap New Chicago Gang Database
Published On 10/19/2023
The unanimous vote by the interim Community Commission ends the Chicago Police from using databases to track possible gangs. It also fulfills Mayor Brandon Johnson's vow to erase the racist gang database and its racial profiling that leads to unproductive police interactions.
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What to Expect Now that Cash Bail in Illinois is Ending
Published On 10/18/2023
The new law requires more robust courtroom hearings that will require more time from defense attorneys, prosecutors and judges. Many experts also predict that without pretrial detention, fewer defendants will strike plea deals, which means more resource-intensive criminal trials.
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After-School Programs Could Reduce Gun Violence Among Young People. Why Aren’t There More of Them?
Published On 10/17/2023
The scramble to fund out-of-school programs comes amid a rise in the number of people under 18 who have killed someone with a firearm. Shootings appear to be taking place just outside school grounds. Research shows that these programs have potential to reduce youth violence.
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Chicago Youth Programs Often End With the Summer. Young People Want More
Published On 10/16/2023
"We not just youth in the summertime, life goes on around the year,” said Tyree Belfield, a 24-year-old resident of Englewood. Belfield, like other youth interviewed, said that, during the summer, organizations host interesting jobs and activities that end when school starts.
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A Program to Cut School Suspensions in Chicago Worked very, very Well. Here’s How:
Published On 10/13/2023
“In 2013-14, we tested Restorative Practices in the lowest-performing schools,” said Jadine Chou, the Chicago school district’s chief safety and security officer. “We recruited a coach who worked with the principal and teachers, and the numbers of suspensions plummeted.”
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25 Graduate From Will County Problem Solving Courts
Published On 10/12/2023
Glagow: Society has long treated substance abuse as a moral failing. People turn to substances due to physical and emotional pain. By addressing the real issues with counseling and support programs, we help individuals turn their lives around which benefits all of Will County.
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Macon County Probation Staff Providing Pretrial Services Ahead of SAFE-T Act Implementation
Published On 10/11/2023
Under current cash bail system, staff work to create a custom plan for the cases of those arrested, who are eligible for bond. "Running leads, entering criminal history, interviewing clients for risk assessment and then reporting info to the court," Amy Smith of Macon Cty. said.
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Segregation Has Close Ties With Lead Poisoning in Black American Kids
Published On 10/10/2023
Residential segregation is rooted in a history of policies that isolated Black Americans into neighborhoods with little investment and high poverty. The children in these neighborhoods can be exposed to lead in bad housing, said lead researcher Marie Lynn Miranda, of the UIC.
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Students at Stateville Prison Find Empowerment, Hope in Arts Education
Published On 10/9/2023
Prison & Neighborhood Arts & Education, started with 2 classes in art and poetry and has since grown to offer incarcerated students 15 college-level arts and humanities courses including fundamentals of visual arts, poetry, alternative justice, violence prevention and astronomy.
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At Fiesta Boricua, Champion Fighters Want to Use Boxing to Combat Youth Violence
Published On 10/6/2023
Two former boxing champions hosted a youth boxing event at the neighborhood’s annual Puerto Rican festival this weekend in hopes of steering youth away from violence. “If it weren’t for boxing for me and Luis, we would have been into gangs, drugs, ... ” Fres Oquendo said.
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Passion for Justice: Northwestern Law Prof Fights for Juvenile Rights Armed with Research
Published On 10/5/2023
"It starts with a suspicion that policies aren’t working. Issues like expunging juvenile records, keeping kids out of the juvenile justice system, sending youth to adult prisons, providing lawyers to youth at parole hearings and discharging kids from correctional facilities."
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Bringing Social Science into the Courtroom
Published On 10/4/2023
The University of Michigan Law School announces a new program. From the science of eyewitness memory to studies on how jurors think, Data for Defenders promotes creative, evidence-based advocacy through research. Their briefs, motions, transcripts, expand defenders' toolboxes.
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I Worked in Federal Prison Sweatshops for 23 Cents an Hour
Published On 10/3/2023
Under the guise of reducing recidivism and providing training, Federal Prison Industries, or UNICOR, extracts hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue from an incarcerated population that has been denied most workplace protections granted by our country’s labor laws.
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Ending the Golden State Era of Solitary Confinement
Published On 10/2/2023
It’s been said that as goes California, so goes the nation. The most populous state carries outsized influence over U.S. culture and politics and is often at the leading edge of change. That has been echoed in hard-fought battles over solitary confinement in the Golden State.
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Do Youth Curfews Help Curb Crime?
Published On 9/29/2023
Kristin Henning, director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic at Georgetown University Law School, explains that the default strategy for any uptick of youth crimes is youth curfews, but they have been proven to be ineffective. And curfew enforcement leads to racial disparity.
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Unveiling the Treatment Inside Juvenile Detention Centers
Published On 9/28/2023
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), allows the public to access certain government records. However, the Illinois Judicial branch can exempt itself from FOIA requests, which has led agencies under its branch, such as the 16 IL Juvenile Detention Centers to remain unchecked.
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'All We Want is Revenge': How Social Media Fuels Gun Violence among Teens
Published On 9/27/2023
Teens post photos or videos of themselves with guns and stacks of cash, calling out rivals, on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok. When messages go viral, fueled by "likes" and comments, the danger of things escalating to deadly violence is hard to contain, Juan Campos says.
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Peoria Female Inmates Prepare for Re-Entry
Published On 9/26/2023
The 2nd class of female inmates in Peoria jail have completed the Elite re-entry program. Elite and the Peoria County held a job fair for the women to interview for jobs. The program includes classes on coping with anger, motherhood, addictions, and completing applications.
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Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice Wins National Award for Family Engagement
Published On 9/25/2023
Staff at IYC Pere Marquette, Grafton IL have been recognized for improving youth/family connections by increasing in-person and virtual visiting hours, involving families more intensely with therapeutic and educational plans for youth, and hosting family day events for families.
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Cook County Redeploy Program Works to Break the Cycle for Juvenile Offenders
Published On 9/22/2023
Coupled with probation, this wraparound program works with the kids behind the crimes and with their families. The participants in the Redeploy program are behind some of the worst crimes. They are 12 to 14-year-olds charged with felony crimes like carjacking and armed robbery.
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Statewide Calls Growing to Require Attorneys for Minors during Police Interrogations
Published On 9/21/2023
An attorney with the JJI said children under interrogation need a lawyer to understand their constitutional rights and the consequences of any statements they might make. “Kids do not have agency, Under 18, they’re not even allowed to go on a field trip without permission.”
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TN Youth Advocates Concerned about Bill to Criminalize Threats of Mass Violence
Published On 9/20/2023
"The law is written so vaguely that it could sweep kids making even mild or minor statements into the adult criminal justice system," Professor Cara Suvall said. "Kids with disabilities that limit their abilities to regulate impulse and emotions may be at greatest risk."
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The Case Against Juvenile Adjudications
Published On 9/19/2023
The recognition that juvenile adjudications are a product of social institutions’ failure is one reason most states don’t use them in adult criminal proceedings. Another is neuroscience. Children to be impulsive, emotionally ungoverned and singularly susceptible to peer pressure.
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Kane County Jail’s Recovery Pod Makes Amazon Prime Time in Documentary
Published On 9/18/2023
"The stigma that goes along with jail is obviously negative. But when you get to learn about the traumas people went through when they were young that led them into drug addiction, or led them into the cycle of crime, you get to understand who they really are as people."
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From the Mouth of Babes: Letting Young People Lead Us to a New Vision of Justice
Published On 9/15/2023
Incarceration reinforces the poor decision-making that got kids into custody and gives them a 50-50 chance of returning, while possibly taking them out of the job market for life. What's needed are educational programs, therapeutic services, and post-secondary job opportunities.
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Ex-Police Officer Works to Keep Youth out of the Justice System
Published On 9/14/2023
Jacob's Ladder, a nonprofit created by former police officer Jarriel Jordan Sr., hosts diversion sessions to intervene before youth criminal arrests, a reentry program to rehabilitate youth being released from detention centers and a workforce academy to build career readiness
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Sentenced to Life as Boys, They Made their Case for Release
Published On 9/13/2023
Donnell Drinks was 1 of 500 names of "juvenile lifers" in PA, nearly 1/5 of the 2,800 child lifers in the U.S. 300 of them had come through Philadelphia’s system, making1% of the country’s population responsible for10% of all juvenile lifers in the U.S. No other city compared.
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Media has an Active Role to Play in Ending Youth Violence – and Often It Misses the Mark
Published On 9/12/2023
Stories about youth crime that do not dig deeper fail us all. Media outlets shortchange the full story of these juveniles. What factors led to their arrests? What role does race play in which children are policed, which face hyper punitive response, which are tried as adults?
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Years After Alleged School Theft Ticket, Former Student Prevails in Court
Published On 9/11/2023
Amara Harris declined plea deals and ultimately won a legal fight over a ticket alleging she stole another student's AirPods in high school in 2019. Now she and her attorneys want to push for statewide reforms regarding police in schools punishing students with municipal tickets.
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Cycling Through Foster Care & Juvenile Detention
Published On 9/8/2023
To stop the cycle of foster care and juvenile justice is to understand how the cycle begins. A home is not always abusive, and a child is not a criminal for doing what they believed they needed to do to survive. A home can be unstable, poor, food-insecure, but no less loving.
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Police Reporting Crime Data to the FBI in Illinois
Published On 9/7/2023
In 2022, 52% of Illinois law enforcement agencies reported crime data to the FBI, and only 33% reported a full year of data. 42 states had better reporting rates than IL. 464 of 885 Illinois agencies reported crime data stats through the National Incident-Based Reporting System.
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IL Lawmakers Draft Bill to Require Attorneys for kids in Police Interrogations
Published On 9/6/2023
IL lawmakers were prompted to draft a bill that requires an attorney to be present for suspects under 18 after a 15-year-old in Waukegan was steered towards a false confession to a shooting he did not commit. His basketball team proved he was in another town during the shooting.
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Pritzker Signs Bill Overhauling Mandatory Supervised Release
Published On 9/5/2023
According to Illinois Governor Pritzker, the current IL parole system operates unfairly, with rules that make it a revolving door back to jail. More than 25 percent of people who are released from prison in Illinois end up back behind bars for noncriminal technical violations.”
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Crimes Against Humanity: The Mass Incarceration of Children in the U.S.
Published On 9/4/2023
The United States incarcerated more people for crimes they committed as children than the total incarcerated population in 80% of the rest of the world. This includes the more than 32,000 children – now adults – who remain incarcerated today. Nearly 80% are children of color.
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An Interrogation Video Shows How Waukegan Police Led a Teen into a False Confession
Published On 9/1/2023
In February 2022, Waukegan detectives interrogated a 15-year-old boy about a shooting that led to a false confession. Steven Drizin, of Northwestern University Law School, says the tactics used undermined his Miranda rights and deceptively inflated evidence against the teen.
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JHA 2022 Evaluation of IDJJ: Hitting a Ceiling in Juvenile Incarceration
Published On 8/31/2023
While conditions at IL Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) are vastly improved from a decade ago, they are no way near the 2020 "21st Century Transformation Model" or its 4.5 year timeline. All 5 existing IDJJ youth centers remain open with no planned closures articulated.
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Schools Bring Police back to Campuses, Reversing Racial Justice Decisions
Published On 8/30/2023
The role of school resource officers is as complicated as ever. They serve as armed protectors, counselors, disciplinarians. But there's also disproportionate policing of Black and Latino students. And the Parkland and Uvalde shootings revealed police fails to stop mass killings.
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2 More Chicago Public Schools Vote to Remove Resource Officers from their Buildings
Published On 8/29/2023
Chi. Public Schools is allowing school councils to vote to add, maintain or eliminate their Student Resource Officers. Board member Elizabeth Todd-Breland believes Black children are being disproportionately policed especially in small schools with a 1:40 officer/student ratio.
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Kane County Juvenile Justice Center: Model for the State
Published On 8/28/2023
Kane County's Juvenile Justice Center (JJC) was recognized as the best run in Illinois. Their strengths include a strong cognitive based behavior management program encompassed with social emotional learning and core correctional practice, and a robust education program.
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Law enforcement Has a New Political Boogeyman: Youth Violence
Published On 8/25/2023
City leaders and police across the US are locking arms to fight an alleged rise in youth crime while touting the usual crime and punishment narratives. But according to the Sentencing Project, the youth arrest rate has actually declined by 80% since its peak in 1996.
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What Happened When a Brooklyn Neighborhood Policed Itself for 5 Days
Published On 8/24/2023
Brownsville, a Brooklyn neighborhood, is part of a "community responder" movement with its "Brownsville In Violence Out." This unorthodox concept is redefining New York law enforcement by letting neighbors in the community, not the police, respond to low-level street crime.
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Incarcerated Students to Get Federal Aid on the Path to Higher Education
Published On 8/23/2023
Pell Grants, federal financial aid, will now be available to pay for prison education programs and available to more than 700K incarcerated people in the US. Higher education hasn't been available for most, who earn an average minimum wage of .86/hour in typical prison jobs.
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Deputy Mayor for Community Safety, Garien Gatewood Aims to Transform City's Approach to Violence
Published On 8/22/2023
New Chicago Deputy Mayor, Garien Gatewood, said he will use data that shows 60% of all the city's crime and violence is concentrated in 5-dozen police beats to not only ensure police presence but also to "flood" the area with services, such as job training and counseling.
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Incarcerated Teens Find Escape in Music and Poems Composed with Artists
Published On 8/21/2023
12 kids in Virginia Juvenile Detention took part in a poetry/songwriting workshop with professionals. From 1 participant: "Fruit of my labor, about to go and chase it. / In this life there's no escaping / about to take it slow and patient. / There's no need to go and waste it."
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Early Intervention Diversion Program (EIDP) in Los Angeles, CA
Published On 8/18/2023
LA County uses an Early Intervention Diversion Program (EIDP) to target juvenile first-time offenders by providing intensive case management and services to them and their families. Within 6 months, youths in the program had 73% fewer rearrests in comparison to group who did not.
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Imprisoned Writer Argues Young Adults Should be Eligible for Parole
Published On 8/17/2023
Timothy Johnson, imprisoned for life without parole at age 22, wrote an article that argues for Miller v. Alabama to be expanded to include emerging adults under 25. Currently a scholar and field minister, he urges the legal system to create a "young adult legal category."
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Exclusive Performance at IL Correctional Center Invites Lawmakers to Reevaluate the Parole System
Published On 8/16/2023
The play, titled “Not To Be,” was written and performed by 12 men serving life sentences who will never be released from prison. Their accomplishments include education degrees, good behavior records, and starting a non-profit in prison for reinstating the IL parole system.
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School Resource Officers (SRO): Is Police Presence in Schools Doing More Harm than Good?
Published On 8/15/2023
While some view SROs as an appropriate response to protect students, others fear an increase in exclusionary discipline, such as suspensions, and an acceleration of "school-to-prison pipeline" - or pushing students into the criminal justice system due to excessive police contact.
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Brothers Sue Chicago after Enduring Police Torture & Decades of False Imprisonment
Published On 8/14/2023
Police officers arrested Tyler and Henderson in1994 in connection to the murder of 10-year-old Rodney Collins. According to the suits: The arrests were revenge for Tyler's testimony in the 1991 murder case, for which police attempted to frame another Black youth, Marcus Wiggins.
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'They Weren't There When I Needed Them': What Happens When Support Services Fail Ex-Offenders
Published On 8/11/2023
Trusting a service provider is crucial in a smoother transition. Anthony's experience: "I've always re-offended, relapsed hard, but the difference this time was...even the corrections staff, the magistrate - the level of empathy and effort they showed me is huge, life-changing."
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Democratic Lawmakers, Say It's Time to End Solitary Confinement
Published On 8/10/2023
Although the United Nations experts have repeatedly condemned the practice of solitary confinement as “torture,” it continues to be a common practice in our prison system. A report from Solitary Watch found in 2019, an estimated 122,840 people were held in “restrictive housing.”
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Mayor Brandon Johnson: Parents & Students Should Make their Voices Heard this Year
Published On 8/9/2023
Former Chicago teacher and Mayor, Brandon Johnson strives to "build the school(s) that our students deserve." He will never forget the words of one former student, "Mr. Johnson, you’re a good teacher. You shouldn’t be teaching here. You should be teaching at a good school.”
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Collaborative, Community-Based Violence Prevention Professionalizes the Field of Street Outreach
Published On 8/8/2023
Street outreach fell into artist "Bo Deal's" lap when he "started bringing artists to the hood, just motivating the kids..." He spoke from both previous gang and prison experience. Now, a field manager, he facilitates a citywide violence prevention effort on the West Side.
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Obama Foundation Gives $1 Million to Fund Safe Spaces for Young Black & Brown Men
Published On 8/7/2023
Former President Obama's foundation, My Brother's Keeper Alliance, is funding 33 local Chicago organizations. The organizations will each run unique summer programs in fields as diverse as archery, maritime arts, violence interruption, mentoring and more, officials said.
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Chicago Grapples with Reengaging Youth Who are Not in School or the Workforce
Published On 8/4/2023
Breakthrough Urban Ministries, on Chicago's West Side, along with other local nonprofits, have partnered with the school district for "Back to Our Future." It offers youth a chance to finish high school, therapy, mentoring, job readiness training, while earning $250 a week.
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New Law on Youth Sentencing Will Protect Child Sex Trafficking Victims
Published On 8/3/2023
This legislation reforms the criminal legal system by requiring judges to view children as survivors, and consider all the mitigating factors when they’re accused of harming their abusers. It also allows judges to ignore mandatory minimums or to return cases to juvenile court.
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A Dozen Cities Set Youth Curfews This Year, Even Though They Don't Reduce Crime
Published On 8/1/2023
In 2023, Baltimore and a dozen other cities and counties have enacted or enforced curfews in the name of youth safety, despite a mountain of research showing they have little effect on crime. Critics argue that curfews are ineffective, and potentially harmful for youth.
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IL Officials Will Try a Second Time to Make Good on Pledge to Reform Student Ticketing
Published On 7/31/2023
Legislators are regrouping and committed to pass the bill to end student ticketing for noncriminal offenses. Not all schools complied when the IL State Board of Education superintendent implored districts and police to stop issuing tickets for minor misbehavior - up to $750.
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These Young People are Taking the Lead on Anti-Violence Efforts in Chicago
Published On 7/28/2023
Chicago young people are leading the efforts to reverse statistics of black children and teens being 5 times more likely to die from gunfire as their white counterparts. One push is for getting police out of their high schools due to outside school interaction affecting inside.
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Teen Summer Jobs a Public Safety Priority, Johnson Administration Says
Published On 7/27/2023
"Several decades of research show a correlation between youth unemployment and crime. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has made teen employment a public safety priority. He’s pledged to double the number of jobs in the city’s youth employment program known as “One Summer Chicago.”
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IL Works to Take Youth into Account in Life Sentences
Published On 7/26/2023
Months after Gov. Pritzker signed the bill ending life sentences without parole, efforts are being made to pass another bill that will make this change retroactive.
In addition, Juvenile Justice Initiative in IL advocates that age should be a factor in life sentencing.
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The Revolving Door of Incarceration: A Crisis for Our Youth
Published On 7/25/2023
24% of all juveniles released from prison nationwide are reincarcerated. Champaign County Illinois,, for example, had 48% or their youth recommitted within 3 years of release, and 40% of their juvenile offenders ending up in adult prison by the age of 25.
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IL Sees Significant Long-Term Decline in Youth Incarcerations
Published On 7/24/2023
“Illinois is seeing a steady drop in youth arrests and therefore, fewer adolescents locked up in juvenile and adult detention facilities.” Still, “‘youth of color are treated more harshly at every point of contact with the justice system than their white peers are.’”
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Illinois Ends Most Youth Solitary Confinement
Published On 7/21/2023
“Sadly, across the nation, young people are being held in solitary confinement for unreasonably long periods of time, sometimes spending 22 hours or more alone each day,” said Sims (D-Chicago). “That is inhumane and can cause long-term grave psychological, physical and developmental harm.”
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My Block My Hood My City’s Successful Downtown Day
Published On 7/20/2023
“My Block My Hood My City brought kids from across Chicago Downtown Saturday, and gave them $50 to explore a part of the city many said they’ve never visited. Downtown Day is part of My Block My Hood My City’s mission to increase opportunities for Chicago youth across the city.”
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How Hard Is Life After Prison?
Published On 7/19/2023
Simulations are “part of a nationwide effort to increase empathy for people leaving prison and envision a better way to reintegrate them into society.”
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Kim Foxx Releases ‘Do Not Call’ List of Officers Who Won’t Be Used as Witnesses at Trial
Published On 7/18/2023
“Officers can be added to that list for multiple reasons, including: current and past conduct investigations, allegations of misconduct and being stripped of police powers.”
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Restorative Justice Court Promises an Alternative for Young Adults
Published On 7/17/2023
“Restorative justice holds that violence, and other legal or normative violations, are best addressed by bringing together those most affected by the harm, including the wider community, to discuss what should be done to repair that harm.”
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Calling All Youth: Chicago's Mayor Johnson Wants Your Ideas for his City Budget
Published On 7/14/2023
“The former middle school teacher and union organizer is holding a budget roundtable discussion exclusively for Chicagoans ages 13 to 24” on July 25. The city is offering a perk: Five young people who participate, who are at least 16 years old, will be randomly chosen to win two four-day Lollapalooza passes.
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Who's Behind the So-Called 'Teen Takeovers' Downtown
Published On 7/13/2023
"Curious City spoke with teens and youth advocates to understand who is beh9ind these flyers, why these meetups are happening and what the city's response should be."
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Illinois' Elimination of Cash Bond is Constitutional
Published On 7/12/2023
Despite the January 2023 effective date of the legislation, the court ruled it would take effect in September,
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Rare, Underfunded Program a Crucial Lifeline for Incarcerated Moms and Their Kids
Published On 7/11/2023
A donation-dependent organization provides monthly rides to Chicago children to visit their mothers at Illinois' Logan Correctional Center
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'The Darkest Part of the Tunnel'
Published On 7/10/2023
"Youth in solitary confinement wrote letters to save their lives. One lawyer responded."
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Courts Have Long Seen K-9 Dogs as Impartial
Published On 7/7/2023
"Now police bodycams hold them accountable."
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Youth Can Remove Explicit Online Images with the "Take It Down" Tool
Published On 7/6/2023
"Take It Down is a free service. Users can remain anonymous and the image or video they identify remains on their device; they do not need to upload it."
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Member of 'Central Park Five' is Running for Office
Published On 7/5/2023
Previously convicted of crimes he didn't commit, "Salaam is hoping to join the power structure of a city that once worked to put him behind bars."
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IL Supreme Court Grants Police Access to Cell Phones
Published On 7/4/2023
"Protections from self-incrimination in the U.S. Constitution and the Illinois Constitution don't apply."
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Parental Incarceration is a Silent American Epidemic
Published On 7/3/2023
"Unlike the kindness and compassion I observed children receiving when a parent served in the military or faced sever illness, shame and stigma were my daily bread."
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RFK Nation Resource Center for Juvenile justice Releases New Probation Guidebook
Published On 6/30/2023
"The Probation and Youth Justice System Review (System Review) Guidebook was developed for probation departments, courts, and youth justice systems seeking to improve outcomes for the young people they serve."
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Youth Justice by the Numbers
Published On 6/29/2023
The Sentencing Project's new report examines the dramatic 77% increase in youth incarceration at juvenile facilities in the past 20 years -- and the persistent racial and ethnic disparities that remain.
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Crimes Against Humanity: The Mass Incarceration of Children in the United States
Published On 6/28/2023
This new report examines the harms inflicted on youth who are tried and incarcerated as if they were adults, and the implications of international law on those practices.
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Project Expands Available Information on Police Deadly Force Cases
Published On 6/27/2023
"The University of Illinois Urbana Champaign recently released data from a project that counted more than double the number of cases of lethal force use by police as a state-mandated collection did."
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Program is 'One Stop Shop' for Navigating Life after Prison
Published On 6/26/2023
"The Supportive Reentry Network Collaborative connects returning citizens to whatever they need, from completing parole mandates to finding health care and a job. Leaders say they've had a successful first year, but need to grow."
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Your DNA Now Can be Pulled from Thin Air. Privacy Experts are Worried.
Published On 6/23/2023
"Environmental DNA research has aided conservation, but scientists say its ability to glean information about human populations and individuals poses dangers."
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Schools Have a Role to Play in Helping Students Heal
Published On 6/22/2023
"The average age at which Black and Latino Chicagoans witness a shooting is 14, a new study found. Schools know it takes collective effort to deal with that trauma, the CEO of North Lawndale College Prep writes>'
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Mayor Johnson's Pick for Deputy Mayor for Community safety Signals Strategy Change
Published On 6/21/2023
Friend of youth justice reform, "Garien Gatewood will focus on 'the other aspects of public safety beyond law enforcement that are so critical to our agenda,' Johnson's senior advisor Jason Lee says."
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They Held down a Black Teen Who Had Tried to Shoplift. He Died from Asphyxia
Published On 6/20/2023
"Why was no one ever charged?"
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The Toll of Police Violence on Black People's Mental Health
Published On 6/19/2023
"Three years after the murder of George Floyd, The Times spoke to more than 100 people about the ongoing psychological strain."
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To Improve Public Safety, We Must Build Up Communities
Published On 6/16/2023
"A recent summit coincided with release of the National Urban League's new report that provides a framework for violence prevention and gun reform."
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As Car Thefts Rise i Peoria, Police Deal with 'Very Frustrating' Court System
Published On 6/15/2023
"An auto crimes task force aimed at curbing car thefts, particularly those committed by juveniles, is coming to Peoria., backed by funding from the Secretary of Sate's Office."
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CPD Community Policing Efforts Have Not Built Trust, Cut Crime
Published On 6/14/2023
"Researchers say the department has failed to embrace or devote enough officers to community-based efforts."
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Report: CPD's 'You Lie, You Die' Rule Sporadically Enforced
Published On 6/13/2023
"More than 100 current and former Chicago Police Department officials were allowed to stay on the job after making false statements, despite a rule that says dismissal is the 'appropriate disciplinary penalty.'"
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For Black Drivers, a Police Officer's First 45 Words are a Portent of What's to Come
Published On 6/12/2023
"Car stops that result in a search, handcuffing, or arrest are nearly three times more likely to begin with the police officer issuing a command, such as, 'Keep your hands on the wheel' or 'Turn the car off.'"
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Chicago Youth Talk about Safety, Summer, Justice and Brandon Johnson
Published On 6/9/2023
"Young people of all ages gathered for the first annual youth leader summit hosted by Vocal Justice, a nonprofit that engages youths in justice-oriented public speaking events."
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'Felony Murder' Laws Impose Punishment that Doesn't Fit the Crime or Keep Us Safer
Published On 6/8/2023
"Research also shows that felony murder laws don't make us safer. At the same time, felony murder laws have adverse effects on people of color, young people and women."
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Do Youths Have Enough Places to Get Together? What the Data Shows
Published On 6/7/2023
"Few ventures catering to teens are found outside of downtown and surrounding areas. And neighborhood parks are getting even more dangerous."
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Cook County Officials Must Bring Transformative Change to Juvenile Detention Center
Published On 6/6/2023
"Taxpayers must ensure that our money is spent in ways that support the dignity and humanity of the children in the system, an activist from LIVE FREE Illinois writes."
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Ban on Illinois Law Enforcement Stopping Drivers Over Objects Hanging from the Rearview Mirror
Published On 6/5/2023
house Bill 2389 heads to the governor's desk.
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Advocates Encouraged by Appointment of New Presiding Judge in County's Juvenile Division
Published On 6/2/2023
"The advocates hope to see Judge Donna Cooper use her experiences with a neighborhood-based program that uses restorative justice practices to expand similar opportunities for youth."
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General Assembly Approves Criminal Sentencing Reforms for Minors
Published On 6/1/2023
House Bill 3414 adds to the factors that judges must consider in the process of sentencing children, allows for the mitigated consequences when a child kills an abuser, and adds factors to consider when transferring a youth to adult court.
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Can Southern Illinois Prosecute its Way out of the Opioid Epidemic?
Published On 5/31/2023
Federal Prosecutors want state prosecutors to file charges in fentanyl overdose cases.
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Court Diversion Program Reduces Recidivism in Knox County
Published On 5/30/2023
The program, which has served 106 individuals so far, avoids the stigma of a conviction and reduces recidivism and costs.
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NPR Podcast: Violation
Published On 5/29/2023
"Life Without Parole" examines parole boards, largely secretive institutions that operate in many states with few rules and little oversight."
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How the Juvenile System Forces Minors into Unsafe Institutions
Published On 5/26/2023
"Even in states with a drive for reform (like Illinois), many children and teens face long confinement and dirty, dangerous conditions."
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High Court Turns Away Challenge to Long-Term Solitary Confinement
Published On 5/25/2023
The Supreme Court declined to take the case of a man held 27 years in a cell the size of a compact car parking space to determine whether long-term solitary confinement is cruel and unusual punishment under the 8th Amendment.
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Disabled Students at Higher Risks for Arrests, Dropping Out and Being Unready for Adulthood
Published On 5/24/2023
"In some places, their overrepresention is even more dramatic: According to Illinois Department of juvenile Justice, in August 2022. the state's most recent available data, 99% of incarcerated youth were diagnosed with at least one mental health disorder; roughly two-thirds were diagnosed with at least four."
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Kids in Crisis Face Longer waitlists as They Struggle to Get Appointments for Therapy
Published On 5/23/2023
"Treatment options for the lower-income children served by SASS are limited by insurance hoops, system blockers and the sheer scarcity of therapists."
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You Have the Right to a Lawyer, But Public Defenders Note a Lack of Resources
Published On 5/22/2023
"Defenders are sometimes the only voice for the voiceless. They pursue dignity and humanity for the most vulnerable, and most often without recognition, with little pay, and without sufficient resources."
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Watchdog: Teens at Cook County Juvenile Jail Face Abuses
Published On 5/19/2023
"Interviews, site visits, and records reviewed by a legal advocacy group reveal abusive behavior by staff against mostly Black teens with learning disabilities, according to a new report. Jail officials deny the claims."
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Chicago Schools Poised to Vote on Keeping Police on Campuses
Published On 5/18/2023
"There are 59 police officers stationed across 40 Chicago public schools. Each school will convene a safety committee before local school councils vote by June 2 on keeping officers in schools, officials said."
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In Wake of Ralph Yarl Shooting, Black Teens Face Fear & Resignation
Published On 5/17/2023
"A new fear is creeping into 'the talk' in the wake of the recent shooting of a black teen in Kansas City, MO. There have been tearful conversations,, new rules about interacting with strangers and, for some, a sense of resignation."
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A Multi-Site Evaluation of Law Enforcement Deflection in the United States
Published On 5/16/2023
"This report describes findings from a multi-site evaluation of law enforcement deflection. The authors conducted outcome analysis of two programs which included the A Way Out Program in Lake County, Illinois."
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Deflection: An Examination of Police Department Policies in IL
Published On 5/15/2023
"Since there is limited research on police policies generally, and the field of deflection is relatively new, this study offers insight into the content of different department policies and more specifically, how officers are directed to operate deflection programs."
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IL Prison Healthcare Still Abysmal, Getting Worse in Areas, Monitor's Report Finds
Published On 5/12/2023
"Four years after a settlement agreement that was meant to compel improvements, the Illinois Department of Corrections is still failing to provide adequate care for the state's oldest and sickest prisoners."
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'Duped:Why Innocent People Confess -- and Why We Believe their Confessions
Published On 5/11/2023
"Do Innocent people really confess to horrific crimes they did not commit? Yes, they do. And Dr. Kassin's book goes further than that. It shows mobilizing scientific research about interrogations can reduce errors."
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Courts Begin to Curtail Use of Unreliable Roadside Drug Tests Used to Con
Published On 5/10/2023
"Field test kits provide the evidence most commonly used to secure convictions in drug cases in the U.S. One judge called the tests 'arbitrary and unlawful guesswork'"
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The Untold Story of Howa Stubborn Group of Parents Helped Shutter the Nation's Largest Youth Prison
Published On 5/9/2023
"The personal stories also helped counter a false narrative that had hijacked the national conversation on crime and safety."
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First Appellate Court to Address Geofence Warrants Declares Them Unconstitutional
Published On 5/8/2023
"These warrants are unlike typical warrants for electronic information, because they don't name a suspect and are not even targeted to specific individuals or accounts. Instead, they require a provider -- almost always Google -- to search its entire reserve of user location data to identify all users or devices located in a a geographic area during a time period specified by law enforcement."
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To Help Crime Victims, Stop the Cycle of Trauma
Published On 5/5/2023
"For 12 years, I worked as a federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., and in all my time, I never met a person who had caused harm who hadn't been a victim first, often facing trauma and harm beginning in childhood."
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How Can Cities Take Care of Young People This Summer?
Published On 5/4/2023
“Curfews have been a common response to crime among young people since the 1990s, but research shows they don’t work. Teenagers, and advocates, say there are other options to reduce violence.”
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New Juvenile Fines And Fees Guidance Issued By The U.S. Department Of Justice
Published On 5/3/2023
“Youth advocacy groups today celebrated the release of a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) ‘Dear Colleague’ letter encouraging states and localities to eliminate fines and fees imposed on youth in the juvenile legal system.”
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Life In Prison For A Killing He Didn’t Cause Or Condone
Published On 5/2/2023
“In Illinois alone, around 500 people are currently serving first-degree felony murder sentences for killings they did not commit themselves or intend to commit. Reform efforts must consider past injustices as well as future abuses.”
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Juvenile Justice Should Focus On Rehabilitation Not Punishment
Published On 5/1/2023
We can’t ignore the fact that justice-involved 18- to 25-year-olds have been ill served by a system that relies on excessive punishment, fails to rehabilitate them, and perpetuates racial disparities."
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Why Fear of Crime More than Crime Itself is Holding Back America's Downtowns
Published On 4/28/2023
"People are scared of urban centers. They shouldn't be."
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Incarcerated Women and Girls
Published On 4/27/2023
"Research is critical to understanding the full consequences of mass incarceration and to unraveling the policies and practices that lead to their criminalization."
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Solutions to Chicago Gun Violence that Go Beyond Policing
Published On 4/26/2023
"A big push for increased violence prevention has been growing in Chicago after a 2016 spike in shootings."
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Young Shooting Victims Face Higher Risks of PTSD, Addiction, Being Desensitized to Gun Violence
Published On 4/25/2023
"For children, the experience of gun violence go beyond whether they are actually shot."
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Bill Ending Juvenile Court Fines, Fees, Passes Senate Vote
Published On 4/24/2023
"A recent report from the Illinoi Statutory Court Fee Task Force recommended abolishment and found assessments 'undermine the goal of achieving rehabilitation.'"
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The New Stop and Frisk? Chicago Police Make Millions of Traffic Stops While Searching for Guns
Published On 4/21/2023
"Chicago Police pulled over hundreds of thousands more drivers than they previously reported, but they found guns in fewer than one of every 150 stops, according to a new data analysis."
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Wondering About the Effect of Childhood Exposure to Violence?
Published On 4/20/2023
"A recent literature review by OJJDP examines childhood exposure to violence and its consequences, emphasizing outcomes related to delinquency and involvement in the juvenile justice system.
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Looking for Promising Practices in Youth Justice?
Published On 4/19/2023
"OJJDP's online Model Programs Guide includes information on evidence-based and promising juvenile justice programs, including programs intended to assist youth during reentry and to prevent delinquent behavior."
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Reentry Program Mitigates Risk for Violence by Hearing & Responding to Youth Needs
Published On 4/18/2023
"By understanding positive youth development, the focus is on their strengths and assets, which in turn shifts (the youth's) focus and mindset desiring good life outcomes for themselves."
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Injustices Endured by the "Scottsboro Boys" Persist Today
Published On 4/17/2023
"At an event commemorating the imprisonment 92 years ago of the "Scottsboro Boys" -- nine African American teenagers -- for rape, a crime none of them committed, OJJDP Administrator Liz Ryan reiterated demands for racial equity in the juvenile justice system."
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National Youth Mentorship & Empowerment Initiative
Published On 4/14/2023
This new handbook is designed to inspire and provide tools to "support young people at risk of HIV, living with HIV, and experiencing homelessness and/or housing instability."
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Expediting Probation Processes to Improve Outcomes
Published On 4/13/2023
A new report on a successful St. Louis program that reduced incarceration for technical probation violations and reduced racial disparities contains ley recommendations.
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Map of Strategies for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice System
Published On 4/12/2023
Prosecutors release a new report "that maps strategies to advance racial equity in the criminal justice system."
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How a FOIA Loophole in Illinois Puts Kids at Risk
Published On 4/11/2023
Information related to the safety and well-being of youth in detention centers aren't subject to FOIA because they're governed by the judicial branch.
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A Search for Justice after a Mentally Ill 17-Year-Olod Stabs Janitor to Death
Published On 4/10/2023
"The murder and prosecution underscore the complicated search for justice when people who commit horrific crimes are young and mentally ill."
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What Happens When your Social Media Photos End up in the Hands of Police
Published On 4/7/2023
"Law enforcement agencies are using facial recognition, sometimes leading to wrongful arrests."
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Child Gun Deaths Rising in Illinois and U.S.
Published On 4/6/2023
"The number of children and teens killed by gunfire in the United States has increased 50% from 2019 to 2021."
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Urgent Action Needed for Youth in Mental Health Crisis
Published On 4/5/2023
"The Illinois Education Association and lawmakers want to scrutinize a state program that WBEZ found is failing to support low-income kids."
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How Sexually Abused Girls are Still Ending Up in Jails and Prisons
Published On 4/4/2023
"A new report on the sexual-abuse-to-prison pipeline says victims continue to be punished for the violence they endure."
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Screaming into the Void: Youth Voice in Institutional Placements
Published On 4/3/2023
"This comprehensive report includes an overview of youth grievance procedures in both the child welfare and delinquency systems, shortcomings, recommendations, and a model curriculum."
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Shooting Fallout: Metal Detectors In Elementary Schools?
Published On 3/31/2023
“American educators have long been trying to create safe spaces that feel less like prisons and more like schools. But ‘Metal detectors and clear backpacks are more likely to cause young children to be fearful and feel criminalized,’ said Amanda Nickerson, a school psychology professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo.”
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Chicago Appleseed Issues Report on ‘Testilying’
Published On 3/30/2023
The “report examines personal narratives and hard data to understand how and when opportunities for police to misstate the truth or outright lie arise; what perpetuates these opportunities; and what can be done by institutions and the community to reduce the court’s reliance on inaccurate testimony.”
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Virginia School Shooting Tests How Young Is Too Young to be Prosecuted
Published On 3/29/2023
“Nearly half of U.S. states (including Illinois) have no minimum age for prosecution, unlike most nations. The U.S. legal system requires that defendants be ‘competent’ to stand trial, meaning they can understand the proceedings and their consequences — something that experts say is impossible for a 6-year-old.”
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Police Deflection: Evaluating Training and Action Planning Efforts
Published On 3/28/2023
“Law enforcement-led deflection programs redirect individuals with behavioral health or other needs away from criminal justice system involvement and into treatment and services. ICJIA researchers evaluated three police-led deflection efforts to inform deflection program development across Illinois.”
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Why Fear of Crime More than Crime Itself is Holding Back America's Downtowns
Published On 3/28/2023
"People are Scared of urban centers. They shouldn't be."
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Finding Solutions For Crime – Without Politics Getting In The Way
Published On 3/27/2023
“Host Michel Martin talks to Thomas Abt, senior fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice, about non-partisan, research-based solutions” and “Ja'Ron Smith, a fellow with Right on Crime, a conservative criminal justice reform coalition.”
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Study Shows Low Safety Risk of Reducing Long Sentences
Published On 3/24/2023
“Recent Council on Criminal Justice research suggests that reducing sentences of 10 years or longer by modest margins could significantly reduce prison populations without damaging public safety.”
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Illinois governor lays out a roadmap for a ‘transformed’ youth mental health care system
Published On 3/23/2023
“Now, a fragmented, under-resourced system leaves many kids in crisis without enough support. A new report lays out 12 strategies to improve.”
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When It Comes To Gun Violence And Safety, Listen To Chicago’s Kids
Published On 3/22/2023
“Everyone’s talking about public safety, but is anyone talking to kids? The measure of Chicago’s safety cannot simply be a declining number of shootings or an increasing number of arrests.”
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Injustice, Inc.: How America’s Justice System Commodifies Children And The Poor
Published On 3/21/2023
“As Daniel L. Hatcher explains in his new book, Injustice, Inc., the more beds filled in detention facilities, the more children taken from their parents, the more evictions carried out, the more money for juvenile, family, and criminal courts and their corporate partners.”
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New Bill Could End Police Ticketing in Illinois Schools
Published On 3/20/2023
“A new bill in the Illinois House aims to stop schools from working with police to issue students tickets for minor misbehavior, a harmful and sometimes costly practice that many districts have continued despite pleas to stop from the state’s top education officials.”
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A Growing Number of States Say Those Convicted as Teens Deserve a Second Chance
Published On 3/17/2023
States are increasingly passing "second look" laws and expanding the pool of eligible young people to include those who were up to 25-years-old at the time of the offense.
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The Youth are on Fire
Published On 3/16/2023
Four of the youngest candidates for Chicago Police District Councils discussed, "the importance of having youth in public office and the perspectives they can bring that older candidates may not be able to."
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Chicago Sees Reduction in Murders as Group Works to Interrupt Cycles of Violence
Published On 3/15/2023
"Michael Chester and Donnell Gardner are among those working to interrupt cycles of violence, doing outreach for Chicago C.R.E.D in the West Pullman-Roseland area. 'What we do is create options for them -- better options -- and if you leave a person with no options, they are definitely going to destruct,' Gardner said."
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Teen's Family Sues Waukegan Cops for Extracting a False Confession
Published On 3/14/2023
Counsel said, "The Waukegan Police Department has stuck with discredited interrogation techniques pioneered in the 1950s by John E. Reid, a polygraph expert and former Chicago street cop who advised putting suspects under psychological pressure before offering help in exchange for a confession."
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Prosecutors & Judges Push for Conviction Reviews, Ban on Junk Science of 911 Call Analysis
Published On 3/13/2023
"Revelations that a new type of junk science known as 911 call analysis has infiltrated the justice system have triggered calls by prosecutors, judges, and defense attorneys nationwide to ban the use of the technique, review past convictions which it was used and exact sanctions against prosecutors who snuck it into court despite knowing it was inadmissible."
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Podcast: Part I of II -- Criminal : An Impossible Crime
Published On 3/11/2023
Daniel Taylor was 17-years-old when he was arrested for a 1992 double homicide in Chicago. But Daniel had an alibi. He was in jail at the time of the murders.
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Podcast: 'Desistance: It's a Process, Not an Event'
Published On 3/10/2023
Desistance is the process of individuals ceasing engagement in criminal activity. It may sound simple but it's quite complex, and the more we understand it, the better equipped we are to help accelerate the process before people are incarcerated.
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Firsthand: Life After Prison
Published On 3/9/2023
WTTW's new documentary series examines the challenges and opportunities awaiting Illinois' returning citizens.
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Children Who are in Juvenile Jail Because DCFS Can't Find Them a Home are being Harmed
Published On 3/8/2023
Andrea Lubelfeld's commentary in Chicago Tribune addresses the continuing crisis for dual status children in custody.
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Mayor Lori Lightfoot Removes City Hiring Barriers for Ex-Offenders
Published On 3/7/2023
"Lowering city hiring requirements to enable more formerly incarcerated people to find jobs could help slash crime. The mayor calls on the business community to follow suit."
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Long Prison Sentences are Cruel and Ineffective: Here's the Proof
Published On 3/6/2023
"Experts call for end of mandatory minimums and overreliance on incarceration, shift toward evidence-backed, restorative sentences."
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Bloomington-Normal Considers a Variety of Responses to Gun Violence
Published On 3/3/2023
An anticipated grant "could be used to fund things like a gun-buyback program, vouchers or gun safes to promote proper storage, and a summer camp for 30-40 junior high students."
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Paula Wolff Named One of Six Illinois Lincoln Laureates
Published On 3/2/2023
Paula's impressive and varied 50-year career has brought equitable reforms to Illinois' justice system, including those affecting system-involved-youth. She currently serves as the Policy Advisor of the Illinois Justice Project.
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Report: Court Fines Promote Juvenile Recidivism, Not Rehabilitation
Published On 3/1/2023
"When we think about the range of punishments that can be handed down, whether to adults or juveniles, the last thing we want to do is make the problem worse."
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Not in Isolation: Voices of Youth – One Life Too Many
Published On 2/28/2023
Episode 3 of this podcast series examines the life of Kalief Browder and alternatives to the use of incarceration, solitary confinement and the justice system.
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IL State Officials Sued for Allowing Foster Children to Languish in Juvenile Detention
Published On 2/27/2023
“The lawsuit against the Department of Children and Family Services officials comes after an investigation by the Illinois Answers Project found that the problem was only getting worse.”
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Lack of Rural Lawyers Leaves Much of America Without Support
Published On 2/24/2023
“Some 40% of all counties in the United States — 1,272 of 3,141 — have fewer than one lawyer per 1,000 residents, so few that they are considered “legal deserts,” according to the most comprehensive survey of attorneys available, conducted by the American Bar Association in 2020.” Dozens of Illinois counties have 0 to 2 attorneys.
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Electronic Monitoring of Girls Fails to Reduce Recidivism
Published On 2/23/2023
“The findings indicate that girls may be better off without electronic monitoring, which may be imposed in lieu of requirements to seek treatment and social service supports and could inhibit participation in recreational and other pro-social activities.”
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Data Driven Decarceration
Published On 2/22/2023
"A close analysis of prison data can help us think strategically about the tradeoffs of different approaches to ending mass incarceration."
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Project Lifeline Helps Youth Go from Juvenile Court to College
Published On 2/21/2023
"For the past 28 year, in partnership with the Juvenile Court of Cook County, Project Lifeline has worked to provide financial assistance, mentorship and other support services for young people who have had interactions with the juvenile justice system."
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IL Official Sued for Allowing Foster Children to Languish in Juvenile Detention
Published On 2/20/2023
"The lawsuit against the Department of Children and Family Services officials comes after an investigation by the Illinois Answers Project found that the problem was only getting worse."
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'Children of The State' Examines The American Juvenile Justice System
Published On 2/17/2023
A new book 'provides background on the evolution of America's juvenile justice system -- but it is primarily about people, not statistics. Many of the statistics are grim and the outcomes depressing. America's penal system is overly punitive, infected by racism, and generally not geared toward rehabilitation, Hobbs writes."
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What It's Like Serving a Life Sentence in Prison with No Chance of Release
Published On 2/16/2023
"When Calvin Duncan was 19-years-old, he was arrested for a murder he didn't commit" and spent 24 years in Louisiana's infamous Angola prison. "Since becoming a free man in 2011, Duncan has dedicated his time to telling the stories of those still inside, through an immersive digital experience called The Visiting Room Project."
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'Get Your Hands Off Me': Student Arrest Puts Role of School Police Under Scrutiny
Published On 2/15/2023
"A Tennessee high school student was violently arrested after refusing to play kickball in gym class. Body camera footage has renewed scrutiny over the role of school police."
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Thousands were Released from Prison during Covid, The Results are Shocking
Published On 2/14/2023
"To protect those most vulnerable to Covid-19 during the pandemic, more than 11,000 people were eventually released. Of those, the Bureau of Prisons reported that only 17 of them committed new crimes. That's not a typo. Seventeen."
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A Lonely Child Finds His Way out of Abuse & Homelessness, Landing Him Behind Bars
Published On 2/13/2023
"First in a three-part series on a teenager with a tumultous childhood sent to die in prison, and where his life would lead."
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Illegal Gun Carrying: Motives, Consequences, and Illinois Arrest Trends
Published On 2/10/2023
"In communities with high levels of gun violence, individuals may carry guns for protection. These individuals may never intend to, or actually, fire them, however, if arrested for possession, they may face a felony conviction. The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority has summarized literature on why individuals illegally carry guns, how they obtain them, and the criminal legal ramifications they may face. In addition, we examined Illinois gun related arrest data collected between 2012 and 2021."
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Is It Forensics or Is It Junk Science?
Published On 2/9/2023
"Dubious forensic techniques have spread throughout the criminal justice system for decades. Here's what ProPublica has learned about junk forensic science techniques and how they proliferate."
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Podcast Focuses on Youth Probation & System Reform
Published On 2/8/2023
The RFK National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice has launched Season 2 of its podcast series with Episode One: Critical Keys to Successful Probation & Youth Justice System Reform.
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Should Rap Lyrics Be Used in Criminal Trials?
Published On 1/31/2023
"Erik Nielson, co-author of 'Rap on Trial: Race, Lyrics, and Guilt in America," and a professor at the University of Richmond, said rap lyrics have been used as evidence in more than 500 cases against artists since 1991: 'Not only do prosecutors cherry pick lyrics and decontexualize them to serve their own purposes, but they often do it without any knowledge or understanding of rap music at all.'"
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In Cook County, Black Youth Make Up 70% of the Foster Care System
Published On 1/30/2023
"Advocates say more support is needed after they age out. This has to do with broader society issues around our criminal justice system that sometimes breaks up families, around resources that are available to lower income Black families in particular."
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Congresswoman Introduces $250 Million Bill to Address Public Defender Shortage
Published On 1/27/2023
"The ill, titled the Ensuring Quality Access to Legal Defense Act or 'EQUAL' Defense act for short, would spread $250 million in federal grant money across the country."
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Tennessee SC Mandatory Life Sentence for juvenile Homicide Offenders are Unconstitutional
Published On 1/26/2023
"Tennessee's Supreme Court ruled Friday that the state's 51-year minimum sentence for juvenile homicide offenders violates the Eighth Amendment's protection against "cruel and unusual" punishment. With the ruling, such lengthy sentences for juvenile homicide offenders are effectively ended in the United States, as Tennessee was the last remaining state to require that such offenders serve at least 50 years before being eligible for parole."
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How Illinois Courts are Hidden from FOIA
Published On 1/25/2023
"The judicial branch also oversees probation and pretrial services, including oversight of the 16 juvenile detention centers in Illinois. Since probation records fall under the purview of the courts they are FOIA-exempt. Illinois is one of only three states where probation and pretrial program data is not subject to FOIA or public records laws."
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Youth Curfews Feed Kids into the Criminal System. But Cities Keep Expanding Them.
Published On 1/24/2023
"Youth who are not safe in their home, or lack a stable home, will be subject to police and court involvement regardless of whether they are involved in any delinquent or criminal activity. Curfews serve as an entry into the school to prison pipeline."
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Juvenile Law Center Launches Digital Youth Advocacy Toolkit
Published On 1/23/2023
" Juvenile Law Center launched a Digital Youth Advocacy Toolkit based on a prior report entitled Building the field of Ethical, Authentic, and Youth-led Advocacy Key Components of a Youth Advocacy Program. The tool will offer resources to people looking to start or strengthen their own Youth Advocacy Program."
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St. Clair County Public Defender’s Office ‘Collapsing’
Published On 1/20/2023
“Chief Public Defender Cathy MacElroy has started the process of asking the 20th Judicial Circuit court to allow her office to withdraw from cases due to lack of funds and lack of attorneys. She insists that she has no choice. ‘It is not ethically possible for us to provide adequate representation to clients with the amount of cases we have with only five full-time lawyers,’ MacElroy said.”
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US States Fail to Protect Children’s Rights
Published On 1/19/2023
“A new Human Rights Watch interactive scorecard assessed 12 specific state laws in all 50 states against standards set by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the primary international treaty on the rights of children. The laws address four issues: child marriage, corporal punishment, child labor, and juvenile justice. The United States is the only country that has failed to ratify the Convention, ratified by 196 countries.” Illinois earned an F.
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Illinois Redeploy Report on Reduction of DJJ Commitments
Published On 1/18/2023
“From its inception 17 years ago, Redeploy Illinois programs have provided individualized, intensive services to 4,842 youth and their families. The successful implementation of this program has resulted in Redeploy Illinois counties reducing commitments to IDJJ by 65%, nearly 4,000 fewer youth being committed to IDJJ over the program’s 17 years and a cost avoidance for Illinois taxpayers of more than $158 million in unnecessary incarceration costs.” 48 counties currently participate in Redeploy.
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Presiding Cook County Juvenile Judge Toomin Retiring
Published On 1/17/2023
"Stepping away from bench and a decade of leading juvenile court, sometimes-controversial judge 'happy to have been part of it.'"
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JHA Calls for Increased Independent Oversight in Illinois County Juvenile Detention Centers
Published On 1/16/2023
“Despite incarcerating more children than state-run juvenile justice facilities, county detention centers have less oversight.” And “the need to support youth in county custody is not a theoretical one. Recent inspections have begun to document pervasive issues at county detention centers, including the excessive isolation of youth detained in Knox, Franklin, Adams, LaSalle, Madison, St. Clair, Will, Winnebago, and Cook Counties.”
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The School That Calls the Police on Students Every Other Day
Published On 1/13/2023
“An Illinois school for students with disabilities has routinely used the police to handle discipline, resulting in the highest arrest rate of any district in the country. In one recent year, half of Garrison School students were arrested.”
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Illinois Legislature Moves To Abolish Life Without Parole Sentences For Children & Young Adults
Published On 1/12/2023
“With a bipartisan vote, the Illinois Senate today passed House Bill 1064, which would ensure most people sentenced before age 21 can seek a limited parole review. The House approved the measure in April 2022.” The bill awaits the Governor’s signature.
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ACLU Continues Fight for Child Arrested For a Threatening Drawing
Published On 12/20/2022
“The suit accused the officers of false arrest and excessive force. The suit also included claims for disability and race discrimination. The girl, identified in the suit as N.B., was ultimately never criminally charged.”
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Illinois Prison Project Hosts a Bi-monthly Drop-in Legal Clinic Via Zoom
Published On 12/19/2022
“IPP’s legal clinic will provide legal advice and consultation to people who have loved ones incarcerated in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Clinic hours will focus on commutation and administrative remedies and is a great opportunity to ask questions directly to one of their attorneys. IPP also holds regular teach-ins via Zoom around their Commutation Toolkit for families and loved ones.”
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A 10-Year-Old Boy Shot and Killed His Mother. Wisconsin Is Charging Him As an Adult.
Published On 12/16/2022
“There is little utility to charging 10-year-olds as adults, yet Wisconsin still mandates the practice in certain cases.”
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Cops Say They Only Use Facial Recognition for Leads, But It’s Often the Sole Basis for Arrests
Published On 12/15/2022
“A landmark report on facial recognition from the Georgetown Law Center on Privacy & Technology, found that law enforcement agencies are often using the technology as the sole basis for putting people in jail despite claiming they don’t and despite a growing body of evidence that the technology has serious problems with accuracy and bias.”
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OJJDP Develops Action Plan with Input From Youth and Other Stakeholders
Published On 12/14/2022
“‘The system is made for people like me to fail.’ A panel of justice-involved youth addressed the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention on October 26, describing difficulties they experienced in the juvenile justice system and challenges they overcame to turn their lives around.”
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Is The Chicago Police Gang Database Tactic An End Run Around The New Accountability Board?
Published On 12/13/2022
“The battle over the gang database follows another perceived slight to the commission, where a report they drafted in early November that was critical of the proposed police budget went largely ignored.”
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Federal Lawsuit Filed in May 2022 Shooting of 13-year-old by CPD Officer
Published On 12/12/2022
"Civil rights attorneys have re-filed a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of a teen left paralyzed from the waist down after he was shot by a Chicago police officer earlier this year, with lawyers arguing that the officer shouldn't have been on the streets in the first place."
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'Dying Inside': Chaos and Cruelty in Louisiana Juvenile Detention
Published On 12/9/2022
"Repeated abuses, overlooked complaints and a surge in suicide attempts at a detention center with powerful allies... 'It was inhumane and we were children.'"
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Lawsuit Forces CPD to Improve Access to Lawyers for Detainees
Published On 12/8/2022
"Attorneys long have complained that their clients 'disappear' after being taken into police custody, their location unknown and unreachable by lawyers and loved ones, allowing police to conduct marathon interrogations that have led to wrongful convictions. The settlement agreement, which takes effect in February, essentially spells out steps CPD will take to comply with existing law -- including the 5th an 6th Amendments."
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Plea-Bargaining and Mass Incarceration Go Hand-in-Hand
Published On 12/7/2022
"Plea-bargaining lets courts incarcerate people for decades with little accountability. When it comes time to negotiate a plea bargain, it is prosecutors who hold all the power. They control the charges and what to offer based on those charges. They also have the means to increase the chances the other side feels forced to take the offer."
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Student 'Peace Warriors' at Chicago's West side Schools Spread Message of Non-Violence
Published On 12/6/2022
"The Peace Warriors program, a central part of the West Side charter school's efforts to confront gun violence by centering students' needs, trains students to mediate conflicts, support grieving classmates and bring peace and happiness to school by greeting peers at the front door and leaving celebratory birthday notes on lockers."
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Cook County Justice Advisory Council Electronic Monitoring Review
Published On 12/5/2022
"The report recommends that Cook County dramatically shrink its pretrial electronic monitoring program, recommends that the pretrial electric monitoring programs be consolidated under the Office of the Chief Judge or under a statewide office of pretrial services, and finds that the Sheriff's 'incarcerate first, ask questions later' policy for people who have allegedly violated conditions of pretrial release has the potential to violate people's due process rights, and recommends that it should be replaced with a system that re-incarcerates people only after a judge has given an explicit order to do so."
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Chicago Sheriff Systematically Denies New Rights Laid Out in Criminal Justice Reform
Published On 12/2/2022
"New rules around pretrial electronic monitoring are being ignored in Cook County, with Illinois lawmakers pushing to undo even more reforms."
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Youth Probation Reform: A Toolkit for State Advisory Groups
Published On 12/1/2022
"Traditional, surveillance-oriented probation, in particular, is ineffective at preventing or deterring delinquent behavior, with especially poor results for youth at low risk of re-arrest. Incentive-based models, meanwhile, are known to be more effective, because they help youths learn and implement new, desired behaviors. The "Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) released a new toolkit to help State Advisory Groups leverage their policy and fiduciary authority to further probation reform in their states and territories."
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Mental Health Programs to Start in Select Suburbs After Voters Approved Property Tax Hikes
Published On 11/30/2022
"Publicly subsidized counseling, therapy and medical care soon will be available in Will County, Schaumburg, Wheeling, and Vernon townships, and three DuPage townships after voters approved property taxes for new mental health programs. Upon approval by township or county boards, the mental health boards will distribute the money in grants to service providers for domestic violence, alcoholism, autism, behavioral and emotional issues."
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Boys Will Be Men
Published On 11/29/2022
"The Outlet provides one-on-one mentoring, group mentoring, social and emotional learning, career development, life coaching and college preparation" for boys and young men from 8 to 22. It serves youth and families in Springfield, Lincoln, Decatur, Jacksonville, Sherman, Auburn and Chatham, and counts the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice as one of its partners.
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Stop Trying Juveniles in Adult Court
Published On 11/28/2022
"What does society want back in the long run? Someone who has been rehabilitated in the juvenile system?
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Youths Demand Money for Mental Health, Protest Increased Police Funding
Published On 11/25/2022
"Holding banners that read "Treatment, not trauma," about 100 youth protesters filled the City Hall lobby Friday to push for more mental health clinics in impoverished parts of the city while demanding less money for police officers.
The protesters were drawing attention to a question on the ballot this November asking voters in the 20th and 33rd wards, as well as in four precincts of the 6th Ward, if the mental health clinics closed in 2012 by then Mayor Rahm Emanuel should be reopened."
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The Law of Disposable Children
Published On 11/24/2022
"According to the study, schools do not discipline students equally and often punish students for minor wrongdoings. destroying their educational and future lives. According to the Transforming School Discipline Collaborative, Illinois had 340,644 suspensions, expulsions and transfers to alternative schools in place of other disciplinary measures."
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Art Program Helps Former, Current Incarcerated Youth Create
Published On 11/23/2022
In Chicago, "SkyART creates a safe space for youth ages 14-21 in the juvenile justice system. Instead of talk therapy, they're utilizing art therapy."
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Study: Text Message Reminders Can Help Stop People from Missing Parole or Probation Meetings
Published On 11/22/2022
"It's a little thing, but thousands of people end up in jail over these types of avoidable technical violations."
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Moving Away from Deception when Interrogating Young Suspects
Published On 11/21/2022
"Psychologists and interviewing experts agree on better ways to question youth."
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GoodKids, MadCity Sues over Youth Curfew
Published On 11/18/2022
"Youth organizers say the rules need to be adapted to ensure police are not citing them for curfew violations when they do after hours community work like monitoring cops and peacekeeping."
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Champaign Juvenile Detention Center Halts out of County Boarding after Staffing Boost
Published On 11/17/2022
"The facility also got a six month waiver from the Administrative Office of Illinois Courts allowing for hiring detention officers without bachelor's degrees. Juvenile detention officers still must have 60 hours of college credit or a high school diploma with years of law enforcement experience or experience at a detention or residential care facility. Of the eight people hired so far, five of those were hired under the waiver."
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New Data Visualization Tools for IDOC Population Public Datasets
Published On 11/16/2022
John Howard Association's new "data visualization tools enable different presentations of data regarding the Illinois prison population -- they can be limited by date and prison and have different tabs for looking at different variables. These were built from IDOC's public datasets."
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Permanent Punishment
Published On 11/15/2022
"Economic-sanctions. Collateral consequences. Permanent punishments. There are 44,000 restrictive federal laws, rules, and policies that continue to penalize people long after they have served their sentence in prison. This WTTW News four-part series hosted by Chicago Tonight co-anchor Brandis Friedman examines the stark reality faced by nearly 3.3 million men and women in Illinois."
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Chicago Youth Curfew Disparately Enforced & Had Little Effect on Crime
Published On 11/14/2022
"Some aldermen, including on who supported it, said the curfew change was a 'waste of time.' Now, activists want the curfew repealed -- and they might sue over it."
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Chicago Police Department Moving Dispatch Traffic to Encrypted System
Published On 11/11/2022
Per the city, "Having encrypted radios will provide added protection for communities and the personal information of victims, suspects, witnesses, and juveniles. It also will enhance officer safety and prevent suspects from gaining a tactical advantage by listening to live incidents and investigations."
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Graduates of Restorative Justice Court Program Hope for a Bright Future
Published On 11/10/2022
"The North Lawndale court was founded in 2017 as the first Restorative Justice Community Court in Cook
County. Others have since been added in Avondale and Englewood. Of the young people who enter the North Lawndale program, 84% do not go back into the criminal justice system. The courts resolve conflict through restorative conferences and peace circles involving participants, victims, family members, friends, others affected by the crime and the community."
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Stop Trying Juveniles in Adult Court
Published On 11/9/2022
"This year in Sangamon County, the state's atorney successfully sought the removal of two cases involving adolescents to adult court for trial. It's true that their crimes are serious, each involving a loss of life, but adult court is the wrong place for juveniles for 3 reasons."
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Opinion in Fatal Chicago Police Shooting of Adam Toledo
Published On 11/8/2022
"The Chicago Police Board president has announced his recommendation for the officer who shot and killed 13-year-old Adam Toledo last year. That recommendation says Officer Eric Stillman should face a disciplinary hearing."
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Closing the Gap Advances in Youth Access to Counsel at Arrest
Published On 11/7/2022
"The U.S. is an outlier when it comes to allowing children to be interrogated without a lawyer present. This report outlines the recent wave of legislation being enacted to ensure that children have access to counsel after arrest and prior to interrogation."
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State Investigation Reveals Racial Disparities in Student Discipline & Police Involvement
Published On 11/4/2022
"The Illinois civil rights probe of the state's largest high school district comes after ProPublica and the Chicago Tribune documented thousands of police tickets issued to students for minor infractions. The information provided to state officials by Township High School District 211 reveals widespread disparities involving not just students of color but also those with disabilities."
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Two Views On Illinois’ New SAFE-T Act
Published On 11/3/2022
“WGN News invited two top prosecutors who belong to the same political party but have vastly different views of the SAFE-T Act for a discussion - Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser and Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart.”
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Senators Push to Reform Police’s Cellphone Tracking Tools
Published On 11/2/2022
“Concerns about police use of the tool known as ‘Fog Reveal’ raised in an investigation by The Associated Press published earlier this month also surfaced in a Federal Trade Commission hearing three weeks ago. Police agencies have been using the platform to search hundreds of billions of records gathered from 250 million mobile devices, and hoover up people’s geolocation data to assemble so-called “patterns of life,” according to thousands of pages of records about the company.”
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MI Proposes Juvenile Justice Reforms after Story of Teen Locked up for Missing Homework Exposed Gaps
Published On 10/31/2022
"A Michigan task force Friday recommended a series of reforms designed to keep young people out of detention facilities and provide them with better legal representation and more community help, such as family counseling and mental health treatment."
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Today is Girls' Justice Day
Published On 10/28/2022
Rights 4 Girls is hosting the 7th annual Girls' Justice Day. The event works to raise awareness during Youth Justice Action Month about the conditions that fuel the criminalization of girls across the country.
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Some Chicago Police Misconduct Complaints to be Handled by Independent Mediators
Published On 10/27/2022
"In a typical mediations session, an independent mediator guides a conversation between the complainant and the officer 'with the goal of reaching a common understanding between the parties,' according to the District of Columbia's Office of Police Complaints. Sessions are booked for two hours.
But the program may only be effective if it's structured properly and officers are willing to participate in the sessions...Officers will not be required to attend the mediations, Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara said in a text. He did not comment further."
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An Overview of Police Use of Force Policies and Research
Published On 10/26/2022
ICJIA's "literature review provides an overview of theories on why police use of force occurs. Theories are based on officer characteristics, types of situations, organizational norms, and police policies and procedures. The review includes data and research on use of force including disparities in its use."
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How to Protect Yourself if Your School Uses Surveillance Tech
Published On 10/25/2022
If your school (or your child's school) uses monitoring software, there are a couple steps you can take to protect your privacy - and start a conversation with your school."
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IL DJJ Youth Art Featured at Weinberg/Newton Gallery
Published On 10/24/2022
"'Can You See Me' will be on display until December 17, and will highlight the humanity and potential of young people affected by the juvenile justice system. The goal of the project is to explore how art can be a tool of justice and healing."
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More than Half a Million People in Prison May Soon be Able to Afford College
Published On 10/21/2022
"People who have participated in these programs have 48 percent lower odds of returning to prison than those who have not. The RAND Corporation estimates that every dollar invested in prison-based education saves taxpayers five dollars from reduced incarceration costs. Lower reincarceration rates can cut the cost of state prison spending nationally by hundreds of millions of dollars every year."
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IDOC Announces Comprehensive College Education in Prison Policy
Published On 10/20/2022
"October 3rd marked the first day that the IL Department of Corrections' (IDOC) new policy on post-secondary education went into effect across the state. This policy, written with input from experts from the Vera Institute of Justice, is designed to address long-standing challenges identified by two-year and four-year college partners that may have previously obstructed individuals from completing degrees while incarcerated.
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Can You Punish a Child's Mental Health Problems Away?
Published On 10/19/2022
"Our society is failing some of our most vulnerable by warehousing them in an industry that is woefully equipped to deal with their mental health needs."
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For Cook County Residents Under Electronic Monitoring, False Alarms Can be a Nightmare
Published On 10/18/2022
"More than 3,000 Cook County residents are ordered by a court to wear an ankle monitor, meaning they can get arrested if they leave their house, job, and other permitted locations. But a study from the University of Chicago found that about 80% of signals from ankle monitors are false alarms."
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October is Youth Justice Action Month
Published On 10/17/2022
"Each year, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) joins its partners to raise awareness and educate the public about the impact of the justice system on children." OJJDP sponsors events and provides resources in support.
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Scanning Students' Rooms during Remote Tests is Unconstitutional, Judge Rules
Published On 10/14/2022
"A federal judge this week sided with a student at Cleveland State University in Ohio, who alleged that a room scan taken before his online test as a proctoring measure was unconstitutional."
Are there similar implications for room scans during remote court proceedings?
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Courts Have Ruled that Sentencing Kids to Die in Prison is Cruel and Unusual
Published On 10/13/2022
"With U.S. taxpayers now spending upwards of $81 billion annually on incarceration, treating 18-year-olds as adults has staggering costs."
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Drop in Youth Crimes Punctures 'Myth' of Failed Reforms
Published On 10/12/2022
"Now is no time to yield to mythology about youth crime and reverse hard-won juvenile justice reforms. That's because a report released this month by the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) revealed something that many may find hard to believe - youth crime is down, and down sharply."
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Battling the 'Punishment Mentality': A Healthier Approach to At-Risk Youth
Published On 10/11/2022
"On any given day, nearly 60,000 youth under the age of 18 are incarcerated in juvenile jails and prisons in the United States. Most of them are subject to a regime of discipline or punishment that experts claim have proven their effectiveness. Paul Boxer believes such methods do more harm than good."
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Chicago Schools Started Removing Police Two Years Ago. What's Happened Since?
Published On 10/10/2022
"Two years after CPS empowered local schools' councils to make the decision to keep or remove police, momentum to remove officers from campuses appears to have slowed - and, because the district has released few details about the impact, it's hard to tell if a different approach to safety is working."
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Educational Aid for Prisoners Works. Yet It's Politically Precarious.
Published On 10/7/2022
"All Americans benefit from higher education for those incarcerated. A new proposal from the Education Department has approved extending federal Pell Grant eligibility to prisoners beginning in 2023. The proposal to codify Pell Grants eligibility came from numerous studies and experiments in the past decade indicating that inmates who receive degrees while incarcerated are better prepared to reenter society. They are also less likely to reoffend and return to prison."
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Better Public Defense Curbs Wrongful Convictions
Published On 10/6/2022
"In places where we have been able to expand public defense and collaborate with community groups to present judges and prosecutors with the truth of our clients' lives by implanting well-trained advocates in public defenders' offices across the country, we have seen tremendous results. One estimate places the number of years of incarceration eliminated by these stories at more than 4,000 years." Investing in public defense also saves taxpayers up to $50,000 per year for every person not wrongfully placed in prison.
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DOJ Admits it has No Idea How Many People Die in Law Enforcement Custody
Published On 10/5/2022
"The federal government has failed to count thousands of deaths in law enforcement custody over the past three years, the Department of Justice conceded in a report published last week.
In total, more than 5,000 deaths in the criminal legal system have gone uncounted over the past nearly three years. Fifteen states failed to report any arrest-related deaths in that period, and seven states failed to report any deaths in local jails."
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What happens to the Children Who are Wards of the State?
Published On 10/4/2022
"Foster care youth become trapped by the state systems never created to truly nurture them or their families. Abolition offers a path forward."
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Training for Cook Probation Staff Aimed at Better Supporting & Redirecting Youth
Published On 10/3/2022
The Cook County Juvenile Probation department is one of 11 jurisdictions chosen by The Annie E. Casey Foundation and School & Main Institute (SMI) to receive professional development based on the Reimagining Juvenile Justice (RJJ) curriculum. The training is rooted in adolescent development research, which indicates that young people respond well to a positive environment and supportive, caring adults. The professional development series encourages participants to shift their mindsets by thinking outside of their traditional roles to develop reforms that engage young people and families. RJJ aims to help frontline staff better support, divert and redirect youth to appropriate and fair justice options.
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America’s Jails Are In Crisis: Elected Officials Should Visit Them
Published On 9/27/2022
“They will meet many people that do not need to be there. Yes, there are some dangerous people behind bars, but there are many others who no longer need to be incarcerated, either because they have been rehabilitated, were sentenced too harshly initially or because they’ve grown old or sick. By 2030, one-third of people in prison will be aged 55 and older — a population of more than 400,000.”
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Changes Are Proposed To Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program As Part Of Student-Loan Debt Relief
Published On 9/20/2022
“The administration is proposing changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program to create an easier path to loan forgiveness, according to the White House fact sheet.”
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Pacific Juvenile Defender Center Receives the 2022 Champion of State Criminal Justice Reform Award
Published On 9/19/2022
Since its creation in 1999, “PJDC supports and trains more than 1,600 juvenile court lawyers, appellate lawyers, law school clinical programs, and pro bono lawyers whose goal is to improve the quality of legal representation provided to the state’s youth. In addition to their advocacy to shrink and eventually close the state juvenile institutional system, prohibit the incarceration of youth for court order violations, address racial disparities, and eliminate solitary confinement, over the last 15 years, PJDC led the movement to end the tough-on-crime policy of transferring children to adult courts. Their work to end this practice consisted of a multi-pronged strategy including strategic litigation, amicus support, public education campaigns, and legislative reform. Due to their zealous advocacy, in 2020, just 25 youth were transferred to adult courts in the state of California, compared to 1,115 in 2009.”
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Rap Lyrics As Evidence: Hip-Hop Has Long Decried The Double Standard
Published On 9/16/2022
“‘I always worry in this country when the quantum of proof that should be needed in a criminal case, somebody has to try to use music lyrics to bolster that level of proof – especially with the tortured history in this country of not having people in the system treated the same as others.’”
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‘We Will Chicago’ Draft Plan Includes Trauma-Informed Policy Initiatives
Published On 9/15/2022
“We Will Chicago is the city's first citywide plan since 1966 and will serve as a guiding framework to help align public policy, legislative, and financial decisions with the needs and priorities of Chicago residents over the next ten years. Included throughout the plan are several strategies to address issues related to trauma and foster the resilience and well-being of all Chicagoans.”

Chicago residents, business owners, students, workers, and visitors are invited to provide feedback on the draft goals and objectives.
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Tired of Scare Tactics?
Published On 9/14/2022
The Cook County Public Defender’s Office has issue an informative set of questions and answers regarding the effects of the Illinois Pretrial Fairness Act.
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Mentors for Incarcerated Youth: ‘We Are the Alternative’
Published On 9/13/2022
“A growing movement aims to disrupt violence by connecting incarcerated youth with mentors, [including] a burgeoning intervention program known as the Credible Messenger Mentoring Movement (CM3). Fernandez is the lead national trainer for CM3, which is expanding youth mentorship and rehabilitative programs in communities across the nation most impacted by violent crime.”
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Youth Crime Is Down, But Media Often Casts A Different Narrative
Published On 9/12/2022
“Violent crimes committed by juveniles is on the decline but it might not always seem that way. Professor Vincent Schiraldi tells NPR's Michel Martin that's partly to do with how media covers crime.”
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The Criminal Justice System Is A Revolving Door. Restorative Justice Might Be A Better Way.
Published On 9/8/2022
“Tanya Woods, a restorative justice proponent who runs the Westside Justice Center: ‘One would think that, if we kept punishing people, we would see less crime, but there’s no data to support that. When we take this approach, we are looking at people who can come back to communities. We are looking at actual accountability and not just punishment. And we are looking at creating new pathways to restoring and reconnecting communities that actually work.’”
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Is There A Racist Pattern Of Gun Arrests In Chicago?
Published On 9/7/2022
“Takenya Nixon, assistant public defender with the Cook County Public Defenders, joins Lisa Dent on Chicago’s Afternoon News to explain why she feels there’s a racist pattern with gun arrests in Chicago.”
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New Fact Sheet: Incarcerated Women and Girls
Published On 9/6/2022
The Sentencing Project new fact sheet reveals that while the number of incarcerated girls has fallen since 2000, their arrest rates are on the rise. As with boys, racial disparities exist with their system involvement. And as compared to boys, they have higher incarceration rates for low level offenses.
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A Lawyer In Your Pocket: Apps Aim To Change Traffic Stops Forever With Legal Advice, Live-Streaming
Published On 9/5/2022
“Being stopped by police could lead to a warning, a ticket, a night in jail or a tragedy. But several apps aim to empower drivers who see flashing lights in their rearview mirror by informing them of their rights, recording the encounter — and even offering real-time legal advice.”
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The Progressive Prosecutor Movement Has Limits. Public Defenders Can Do More.
Published On 9/2/2022
“A more sustainable tool for criminal justice reform — maybe our most powerful yet — is to invest in public defenders. Their jobs align more closely with the goals of reform and have the potential to lead to safer communities, yet they remain chronically underfunded.”
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What Youth Say About Their Reentry Needs
Published On 9/1/2022
A new webinar from the Performance-based Standards Learning Institute provides insight from those most closely affected on what re-entry supports are necessary to successfully help system-involved youth transition back into their communities.
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A Judge Says Shaken-Baby Cases Rely on 'Junk Science'
Published On 8/31/2022
“The pediatric neurosurgeon who first popularized shaken-baby syndrome has doubts about how it is used in courtrooms today.”
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The Artists Taking on Mass Incarceration
Published On 8/30/2022
“More and more art is challenging long-held assumptions about the criminal justice system.” Chicago artist Maria Gaspar is documenting and collecting materials from a demolition project at the Cook County Jail, “that she and a group of jailed artists, collaborators who comprise what she terms an ensemble, will use in conceiving an experimental performance piece that reflects on absence and presence.”
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See If Police in Your State Reported Crime Data to the FBI
Published On 8/29/2022
“Nearly 40% of the 18,000 law enforcement agencies across the U.S. failed to report crime data to the FBI's national database in 2021 after the transition to a new collection system. The transition creates huge gaps in national crime stats sure to be exploited by politicians in this election year.

In Illinois, 12% of law enforcement agencies reported a full year of crime data to the FBI.” 43 states and the District of Columbia did better.
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More Kids Are Going Back To School. So Why Is Laptop Surveillance Increasing?
Published On 8/26/2022
“NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Wired reporter Pia Ceres about surveillance programs on school laptops and how law enforcement's access to them creates a major privacy issue for students.”
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HBCUs Are Building A New Prison-To-College Pipeline
Published On 8/25/2022
“Stanley Andrisse says his 21-year-old self, who was once facing 20 years to life in prison, could never have imagined his life today: Andrisse is now an endocrinologist, scientist and professor at Howard University's College of Medicine. He has a Ph.D., an MBA, and a lab full of students who affectionately call him Dr. Stan.”
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Judicial Organization Releases Infographic on Community-Based Alternatives to Youth Confinement
Published On 8/24/2022
“The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges has released an infographic for judicial leadership and juvenile justice stakeholders on the benefits of community-based alternatives to secure confinement for justice-involved youth as well as for the communities where they live. The infographic offers strategies for implementing community-based alternatives to youth incarceration, explains which youth should be considered, details possible outcomes, and more.”
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West, South Side Groups Are Getting A Share Of $75 Million To Support Gun Violence Prevention
Published On 8/23/2022
“Cook County is funding 37 community groups in Chicago to scale up programs that ‘address the root causes of violence and crime in our communities,’ board President Toni Preckwinkle said.”
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Report Details ‘Cruel’ And ‘Unconscionable’ Treatment Of Patients In Illinois Prisons
Published On 8/22/2022
“A federal monitor says substandard healthcare persists—with horrific consequences—more than a decade after a lawsuit was supposed to compel changes.”
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College Requirements for Police Forces Can Save Black Lives, But At What Cost?
Published On 8/19/2022
“Results demonstrated that college minimums are associated with as much as three times lower rates of police-related fatalities involving Black people than police forces without a college degree requirement.

But [researchers] also made an alarming discovery – Black residents were arrested four times more frequently in cities requiring a college degree for new officers. Indeed, more studies are needed.”
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I Stole to Feed My Family and Was Incarcerated. We Need Resources, Not Prisons.
Published On 8/18/2022
“When I was finally caught at age 14, I stood before the judge and he called me ‘a menace to society.’ The family shoplifter of meat and shoes, a menace to society.

Did the judge know what it was like to be hungry? Did the judge know what it was like to grow up in poverty, a poverty I thought I would never overcome? Did the judge know what it was like to be extracted from your home and dumped into the streets?”
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Prosecutors Told Not To Subpoena Witnesses For Trial Preparation As Office Revamps Policies
Published On 8/17/2022
“Some Cook County prosecutors have been instructed not to subpoena witnesses for dates when their testimony is not required in court, the Tribune has learned, halting a common practice of seeking court orders summoning witnesses to meet with prosecutors ahead of trial.

The advisement came days after a lawsuit filed in federal court last week alleged that it is unconstitutional and abusive to subpoena witnesses simply to help prosecutors prepare for trial.”
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When the Accused Is Just 18: How Brain Science Complicates 'Adult' Criminal Justice
Published On 8/16/2022
“Violent crimes involving suspects 18 or younger lead critics to question whether the criminal justice system has become too lenient. Harrington suggests while the public might seek further reforms, it needs to be careful not to overcompensate in the other direction.”
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Prosecutors, Including Kim Foxx, Pledge to Visit Prisons and Detention Centers
Published On 8/15/2022
65 elected prosecutors have pledged “to personally visit the prison, jail, and juvenile facilities in which individuals prosecuted by their offices are detained, and to require prosecutors in their offices to do the same.

We need to see firsthand the many ways that incarceration can actually worsen a person’s circumstances, rather than rehabilitate them. Prosecutors cannot fully understand this – or recognize how alternative responses in community settings can at times be a better approach – when they have never seen up close the conditions people are subject to inside our nation’s prisons and jails.”
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Hawaii Has No Girls In Juvenile Detention. Here’s How It Got There.
Published On 8/12/2022
“This moment is ‘20 years in the making,’ and the result of a systemwide effort to divert girls from the judicial system and into trauma-based care programs. The number of incarcerated boys has also lowered significantly in the past decade.”
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ICJIA Research Spotlight: Police Deflection
Published On 8/11/2022
“Over the past 5 years, Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority researchers have developed a body of research examining police deflection programs and their effectiveness. Deflection programs feature police or first responders offering community members referrals to behavioral health treatment and/or other social services without arrest.”
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At What Cost? Findings from an Examination into the Imposition of Public Defense System Fees
Published On 8/10/2022
The National Legal Aid and Defender Association has released a new report examining the assessment of fees for public defender services.

Illinois currently permits such assessments again children. But that may change.
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New Podcast Episode: Essential Elements of a Trauma-Informed Juvenile Justice System
Published On 8/9/2022
“Traumatic event exposure impacts the way that the brain processes information and disrupts the body's regulation system. For youth, this can mean increased contact with the juvenile justice system. In this episode, Dr. Keith Cruise discusses different traumatic event exposures and how prevalent these occurrences are for youth in the justice system. You will hear the importance of implementing trauma screening, how trauma can change a youth’s thought and behavior pattern, and intervention strategies to better case plan for these youth.”
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Amicus in People v. Moore: No Justice When Access Is Random or Rules Are Unpredictable
Published On 8/8/2022
Several organizations joined in Northwestern Children and Family Justice Center’s amicus brief in People v. Moore, No. 126461, regarding the pleading and evidentiary requirements for emerging adult sentencing claims raised in successive post-conviction petitions. “Amici argue that when the challenge stems from cases recognizing the protections afforded to youth, these protections should apply with equal force to young people over the age of 18.”
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National Legal Aid & Defender Association Launches Fellowship Program
Published On 8/4/2022
“The NLADA Racial Equity Institute – Diversity Equity & Inclusion (REI-DEI) Fellow will participate in the inaugural, 6-month training institute to introduce and equip them with core competencies on racial equity required to launch and implement DEI initiatives within their organizations and beyond. This Fellowship will bring together the diverse groups within the NLADA community, which include the defender, civil, client/impacted community, and private sector, and focus on how these groups can collaborate to accelerate racial equity within the law.” The application deadline is August 12, 2022.
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Children Being Shipped Out Of Champaign County For 90 Days
Published On 8/3/2022
“Citing a ‘chronic and persistent staffing shortage,’ the Champaign County Juvenile Detention Center in Urbana started sending its inmates to three other counties this week, but only temporarily.

Williams estimates the cost of housing the youths in the other detention centers at $190,000 for the three months. That’s based on an average bed rate of around $138 per day and an average of 15 inmates from Champaign County per day.”
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What Would It Cost To Reduce Crime In Chicago?
Published On 8/2/2022
“Crime and violence cost Chicago billions each year: Lost lives and hospital costs for victims; lost tax revenue from falling property values and residents leaving the city; economic growth when businesses choose to locate someplace safer.

A report by the privately funded anti-violence program Chicago CRED estimates the city would have to spend $405 million per year for five years — in addition to what it currently spends — to reduce crime to the levels of big city peers New York or Los Angeles.”
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Bonus Episode: ‘One Youth, Dual Systems’ Podcast
Published On 8/1/2022
“In this bonus episode of One Youth, Dual Systems, Jessica Heldman and Judge Johnson discuss why dual status youth are at greater risk for sexual exploitation, ways to collaborate with system partners, creative solutions to prevent youth from entering deep-end services, and ideas for how to improve our systems with impassioned advocates.”
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Juvenile Detention Center That Illegally Jailed Kids Now Will Answer to an Oversight Board
Published On 7/29/2022
“A juvenile detention center in Rutherford County, Tennessee, that for years illegally jailed children will now be overseen by a five-member board rather than the county’s juvenile court judge, a change designed to bring greater accountability to a long-troubled system.”
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How Phones Are Mining Data On Kids (And All Of Us)
Published On 7/28/2022
“Washington Post tech writer Geoffrey Fowler says that apps are collecting data on kids on a massive scale — despite a law that was designed to prevent that. Fowler explains the loophole in the law that apps are using, and ways that the system can and should be changed.”
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Arrest A 6-Year-Old? More Than Half Of U.S. States Say It’s OK To Prosecute Kids.
Published On 7/27/2022
“The U.S. is the only country in the world to condemn its children to die behind bars through juvenile life without parole sentences. Children in America have few — if any — protections during police interrogations, leading to far too many false confessions. Kids are routinely charged in adult court. We criminalize typical adolescent behavior instead of addressing the underlying challenges and treating this behavior as a normal part of growing up.

There are models elsewhere in the world we can look to for smarter and proven thinking on how to create a humane and compassionate U.S. juvenile justice system that recognizes both the impulsivity of kids and the immense capacity young people have to change.”

(Illinois has no minimum age of juvenile court jurisdiction and automatically transfers some youth to criminal court without a hearing.)
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Illinois Child Welfare Officials Defend Leaving Kids In Jail After Release
Published On 7/26/2022
“Illinois officials are defending the state’s child welfare agency in the wake of a WBEZ report that the Department of Children and Family Services is routinely leaving kids in its care housed in juvenile jail.

A recent WBEZ investigation found that dozens of young people were being left to wait in the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center for weeks and even months after a judge had ordered their release. They are being left behind bars because their guardian, the state, is unable to find a better place to house them. People who work with the affected young people called the problem a ‘cruel’ violation of the children’s civil rights.”
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Juvenile Courts Need National Training Standards
Published On 7/25/2022
A new study finds that “the way juvenile court judges are trained, and the way their courts operate, varies wildly across the country. The report found that fewer than one-third of states have mostly dedicated family court judges, and less than 5 percent of states have formal or specific background or experience requirements for juvenile court judges on any level. As a result, public safety and outcomes for youth can be determined by geography.

The report presented five key recommendations for all states to adopt to strengthen their juvenile court, with an emphasis on standardizing some level of training and experience with specific, specialized judges at the helm of juvenile cases.”
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New Chicago Office Aims to Help Formerly Incarcerated People Transition Out of Prison
Published On 7/22/2022
“Willette Benford, who has served time in prison herself, has been appointed to serve as Chicago’s director of re-entry. It’s a newly created role that was part of a $13 million initiative to support reentry services for people leaving prison.

A 2018 report by the Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council found that 43% of those released from prison each year recidivate within three years of release and 17% will recidivate within one year. Benford said those rates could be lower if formerly incarcerated people had the tools they needed to survive and be successful once leaving prison.”
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Report: Dynamics of Drug Possession Charges in Illinois, from Investigatory Stops to Sentences
Published On 7/21/2022
“Illinois is one of 18 states that makes possession of drugs (except cannabis) a felony in all cases. This means that possession, even of very small amounts of drugs, can lead to serious criminal legal system involvement. Felony arrests lead to pretrial jail time, often because people are held on bonds that are unaffordable, and being convicted of drug possession can lead to a lifelong felony record. These felony convictions lead to thousands of long-term barriers to leading a successful, free life.

These consequences are particularly disproportionate with the possession of small amounts of drugs. When people possess small amounts of drugs, it is often an indication that they are a substance user – and that they may need referral to treatment and other services, but not criminal legal system involvement.”
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Calls Grow In Illinois To Help Kids Manage Their Mental Health
Published On 7/20/2022
“The Juvenile Justice Center in Kane County has reported seeing an increase of kids with significant mental health disorders. Operators say the issue has contributed to how long kids are in detention centers, going from 13 days in 2019 to 25 days in 2021. They say when kids threaten to take their lives, or do harm themselves, they can't find a bed at a mental health facility. A state Senate committee heard from people on the front lines of the crisis.”
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Evidence-Based Intervention for Girls Rated Promising
Published On 7/19/2022
“Resilience, Opportunity, Safety, Education, Strength (ROSES), is a community-based, trauma-informed, gender-responsive advocacy intervention for girls 11 to 17 years old who are at risk for or already involved in the juvenile justice system. Intervention group girls were less likely to engage in physical fights and minor status offending behavior (i.e., missing fewer days of school), compared with control group girls. These differences were statistically significant.”
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For Young Offenders, Restitution Debts Can Present Crippling Obstacles
Published On 7/18/2022
“A new report asserts that ordering juvenile offenders to pay compensation to their victims often derails their lives, and victims’ rights groups see shortcomings as well.”
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How Mental Health Support Can Unlock the Potential of Gang Members
Published On 7/15/2022
“Once a child is exposed to any trauma, they become more vulnerable to future mental health problems. They often operate with a high level of hypervigilance and anxiety. Many live with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or experience psychosis.

Receiving mental health support is crucial, but the trauma the formerly gang-involved have experienced makes it hard for them to trust and receive help. They have been neglected, pushed aside, and failed by multiple systems.”
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New Podcast: Not In Isolation
Published On 7/14/2022
The Justice Policy Institute has launched a new youth-led podcast, ‘Not in Isolation: Voices of Youth,’ that addresses the effect of solitary confinement on youth, their families, and communities. “All co-creators are young men who are currently or previously incarcerated, and are now ready to raise their voices.” The first episode, ‘My Name Is Not #94677,’ explores the connection between racism, slavery, segregation, the super-predator myth of the 1990s, mass incarceration, and solitary confinement.
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A Teen Was Ticketed at School for a Theft She Says Didn’t Happen. Years Later, She’s Still Fighting.
Published On 7/13/2022
“The Illinois student’s long ordeal shows the extraordinary effort it can take to overturn a school-related ticket. Her case — involving a missing pair of AirPods — is heading to a jury trial.”
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Washington Justices: Race a Factor in Analyzing Police Stops
Published On 7/12/2022
“A person’s race and ethnicity must be taken into account when deciding whether they were free to leave an encounter with police, the Washington Supreme Court said Thursday in its latest decision seeking to counteract bias in the justice system.”

The federal 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and the New Hampshire Supreme Court also consider race relevant when ruling on seizure issues.
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Police Sweep Google Searches To Find Suspects. The Tactic Is Facing Its First Legal Challenge.
Published On 7/11/2022
“A teen charged with setting a fire that killed five members of a Senegalese immigrant family in Denver, Colorado, has become the first person to challenge police use of Google search histories to find someone who might have committed a crime, according to his lawyers. The pushback against this surveillance tool, known as a reverse keyword search, is being closely watched.”
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Chicago Police Will No Longer Be Allowed To Chase People On Foot
Published On 7/8/2022
“Chicago police officers will no longer be allowed to chase people on foot simply because they run away or they've committed minor offenses, the department said Tuesday, more than a year after two foot pursuits ended with officers fatally shooting a 13-year-old boy and 22-year-old man.

Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said he expects the new policy will make the officers and the public safer, as has happened in other cities with similar policies.”
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How Gun Violence Affects Chicago’s Youth
Published On 7/6/2022
“The American Academy of Pediatrics says gun violence has replaced the decades-long history of motor vehicle crashes being the leading cause of death among youth people, as of 2017 — as a result of auto-safety improvements, and increasing numbers of guns in homes across the country. And it has a significant impact on young people’s mental health.”
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False Alarms by Ankle Monitors Are Common
Published On 7/5/2022
“Ankle-monitor alerts garner phone calls and visits from sheriff’s officers—¬but more than 80 percent are bogus, according to a University of Chicago analysis.

Tracy Harkins, an attorney whose clients include many on EM, shared her experiences with prosecutors whom she characterized as aggressive and judges who she says have impossible standards and deep misunderstandings of GPS accuracy. ‘It was common practice for judges to scoff at any attorney suggesting that technology failure could be at issue for resolution,’ Harkins said. In a case where CCSO admitted technology failure, she said the presiding judge responded in earnest, ‘GPS is the most reliable thing in the world.’”
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Florida Sheriff Brags About Arrest of 10-Year-Old
Published On 7/4/2022
In response to a threatening text message sent by a 10-year-old, Sheriff Marceno arrested him, released his full name and mug shot, and subjected him to a perp walk.

“It seems likely that the boy had no plan to commit violence at all, and Marceno fully acknowledges this. The Lee County Sheriff's Office obviously had to investigate the threat, even if it came from a child. That's not in dispute. But Marceno has also decided to launch a public campaign out of the incident, using this boy to draw attention to what he thinks is the right way to prevent school shootings by deliberately humiliating children who act out in ways that can cause real fear.”
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Lawsuit Claims Waukegan Police Extracted Another False Confession From A Black Teen
Published On 7/1/2022
“News of a February false confession in the Chicago suburb has led to a teen’s claim that cops did it to him too. A lawsuit filed by the teen alleges that detectives of the north Chicago suburb failed to grant his request for an attorney and repeatedly lied to him during an all-night 2018 interrogation when he was 15 years old after a fatal shooting. His confession led to first-degree murder charges and 16 months behind bars until a judge threw out the confession.”
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Girls, Assaulted: A Constitutional Theory for Combatting Invasive Custodial Searches
Published On 6/30/2022
“Girls who are incarcerated share a common trait: They have often experienced multiple forms of sexual assault, at the hands of those close to them and at the hands of the state. This Article examines the severity and normality of state violence and provides a constitutional basis for eliminating blanket and routine searches by arguing that these invasive searches violate the Fourth Amendment, Thirteenth Amendment, and Eighth Amendment rights of incarcerated girls.”
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Illinois Is Routinely Housing Wards of the State in Chicago’s Jail For Kids
Published On 6/29/2022
“According to data from the Cook County chief judge’s office, last year 84 young people in the care of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services were left in the juvenile detention center after a judge had ordered their release. Each of them wrongfully imprisoned, sometimes for months.”
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Data Reveals Violence Among Youth Under 18 Has Not Spiked in the Pandemic
Published On 6/28/2022
“Throughout the pandemic, a flurry of alarming news coverage and inflammatory rhetoric from politicians have appeared in national and local media highlighting serious violent crimes by youth. The issue has generated considerable political attention in Congress and across the country, and it has fueled calls to scale back youth justice reforms enacted in many states and to derail proposed reforms in others.

This report explains why these calls for a return to get-tough youth justice policies are misguided, based on a false narrative regarding recent trends in youth crime and what actually works to prevent delinquency and promote youth success.”
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Chicago Neighborhood Sees 58% Drop In Shootings Thanks To Violence Prevention Programs
Published On 6/27/2022
“The public safety improvements follow increases in state, federal and local funding for community-driven anti-violence strategies, including Gov. JB Pritzker committing $50 million this year to support violence intervention.

Outreach strategies work by building long-term relationships with the people most likely to commit or be victims of violence, said Marshall Hatch Sr., pastor of New Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church. Workers offer support and resources to steer those individuals toward a better path, Hatch said. Street outreach workers, many of whom were once trapped in a cycle of violence themselves, are living proof of the potential that can be unleashed from within troubled young people with the right guidance and opportunity, Hatch said.”
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States Should Abolish Juvenile Life Without Parole
Published On 6/24/2022
Maryland recently became the 25th state to abolish juvenile life-without-parole sentences, but 25 others have not. In Illinois, the home of the first juvenile court in the nation, some children still serve life sentences. And the U. S. Supreme Court’s decision in Jones v. Mississippi threatens the protections currently provided by Illinois courts for youth who have been tried as if they were adults.

On the eve of the 10th anniversary of Miller v. Alabama, youth defenders celebrate what was once unimaginable progress, but also remember there is much left undone.
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Children Couldn’t Even Learn During the Pandemic Without Being Surveilled
Published On 6/22/2022
“A new report from Human Rights Watch reveals the startling extent to which the educational tools students used during the pandemic collected and shared their information. The analysis of 164 apps and websites recommended by school districts here and governments elsewhere discovered that almost 90 percent of the products vacuumed up students’ activities, locations and even sometimes their keystrokes, passing this trove of knowledge on to firms that exploit them for profit.

Many of these privacy violations were invisible; many were also impossible to avoid for any kid who wanted, amid the outbreak of a deadly disease, to continue learning.”
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Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness
Published On 6/21/2022
“Ken Burns is the executive producer of a major new public television documentary, Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness. The film, premiering in June 2022, gives voice to the experiences of young people who struggle with mental health challenges and focuses on the importance of awareness and empathy. Premieres June 27 & 28 at 9/8c on PBS.”
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Helping Youth Find Positive Paths Forward
Published On 6/20/2022
Liz Ryan, the new Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and long-time reform advocate, plans to address three key priorities in her new position: “First, treating children as children. Second, serving children at home, in their communities, with their families. And third, opening up opportunities for young people who come into contact with the juvenile justice system. An overarching focus that runs through each of these priorities is a commitment to racial equity and fairness. Our juvenile justice system simply cannot be fair as long as youth of color are overrepresented. We will address this inequity!”
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The Land Of The Free Leads The World In Incarceration. Why?
Published On 6/17/2022
“The US incarceration rate has been declining for more than a decade, but the land of the free continues to lead the world in putting its residents behind bars. Black Americans are most affected, funneled into state prisons at five times the rate of white Americans.” The path for most begins in delinquency court. “Incarceration is one of the most glaring examples of how fragile freedom can be for Black Americans. The 13th Amendment made America’s brand of mass incarceration possible by abolishing slavery ‘except as a punishment for crime.’ Reform advocates say there are other ways to respond to crimes — from rehabilitation to trauma treatment.”
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Confronting Racism: What Youth Have to Say About Racial Trauma
Published On 6/16/2022
Bright Promises Foundation recently hosted the webinar "Confronting Racism: What Youth Have to Say About Racial Trauma." You can watch a recording of that event, where youth address how historical and community trauma are connected to racial trauma; how youth are addressing racism in their schools and communities; the importance of youth taking the lead in addressing racial trauma; and how adults can be better allies for those youth.
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When Teens Threaten Violence, a Community Responds With Compassion
Published On 6/15/2022
“A growing number of schools have adopting an evidence-based approach to preventing violence on their campuses. The plan recognizes that a student contemplating violence is a student in crisis.”
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New Report: System Involvement Among LBQ Girls and Women
Published On 6/14/2022
“Foster care and incarceration are deeply intertwined in the U.S., and previous research has shown an overrepresentation of LGBTQ youth in both systems. Using data from multiple sources, this study examines the disproportional impact of the foster care and criminalization systems on LBQ girls and women.”
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As Inflation Keeps Rising, More Small-Time Thefts Count As Felonies
Published On 6/13/2022
In most states, the statutory threshold value of a stolen item that triggers the conversion of a misdemeanor theft to a felony has changed little in decades. But "‘because of inflation, $1 today is worth a lot less than $1 in the 1980s. And so a state with a decades-old unchanged threshold is then applying felony punishments to crimes of lesser and lesser significance.’”

Retailers argue that increasing those thresholds amounts also increases shoplifting. “But the Pew Charitable Trusts examined crime trends in the 30 states that raised their felony theft thresholds between 2000 and 2012 and found that raising the felony theft threshold had no impact on overall property crime or larceny rates.”

(Even after raising the limits for theft to $500 and $300 for retail theft 2011, Illinois still has one of the lowest thresholds in the nation for converting a misdemeanor to a felony.)
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‘Always a possibility of change’: Incarcerated Teens Seek Justice as Adults
Published On 6/10/2022
“Harsh sentencing in the US has led to many economically deprived young men receiving hard-to-contest life sentences, but in a new documentary, Since I Been Down, hope awaits.” The film is available for group screenings.
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Supreme Court Hears Argument for Release of 50 Years of Chicago Police Misconduct Records
Published On 6/9/2022
Charles “Green was 16 when a Chicago Police detective brought him in for questioning without a lawyer or a parent present. He said he felt the beatings left him with no other choice but to sign a confession. Green was eventually found guilty of getting one victim to open the door to a murderous ambush committed by two other men and was sentenced to life in prison.” Green was released after 29 years, but he says the records are necessary to fully clear his name.
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Foster Children Held in Jails, Shelters — Workers Attacked: A State Agency in Crisis
Published On 6/8/2022
“The Better Government Association obtained court permission to review dozens of confidential juvenile court files, interviewed numerous agency employees, and dug out several years of internal data on child placements and worker caseloads.

The examination found a steady increase in the number of Illinois foster children held for weeks or months after a judge ordered their release from detention centers.”
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FBI Provides Chicago Police with Fake Online Identities For “Social Media Exploitation” Team
Published On 6/6/2022
“Called the Social Media Exploitation, or SOMEX, team, the task force had been set up to help the FBI find informants and intelligence using information gleaned from social sites. The Intercept and Chicago-based transparency groups obtained more than 800 pages of emails and other documents about the team through public records requests. These show that the team’s officers were given broad leeway to investigate people across platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, using fake social media accounts furnished by the FBI, in violation of some platforms’ policies.”
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RFK Community Alliance’s Latest Podcast: “One Youth, Dual System”
Published On 6/3/2022
“Who are dual status youth and why do they experience the poorest outcomes among system-involved youth? How can we work together to improve results for these youth? To answer these questions, Judge Kristen Johnson and law professor Jessica Heldman are interviewed about the current research and its importance to jurisdictional success and the collaborative steps that must be taken to improve outcomes for these vulnerable youth.”
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Ministers: Instead of Youth Curfews, Here’s How to Get Serious about Violence Prevention
Published On 6/2/2022
“We cannot demonize or criminalize our young people. We have to give them hope and show them that they have a place in our communities and in our hearts. We need more alternative activities for these young people, summer jobs, outreach workers downtown to engage with youth and more.

We respectfully urge our leaders to sit down with parents, community and faith leaders, educators, outreach workers, social service providers, and the kids themselves, and come up with a realistic, thoughtful plan for keeping our young people safe. Our youth are sending us a message. It couldn’t be clearer. We need to listen to them.”
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Lightfoot’s 10 PM Curfew Is Permanent After City Council OK
Published On 6/1/2022
“The 10 p.m. citywide curfew applies to minors 17 and under and is in force seven days a week. Alderpeople passed the measure in a 30-19 vote as an increase in shootings plague Downtown and after 16-year-old Seandell Holliday was killed near The Bean.

In addition to moving curfew up an hour from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m., the new rules now apply to 17-year-olds. It previously only applied to kids 16 and younger. Those who opposed it pointed to research that shows curfews don’t reduce crime. But Mayor Lori Lightfoot said cops need it as a tool as the city struggles with shootings.”
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Investing in Public Schools Reduces Crime
Published On 5/31/2022
“The study authors tracked two groups of students from kindergarten to adulthood and concluded that students who attended better-funded schools were 15 percent less likely to be arrested through age 30. The reductions in adult crime alone generate social savings that exceed the costs to the government of increasing school funding.”
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Ninth Circuit Rules Audio-Only Trial Access Violates Sixth Amendment Right to Public Trial
Published On 5/30/2022
“The Ninth Circuit found that a defendant’s right to a public trial is ‘impaired by a rule that precludes the public from observing a trial in person, regardless whether the public has access to a transcript or audio stream.’ The panel concluded that the district court’s order ‘effected a total closure because all persons other than witnesses, court personnel, the parties and their lawyers were excluded from attending the suppression hearing or trial.’”
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New Research Detects the Most Likely Criminal ‘Crews’ Inside Chicago Police Department
Published On 5/27/2022
“The researchers used social-networking algorithms and machine-learning techniques to analyze data from seven sources spanning nearly five decades. The analysis came up with 160 ‘potential crews’ of deviant, even criminal, cops. Those groups include 1,156 past and present officers.

The crews flagged by the study represent less than 4% of police officers in the data, according to the analysis, but account for about a quarter of documented CPD use-of-force complaints, city payouts from litigation and shootings by cops.”
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"May I search your phone, with good faith?" – Plead the 5th Podcast
Published On 5/26/2022
“Can a police officer search a criminal suspect's cell phone in full, when the only charge in the warrant was drug possession, and the affidavit provided barebone justification? This is the question the Fifth Circuit was presented in U.S. v. Morton. The Morton case presents an issue that is not fully resolved by the Supreme Court - what kind of protection a cell phone deserves under the Fourth Amendment? Treat it like a person's home? Or, more than a home?”
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Teens in Distress Are Swamping Pediatricians
Published On 5/25/2022
“Over the last three decades, the major health risks facing U.S. adolescents have shifted drastically: Teen pregnancy and alcohol, cigarette and drug use have fallen while anxiety, depression, suicide and self-harm have soared. In 2019, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a report noting that ‘mental health disorders have surpassed physical conditions’ as the most common issues causing ‘impairment and limitation’ among adolescents. In December, the U.S. Surgeon General, in a rare public advisory, warned of a ‘devastating’ mental health crisis among American teens.”
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Cause of Action: Fulfilling the Promises of Gault
Published On 5/24/2022
On “the 55th anniversary of the US Supreme Court’s decision in In re Gault, the Gault Center is proud to release Cause of Action: Fulfilling the Promises of Gault, an analysis of the state of youth defense and the protection of children’s constitutional rights in this country, more than half a century after the Court affirmed that children require the guiding hand of counsel.”
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St. Charles Youth Prison Guard Guilty Of Official Misconduct Over Youth-On-Youth Attacks
Published On 5/23/2022
“The youth were not supposed to be in each other's cells. A video played at the trial showed the guard unlocking a cell and letting several other youth run in. The guard stood in the doorway, looking in, while the victim was hit.

One of the misconduct convictions was for violating a policy that specified only one youth at a time could be in the shower room. A victim testified the guard unlocked the room and allowed several others in, who hit him. That youth told a therapist about the attack, and she started the investigation.”
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Cook County Public Defender’s Office Now Representing Non-Citizens In Immigration Court
Published On 5/20/2022
“Before a change in law, immigrants in deportation hearings were not guaranteed the right to an appointed attorney. ‘Without a lawyer, folks face a heightened risk of not getting bond and can remain separated from their families for many months,’ Public Defender Sharone Mitchell said.’”
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Killing of 15-Year-Old Tests A Justice System Strained By More Arrests, Fewer Resources
Published On 5/19/2022
“Michael Toomin, the presiding judge of the Juvenile Justice Division, told the Chicago Sun-Times that a juvenile facing a second gun charge . . . should be locked up. He says it’s hard to disagree with those who feel juvenile offenders are given too many chances, even when considered a danger to the public.”

Public defender Andrea Lubelfeld “said it’s not a matter of leniency but of finding better alternatives than jail for young teens. State’s Attorney Kim Foxx — who has been accused of being too lenient on gun crimes — told the Sun-Times that jail can make a juvenile more dangerous.”
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TEDx San Quentin – “They Never Saw Me as a Child”
Published On 5/18/2022
Chicago native and the Co-Executive Director of the Coalition for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, Xavier McElrath-Bey, “returns to his advocacy roots as a storyteller, and shares some of his deeply traumatic childhood experiences that were exacerbated by his involvement with the legal system. He examines not only the way in which society failed him personally, but calls his experience a shared ‘truth’ for so many system-involved children.

Xavier’s talk is part of TEDx San Quentin, a TED event that deals with issues relating to incarceration. Xavier and his fellow speakers embody the beauty of second chances and in seeing the humanity in children who once committed harm but have since experienced deep growth and change.”
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Justice Garman Retires – Justice Holder White IL Supreme Court’s First Black Woman Justice
Published On 5/17/2022
“The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Fourth District Appellate Court Justice Lisa Holder White to fill retiring Justice Rita Garman's seat after she steps down in July. ‘Being appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court is the honor of a lifetime. I am humbled by the confidence Justice Rita B. Garman and the entire Court have placed in me,’ Holder White said in a statement. ‘My service to the judiciary for the past 21 years has helped prepare me for this historic moment. I look forward to the privilege of resolving matters my fellow citizens bring before the Court.’"
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In Some States, Your 6-Year-Old Child Can Be Arrested.
Published On 5/16/2022
“Advocates want that changed. The push to change the minimum age is part of a wider effort to reform juvenile justice by not charging very young people with a crime unless it's a serious offense. Many states don't have any age limits at all when it comes prosecuting juveniles. Others that do are now determining what the minimum age should be for a child to be involved in the juvenile courts.”

(Illinois doesn’t have a minimum age limit at which a child can be arrested, and it permits children as young as 10 to be held in locked detention centers.)
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Teacher Looks Back At Former Teen Student's Wrongful Conviction
Published On 5/13/2022
In an ABC 20/20 interview, Harris’s 6th grade teacher discusses her regret over the community's response to the 13-year-old boy’s arrest and wrongful conviction for murder.
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What’s Driving Chicago’s Carjacking Surge? Not The City’s Youth.
Published On 5/12/2022
“When you look at these numbers, it’s hard to line these facts up with the narrative that our city leaders have put out that the spike is being driven by young people seeking joyrides. . . . Because unless young people are extremely good at hiding cars after having gone for a joyride, it seems like there’s some pretty strong economic incentives going on here and things linked to the informal economy, which suggests a far different set of interventions needed to address the problem.”
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Whistling Past The Graveyard: Why It’s So Hard To Rid The Courts Of Junk Science
Published On 5/11/2022
“What we have is the difference between law and science. Science is this process that is always moving forward. Hypotheses are abandoned once they’re falsified. And that’s a continuous process, always improving on the knowledge. And law rests on precedent — precedent that doesn’t advance, or if it does, it’s slow.

The process of science in relation to the process of the way law develops are in direct conflict. And if we’re going to use scientific evidence, we have to do a better job of keeping up with science. And that means not introducing forensic techniques in criminal court unless and until they’ve been scientifically evaluated and demonstrated to be reliable.”
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Black Students in Illinois Are Far More Likely to Be Ticketed by Police for School Behavior
Published On 5/10/2022
The second installment of the Tribune-ProPublica investigation “The Price Kids Pay” examines the racial disparities that exist in the controversial practice of fining children for school-based misbehavior.
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Schools and Police Punish Students with Costly Tickets for Minor Misbehavior
Published On 5/9/2022
“Across Illinois, police are ticketing thousands of students a year for in-school adolescent behavior once handled only by the principal’s office — for littering, for making loud noises, for using offensive words or gestures, for breaking a soap dish in the bathroom” – a practice that circumvents existing state statutes, deprives youth of a meaningful chance to defend themselves, results in un-expungable records, disparately affects youth of color, and carries long-term adverse consequences for children as young as 8.

“When you slap a fine on a family trying to get by, you are not helping them. . . . The whole thing is to get these kids to come around. The fine doesn’t do that. Especially when kids can’t work. There had to be a better way.”
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Court Fees Can Criminalize Poverty, Major Study Finds
Published On 5/6/2022
“Researchers found that people whose fines and fees were paid off were no more likely to face new criminal justice contact -- such as being charged, booked into jail or convicted -- after a year compared with those whose debt wasn’t relieved.

On the other hand, they were significantly less likely to face new court actions, such as having a warrant issued and being assessed additional debt or referred to private debt collectors. And, despite significant collection efforts, less than 5% of outstanding debt was paid back to the court by those who didn’t have their debt relieved.”
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Small Counties Are Making Major Strides on Criminal Legal Reform
Published On 5/5/2022
“If you listen to the news in America, you might get the impression that innovative reforms within our criminal system are a big-city, blue-state experiment, facing off against a wave of violent crime and mired in partisan controversy.

And you'd be wrong.”
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Researchers Help Evaluate Southern IL Community Organizations
Published On 5/4/2022
“A research team in Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s criminology and criminal justice program is helping community organizations to assess and improve their effectiveness in providing services to neighborhoods in a large section of Southern Illinois and the Metro East impacted by economic disinvestment, violence and the war on drugs.” The Illinois Association of Juvenile Justice Councils is one of the six organizations being evaluated.
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Arrests and Shootings Plunged Following Participation In Anti-Violence Program
Published On 5/3/2022
“U of C researchers found that those who took part in READI Chicago were two-thirds less likely to be arrested for a shooting and nearly 20% less likely to be shot or killed themselves than other at-risk residents of the South and West sides.”
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Right to an Attorney, Sure, But How About Suing When Rights Go Unread?
Published On 5/2/2022
“One of the most culturally famous decisions in U.S. law faced high court scrutiny in a case involving police officers who fail to present suspects with Miranda warnings.” Earlier this month, “the Supreme Court grappled with extending that precedent so that suspects who have been denied a Miranda warning can sue the police for violating their rights.

Most of the justices’ questioning surrounded the idea of whether Miranda was a prophylactic rule or a constitutional right.”
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Cop Who Arrested High Schooler on 'Terrorizing' Charges for Class Joke Gets Qualified Immunity
Published On 4/29/2022
Per the dissenting justice, "Lennon's arrest was based on an obviously satiric photo (1) that Lennon didn't take, (2) that Lennon didn't post online, and (3) that grew out of a classroom prank Lennon's own teacher was in on . . . Matranga knew all that—and yet he arrested Lennon, clapped him in jail, and misled the district attorney….Qualified immunity does not protect the officer who orchestrated this outrageous clown show."
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Why America’s Obsession with a Suspect’s Rap Sheet Misses the Point
Published On 4/28/2022
“Politicians and commentators use criminal histories to argue for increased policing – but they are ignoring key conclusions.” Long rap sheets “are held up as evidence of continued failure, both from individuals and liberal officials who push for criminal justice reform. But perhaps more importantly, says John Pfaff, a professor of law at Fordham University School of Law, rap sheets tell us a lot about shortcomings in the criminal legal system, from policing all the way through incarceration and re-entry.”
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Marlin Dixon, Sent to Prison as a Child, Is Intent on Giving his Life Meaning
Published On 4/27/2022
The 2002 beating death of Charlie Young by a group of teenagers “added fuel to a national discussion on whether violent youths were redeemable, and a legal movement to get tougher on criminals. Dixon, arrested and jailed at age 14, received the stiffest sentence, far harsher than the other participants. He grew into manhood behind bars.

Today, Young’s death remains a watershed moment in our understanding of how children from traumatic, violent circumstances can become a furious mass, forever damaging so many lives.”
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A Push for Traffic Stop Reform
Published On 4/26/2022
“A Times investigation last year found that minor traffic stops in the United States were far more deadly than widely thought — in the previous five years, 400 unarmed motorists who were not under pursuit for any violent crime were killed by the police during such checks.

The Times looks at the different efforts across the country to rethink the stops and at the pushback from opponents who say that restrictions on the practice could keep more guns and criminals on the streets.”
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‘No Light. No Nothing.’ Inside Louisiana’s Harshest Juvenile Lockup
Published On 4/25/2022
“Teens at the Acadiana Center for Youth at St. Martinville were held in solitary confinement around the clock, shackled with leg irons and deprived of an education. ‘This is child abuse,’ one expert said.”
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Junk Science Has Taken Over Criminal Trials
Published On 4/22/2022
“Many factors contribute to wrongful convictions, but one of the more pernicious forces is the sorry state of forensic science. Despite their acceptance in the courtroom, prominent scientists and criminal justice experts have raised serious doubts about the validity of many of the ‘pattern-matching’ disciplines that rely on comparisons of bite marks, hairs, shoe prints, tire tracks, or even fingerprints.

According to the Innocence Project, junk forensic science factored into about half of all wrongful convictions in which the defendants were later exonerated by DNA testing.”
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Respect Youth Stories: A Toolkit to Ethically Engage in Youth Justice Storytelling
Published On 4/21/2022
“Stories show us the faces behind statistics and help us understand how systems operate and impact young people’s lives. Young people giving first-hand accounts of their experiences often prove to be the most powerful lever for change.

“It is critically important to establish an ethical approach to advocacy storytelling so that young people are not exploited or re-harmed in the process of sharing their experiences.” The National Juvenile Justice Network and Citizens for Juvenile Justice have partnered to present a new toolkit on the topic.
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WBEZ’s Newest Podcast: Motive
Published On 4/20/2022
“Exposing violence and cover ups, the new season of Motive investigates the hidden world of big prisons in small Illinois towns. Places where everyone knows each other and difficult truths get buried.”
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Five Years for Sweeping Police Reforms ‘Unrealistic’ -- City Gets Another 3 Years
Published On 4/19/2022
“Chicago has been granted an extra three years to comply with sweeping court-ordered police reforms, extending the total to eight years. The consent decree stems from a 2017 lawsuit against the city by the attorney general’s office in response to the killing of Laquan McDonald, who was shot by Officer Jason Van Dyke in 2014. Van Dyke was fired and sentenced to prison. There are nearly 800 reforms the Chicago Police Department is being required to fulfill under the consent decree.”
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The Impact of COVID-19 on Juvenile Justice Systems
Published On 4/18/2022
“The Council of Juvenile Justice Administrators (CJJA) has released ‘The Impact of COVID-19 on Juvenile Justice Systems: Practice Changes, Lessons Learned, and Future Considerations.’

This report summarizes the responses from a sample of juvenile justice agencies nationwide to COVID-19. This includes challenges faced, lessons learned, key takeaways, and practices those agencies will retain post-pandemic.”
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New Podcast Series: Youth Justice Transformation in Action
Published On 4/15/2022
The RFK National Resource Center’s new podcast series focuses on one youth-related topic each month. Episode Two: Assessments 101 – The Fundamentals addresses a variety of questions surrounding the use of risk assessments on youth in the delinquency system.
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Focusing On Rural Illinois, Law Enforcement Calls For Stronger Early Childhood Services
Published On 4/14/2022
"In a new report released Wednesday, law enforcement leaders called for policymakers to strengthen early childhood opportunities. Their report, Rural Illinois & Early Childhood Challenges, focused on showing how birth-to-5 services could address numerous problems for Illinois families while simultaneously aiding in curbing crime."
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Springfield Southeast High Gives Teen Court A Try
Published On 4/13/2022
“If a student is caught stealing, the current approach is to have the police officer who is assigned to the school write a citation and the matter is referred to the Sangamon County State's Attorney. But Southeast is beginning a diversion program called teen court.

‘We are trying to avoid that school-to-prison pipeline,’ Southeast Principal Cody Trigg said. ‘And we viewed it as an opportunity to still hold students accountable for a poor choice or mistake they made. But also limit the use of police interventions.’
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Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2022
Published On 4/12/2022
A new report, which includes information on incarcerated children, “pieces together the data about this country’s disparate systems of confinement. It provides a detailed look at where and why people are locked up in the U.S., and dispels some modern myths to focus attention on the real drivers of mass incarceration and overlooked issues that call for reform.”
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Opinion: Five teenagers. Recanted confessions. Convicted. Sound familiar?
Published On 4/11/2022
“It is hard to imagine why anyone would confess to a crime they did not commit. But because of research . . . we now know that the interrogation techniques police use all too often extract a false confession rather than the truth. Some suspects are more vulnerable than others: those who have suffered traumas, those with mental illness or disability, and those who are teenagers simply wanting to go home to their parents.”
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The Case For Moving Beyond Probation, And How To Do It
Published On 4/8/2022
“Probation creates open-air prisons. The lack of walls makes the punitive power of probation less visible and harder to grasp. Probation’s role in building the penal state is disguised so effectively that it can present itself in the role of a potential savior even as it grinds down legal protections and drives up incarceration. It is time for a new approach, one that focuses both on keeping people out of prisons and on improving individual outcomes and stability.”

(Probation is the most common sentencing option for youth in the delinquency system, and often serves as a gateway to unnecessarily deep system involvement.)
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Memo to Policymakers: Don’t Let Emotion Drive Crime Policy
Published On 4/7/2022
“Criminal law is unique as a body of policy in our nation. In medicine, for example, data is carefully tracked, and new treatments are developed, tested, evaluated and approved with a focus on minimizing harm while maximizing benefit. In education, data is carefully collected and analyzed to shine light on the teaching methods and curriculums that do the most good for students.

Why then do we allow our criminal law policy choices to be driven not by research-based solutions but by waves of emotion?”
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Children Deserve Protections That Too Many Aren't Getting In the US Justice System
Published On 4/6/2022
“Last month, a 15-year-old Illinois student was arrested and locked up for a shooting that he had nothing to do with. The high schooler confessed to the crime after police told him that if he did so, he would be released. His parents weren't there during the interrogation and neither was his lawyer, according to a Washington Post report.

These are among the latest examples of law enforcement officials using coercion and threats against juveniles – a dangerous practice that often leads to false confessions and puts the United States at odds with international human rights standards.”
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This Rap Song Helped Sentence a 17-Year-Old to Prison for Life
Published On 4/5/2022
“The rules of evidence are supposed to prohibit the presentation of ‘character evidence’ — information that simply impugns a defendant or reveals past wrongs — to avoid biasing jurors. The use of rap lyrics in [this] case was an example of what legal scholars sometimes call racialized character evidence: details or personal traits prosecutors can use in an insidious way, playing up racial stereotypes to imply guilt. The resulting message, [per Boston University law professor, Jasmine Gonzales Rose], is that the defendant is ‘that type of Black person.’”
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New Guidebook on Creating Host Homes for Youth
Published On 4/4/2022
Point Source Youth’s guidebook on creating a successful school-based host home program is the latest addition to its list of resources for addressing the needs of youth without stable housing. PSY’s 119-page host homes handbook provides more in-depth information on host recruitment, hiring the right staff, and working with youth to center their wants and needs throughout the whole process.
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Youth Mentoring Programs Could Be Key In Reducing Carjackings
Published On 4/1/2022
“The surge in carjackings is persisting across the country. However, officials in Chicago say there's been a small decline so far in 2022 and they're finding different ways to fight the crime.”
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Chief Justice Anne M. Burke on the 59th Anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright
Published On 3/31/2022
“The Illinois Supreme Court commissioned the Sixth Amendment Center to study indigent defense in our state. Their findings, published in June 2021, detail a key shortcoming: that the state has delegated to the counties the responsibility for providing and overseeing attorneys to effectively represent indigent defendants.

Because resources at the county level vary greatly, Illinois is without a mechanism to ensure adequate and effective assistance of counsel for indigent defendants exists across our state.”
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Too Many Locked Doors
Published On 3/30/2022
“Given the short- and long-term damages stemming from youth out of home placement, it is vital to understand its true scope. In 2019, there were more than 240,000 instances of a young person detained, committed, or both in the juvenile justice system. However, youth incarceration is typically measured via a one-day count taken in late October. This metric vastly understates its footprint: at least 80% of incarcerated youth are excluded from the one-day count.

This undercount is most prevalent for detained youth, all of whom have been arrested but have yet to face a court hearing.”
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Chicago Teen Framed for 1985 Murder Exonerated: 'I Feel Free'
Published On 3/29/2022
“Last month, Reynaldo Munoz's murder conviction was overturned after he served 30 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit as a teenager in Chicago. His case is now the 3,000th exoneration in the US since 1989, according to the National Registry of Exonerations. Corrupt policing was so common in the '80s in Chicago that it became known as the U.S. capital for wrongful convictions and false confessions.”
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A Woman Created The Public Defender Role. Jackson Could Bring That Experience To The High Court.
Published On 3/28/2022
“More than 100 years ago, Clara Shortridge Foltz introduced the idea. Now, Ketanji Brown Jackson is discussing public defense in her hearings.”
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JHA Releases Report on IYC Warrenville
Published On 3/24/2022
Following its first visit to IYC Warrenville since the start of the pandemic, the John Howard Association has issued a report on the facility that includes findings and recommendations.
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Initiative to Improve Behavioral Health Services for Illinois Children
Published On 3/23/2022
“Building on the administration's funding increases for child welfare and wellbeing, today Governor Pritzker announced the Children's Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative to evaluate and redesign the delivery of behavioral health services for children and adolescents in the State of Illinois.”
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Rethinking School Discipline During A Mental Health Crisis
Published On 3/22/2022
“Jessica Lawrence just finished her first year as executive director of student services at Rockford Public Schools. She knows Rockford’s discipline policies, which often lead to suspensions, haven’t supported their students.

‘We needed to work with students to improve behavior before exclusion,’ said Lawrence. ‘We needed to replace our over-reliance on suspensions and we need to identify additional supports for students.’”
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Should 16-year-old Who Allegedly Brought a Gun to Bloomington High Be Charged as Adult?
Published On 3/21/2022
The State’s Attorney “has ‘no tolerance’ for guns in school and as far as he can tell, that’s a position that well-supported in the community.

Elizabeth Clarke is the founder of the Juvenile Justice Initiative, an Evanston-based nonprofit. Clarke has been working for years to drive down juvenile transfer rates — the number of juveniles being tried on adult charges. Clarke argues adult courts have the capacity only to punish whereas the juvenile justice system is designed not just to hold offenders accountable, but to rehabilitate them.”
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As Jackson Faces Senators, Her Criminal Defense Record Is a Target
Published On 3/18/2022
Some argue that opposing a Supreme Court nominee based on the clients she’s represented “ignores a fundamental principle of the American justice system — that everyone has the constitutional right to be represented by counsel — and effectively seeks to disqualify from the bench anyone who has taken that obligation seriously when it comes to the accused.”
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Why Blanket Registration of Youth as Sex Offenders is Bad Public Policy
Published On 3/17/2022
“Recognizing the concerns around requiring youth to publicly register, many states have taken steps to scale back these policies. Legislation in some states has given judges more discretion regarding youth registration, or has given youth the ability to petition for removal, or has removed automatic lifetime registration.”

(While Illinois doesn’t publicly post children on its online list of sex offenders, all children adjudicated delinquent for sexual behaviors are placed on the registry regardless of circumstance. And only a small percentage of youth ever successfully petition off the registry.)
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Reimagining Police Departments with Safety and Justice in Mind
Published On 3/16/2022
Philip Goff, who’s been advising police departments for 14 year, sees a way forward. “Goff's work has shown that justice and safety can be found in cities that are reimagining police. ‘We focus on making policing less deadly, less racist, and often, just less present. And we leverage data and behavioral science to do all of that. Because oftentimes a scientific process is one you can trust when you can't trust each other.’”
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Nation's Criminal Defense Bar Opposes Dehumanizing Racist Language
Published On 3/15/2022
“Concretely, the Arbery trial presents an opportunity to ask ourselves whether defense counsel, as officers of the court, should be permitted to appeal to racism to win trials in a society pervaded by racism? As the voice of the criminal defense bar, NACDL submits that defense counsel cannot invoke racism as a tactic to win whether this tactic succeeds or fails.”
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School Shootings: It's Hard To Spot The Warning Signs. Prevention Steps Can Help.
Published On 3/14/2022
Following the 29th U. S. school shooting this year, an expert discusses why is it so hard to know when to intervene, and why so many shootings?
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Few Central Illinois Police Agencies Submitted 2021 Use-Of-Force Data To FBI
Published On 3/11/2022
“The program arose because no government agency maintained reliable national data about how often police officers used force on citizens. Non-participating area police departments last year include Bloomington, Colfax, Danvers, Decatur, Downs, El Paso, Farmer City, Gibson City, Gridley, Lexington, Pontiac, and the McLean County Sheriff’s Department, among others, according to the FBI. The Bloomington Police Department plans to submit information in 2022.

‘When The Washington Post is the major collector of police use-of-force or officer-involved shootings, that’s a concern,’ Woodruff said. ‘I think it behooves police departments to participate in the program.’”
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New Report: Black People Much More Likely to Be Stopped and Subjected To Force by Chicago Police
Published On 3/10/2022
“Black people in Chicago are far more likely to be stopped by police and be subject to use of force by officers after those stops, according to a new report from the city’s top watchdog. During investigatory stops, Black people also were subjected to a body search or pat-down 1.5 times more often than non-Black people, and their vehicles were searched 3.3 times more often than White drivers’ cars, and 1.6 times more often than all non-Black drivers’ vehicles.

Meantime, the CBS 2 Investigators also have documented how police often fail to activate their body cameras during stops, especially when it’s a person of color being stopped.”
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From Crime to Condition: Examining How Illinois Handles Drug Offenses
Published On 3/9/2022
The Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice “is currently trying to focus on an approach that would lessen drug penalties and emphasize treatment. While their work focuses mostly on juveniles, the agency said both adults and children trying to recover from substance abuse need rehabilitation without criminalizing their recovery. The average person looking to achieve sobriety will relapse an average of seven times before they are successful according to the department.

‘In almost any situation where a youth is committed to our care because of their relapse, it is absolutely the wrong decision.’”
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Prosecutors Push for National Reform on Youth Interrogation
Published On 3/8/2022
“A recent report from the group recommends a number of changes to the current practices used by law enforcement to question minors suspected of criminal activity, including requiring that both a parent or legal guardian and an attorney are present with the child through the entire interrogation process, mandating video and audio recording of interrogations and limiting questioning to two-hour sessions with breaks.”
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9-Year-Olds Are Being Forced to Register as Sex Offenders. That Might Finally Change.
Published On 3/7/2022
“In March, the Council of the American Law Institute will meet to vote on revisions to the Model Penal Code, which include recommendations that will make it all but impossible to register children for sexual offenses.”
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12 Years After Being Locked Up As A Teen, He Finds Mercy From The D.A. Who Put Him There
Published On 3/4/2022
“Reisig, head of the California District Attorneys Assn., insists that he is ‘not in the same category’ as progressives like Gascón. But he hopes he can bridge an increasingly acrimonious fight among California’s 58 county district attorneys about how far is too far when it comes to mercy.

‘I don’t care which side of the aisle you are on. Can’t we agree that people can earn a second chance?’ he asked.”
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The Pandemic Might Be Producing Juries That Are More Likely To Convict
Published On 3/3/2022
“Defense attorneys around the country say they’ve noticed a new discrepancy since trials have resumed after being suspended at the onset of the pandemic: Covid-consicous people are being excluded from juries, either through self-selection or with dismissals by judges. They worry these juries are even less skeptical of police and prosecutors, and thus are even more likely to convict.

There is some evidence to support their concerns.”
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If the Kids Had Been White, Would Any of This Have Happened?
Published On 3/2/2022
“After Black children were arrested for a crime that didn't exist, Pro Publica wanted to understand the scope of the problem. Here's how they used data, documents and other forms of reporting to investigate.”
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This Police Captain’s Plan to Stop Gun Violence Uses More Than Handcuffs
Published On 3/1/2022
“He partnered with an anti-violence coalition and a neighborhood activist, whom he asked to gather 15 of the boys close to the dispute for weekly discussions led by a therapist at a local community center, paying them a $150 stipend to participate. Week after week, the boys kept coming back. In the four months since, none of them have been arrested with a gun or involved in a shooting, he said.”
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Trauma-Focused Treatment for Youth and Young Adults Who Become System Involved
Published On 2/28/2022
“Research shows a connection between traumatic events and externalizing behaviors; up to 90 percent of justice-involved youths ages 12 to 18 have experienced at least one traumatic event, and adolescents diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are more likely to recidivate within 3 years, compared with adolescents without a PTSD diagnosis.”

The research highlights the effectiveness of two treatments methods for trauma symptoms and criminal behavior, with the greatest positive results in older adolescents.
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Prosecutors: Lawmakers Cannot Ignore the Victimization of Children in the Justice System
Published On 2/25/2022
“According to a 2020 report by the nonprofit Human Rights for Kids, the United States is far behind most of the world when it comes to protecting the human rights of children in the legal system. Basic protections, such as having a minimum age for criminal responsibility, retaining minors under juvenile court jurisdiction and prohibiting practices like solitary confinement or housing children in adult jails or prisons, have not been put in place by many states or the federal government.

To make matters worse, the vast majority of children in our justice system contend with early childhood trauma and unmitigated Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), such as physical, emotional and sexual abuse, as well as other trauma, such as neglect, or living with a family member who suffers from substance abuse or mental health issues.”
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Lake County State's Attorney 'Very Concerned' About Teen's Wrongful Arrest
Published On 2/24/2022
“Wrongly labeled a would-be murderer, 15-year-old Martell Williams spent two nights last week in the lockup at the Waukegan Police Department.”

(“No city police agency in Illinois, other than Chicago's, shares responsibility for as many known wrongful convictions as the Waukegan police.”)
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When Schools Call Police On Kids
Published On 2/23/2022
“Schools refer tens of thousands of students to law enforcement every year. Black children and students with disabilities get the brunt of it. In 46 states, the rate at which Black students were referred to law enforcement was higher than the rate for all students.”

Illinois, with a rate of 18.4, is sixth in the nation when it comes to black children. It’s in seventh place, with a rate of 14.4, when it comes to disabled youth.
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Suspensions in High School Increase Likelihood of Future Criminality: Study
Published On 2/22/2022
“According to a recent UC Irvine study, high school students who are suspended or expelled are more than twice as likely to be charged or convicted of a crime and incarcerated as young adults.

What’s worse, the researchers also found ‘glaring disparities’ in the fact that Black students were more likely to be disciplined in school — thus leading to greater negative impacts later in their lives, reports the Los Angeles Times, citing the study.”
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The Mystery of the Teenage Brain
Published On 2/18/2022
“Remember how awkward and confused you felt as a teen? It's a time of so many big changes – growth spurts, body hair, and acne, just to name a few – but perhaps the most radical transformation is going on inside the adolescent brain. CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta dives into the neuroscience of the teen brain to figure out how teens make decisions and weigh risks. Plus, tips for teens (and anyone who’s been a teen) on how we can support one another through this challenging stage of life.”
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The Sixth Amendment Center Issues Report on the Right to Counsel in Illinois
Published On 2/16/2022
“The State of Illinois delegates to its county boards and circuit court judges most of its constitutional obligation to ensure the provision of effective assistance of counsel to indigent criminal defendants in the trial courts. Yet the state does not have any oversight structure by which to know whether each county’s indigent defense system has a sufficient number of attorneys with the necessary time, training, and resources to provide effective assistance of counsel at every critical stage of a criminal case for each and every indigent defendant.”

This system interferes with defenders’ independence, and can result in the constructive and actual denial of the right to counsel for some indigent defendants.
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The Economics of Incarceration
Published On 2/15/2022
“How much does the criminal justice system cost, and who pays for it? How well-funded are prisons and jails? What are the economic impacts and origins of mass incarceration? Do certain programs in prison affect people’s economic well-being after release? The Prison Policy Initiative has curated a variety of reports that explore these questions and more.”
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Bloomington PD Policy Change Reduces Racial Disparity in Traffic Stops
Published On 2/14/2022
“Since BPD shifted more patrols to high-crash areas, the rate of Black drivers stopped dropped from 37% to 13%. According to 2020 Census data, 11% of the city’s population is Black and 18% of the city identifies as Black or multiracial.”
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The Criminal Justice Issue Nobody Talks About: Brain Injuries
Published On 2/10/2022
“District attorneys’ staff members can help victims fill out questionnaires — ‘Have you ever been hit in the head?’ ‘Did you lose consciousness?’ — while public defenders can help their clients do the same thing. The goal is to increase awareness among everyone who works in the system so that it’s more likely that someone, at some point, says, ‘Hey, have you considered seeing a neurologist?’”
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Calls for Quad Cities’ Scott County to Disband Juvenile Detention Facility Expansion
Published On 2/9/2022
A group of organizations sent a letter to the County Board of Supervisors “saying the appropriation of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for the new detention facility ‘does not fall under the any of the eligible uses of ARPA funds.’

Leaders of the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault, the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the Iowa Coalition for Collective Change, Iowa Cure, Iowa Justice Action Network, Iowa-Nebraska NAACP, One Iowa, Regret No Opportunities and The Sentencing Project also signed the letter, which asked the Scott County Board of Supervisors to not approve the proposal and to instead redirect the funds.”
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An Evaluation of the Chicago Survivors Program
Published On 2/8/2022
The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority has issued a new report on Chicago Survivors, a Chicago-based organization that provides support services to the families and friends of those lost to homicide that aims to provide the personalized care needed for healing and mental well-being and help survivors find a sense of normalcy following the loss of their loved ones. Services include licensed clinical youth counselors who work with any youth who may be impacted by homicide.

Youth involved in the juvenile court system frequently have these same trauma-related needs.
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Does a Child Who Kills Deserve to Die in Prison?
Published On 2/7/2022
“An estimated 1,500 people are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole for crimes they committed as children. Ninety-five thousand others, according to the Equal Justice Initiative, are housed in adult jails and prisons each year. Our separate juvenile justice system exists, in theory, because children — even those who have committed terrible violence — are both more vulnerable than adults and uniquely capable of change.

Yet too often, the law decides that a child is no longer a child, and sentences him to an adult facility, sometimes for the rest of his life. And even our juvenile justice system, in many cases and places, has lost touch with its original mission to protect children and foster their rehabilitation.”
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New York will No Longer Prosecute Children under 12
Published On 2/4/2022
“Under the prior law, anyone between the age of 7 and 18 could be charged as a juvenile delinquent in New York, allowing them to be subject to the criminal justice system for many crimes.

Under the new law, local social services departments will be required to set up what’s known as a differential response program for those under the age of 12 who may have otherwise been charged as a juvenile delinquent.”

(Illinois doesn’t have a minimum age for juvenile court jurisdiction.)
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New Toolkits Available to Combat the Strip Searches of Youth
Published On 2/3/2022
“The American Bar Association Section of Litigation Children’s Rights Litigation Committee has published tools that are designed to assist individuals and organizations in their advocacy for legislation and regulations to prohibit the strip searches of children and youth except in the most exceptional of circumstances. No matter the setting, strip searches cause trauma that can have life-long consequences.”

In addition to a national toolkit, there are a few state-specific toolkits, including one for Illinois.
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Can A Spreadsheet Improve Fairness And Justice In Sentencing? Some Judges Say Yes
Published On 2/2/2022
“Defense attorney Diane Menashe spent 30 hours poring through case files to arm herself with the data needed to argue that her client should get four years in prison – not the decade behind bars that prosecutors wanted.

She manually went through nine similar cases, nailing down the details on charges, demographics, plea agreements, sentencing recommendations, judges and attorneys. She sent the judge on her case a spreadsheet and a nine-page memo. It worked.”
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Defender Association Launches Racial Equity Initiative
Published On 2/1/2022
“The National Legal Aid and Defender Association Racial Equity Initiative is a three-year campaign designed to build the resources and capacity within the client community and civil legal aid and public defender organizations to advance anti-racist practices aimed at dismantling racial inequities in America. Through this Initiative, NLADA will leverage our collective power within the client, civil, and defender community to eradicate systemic racial oppression.”
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Illinois Courts Seek Compassion, Hope for Mentally Ill
Published On 1/31/2022
“Illinois courts are taking steps toward better understanding mental illness and its growing impact on the judicial system, which state Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke said Tuesday too often lacks compassion, treats mental disorders as a crime and skirts alternatives to jail.”
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Prosecutorial Ethics Are Getting a Fresh Look from Criminal Justice Reformers
Published On 1/27/2022
“Observers note prosecutorial decision-making is often less scrutinized or punished by courts and professional conduct boards. But the stakes are high in criminal cases, and ethics experts say whether they are intentional or negligent, there isn’t enough focus on behind-the-scenes actions in DA offices.”
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New Report on the Use of Tasers on Youth
Published On 1/26/2022
“Strategies for Youth examines the use of Conducted Electrical Weapons1 (also known as CEWs, tasers, or stun guns) by law enforcement officers on children and adolescents. The report summarizes the history of CEWs, their original intent, the training provided to law enforcement agencies that purchase them, and the circumstances surrounding their growing use by police forces across the country since the 1990s.”
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Undoing Community Violence and Trauma
Published On 1/25/2022
Illinois Public Media brought “the ideas of gun violence, mental health and trauma together to talk about the cycle this can create: people witness violence in their community or their home and then contribute to the violence in their community or home. This cycle can be that much harder to interrupt in places where access to trauma-informed care and mental health services are lacking. Their guests — community resilience workers, a social worker, and a state representative with a personal connection to the issue of community violence — are all working to change this.”
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The Slow Undoing of the Sixth Amendment
Published On 1/24/2022
“Several years ago, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy said plea bargaining determines ‘who goes to jail and for how long. It is not some adjunct to the criminal justice system. It is the criminal justice system.’

That is in spite of what President John Adams declared more than two centuries ago, ‘[r]epresentative government and trial by jury are the heart and lungs of liberty. Without them we have no other fortification against being ridden like horses, fleeced like sheep, worked like cattle, and fed and clothed like swine and hounds.’”

(Youth in Illinois don’t have the right to jury trial unless they face adult sentencing, and as in criminal court, the vast majority of cases are resolved through plea bargains.)
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New Jersey Supreme Court Provides Greater Protections for Youth than Jones v. Mississippi
Published On 1/21/2022
In keeping with the developmental principles that governed Miller v. Alabama, the New Jersey Supreme Court held that youth must be allowed to petition for parole after 20 years under its state constitution.
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Chicago Courthouses and Jails again Buffeted as Latest COVID Wave Sweeps City
Published On 1/20/2022
“State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said last year that the office might have to drop cases en masse to clear out the backlog. That wave of dismissals never materialized, according to the office’s data.

In fact, prosecutors dropped fewer cases in 2021 than they did in 2019. Of all the felony cases that concluded last year, about 33 percent ended in a dismissal, compared to 39 percent in 2019. Last year’s share of dismissals is closer to 2018, when 30 percent of resolved cases ended in dropped charges.

And an anticipated flood of trial demands once the speedy-trial clock started ticking again did not materialize either, according to a statement from the prosecutors’ office.”
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MO Supreme Court: Requiring Youth to Attend Delinquency Trial Via Video Violates Constitution
Published On 1/19/2022
“Requiring a youth to attend a critical stage of delinquency proceeding via two-way video violated his due process right to be physically present, regardless of transportation policies the detention center had in place.

Neither the United States Constitution nor the Missouri Constitution are entitled to take ‘sick days.’"
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Cook County Judge Cites DCFS Director for Contempt
Published On 1/18/2022
“DCFS has placed 356 children statewide in inappropriate settings for an average of 55 days, Golbert said. There were so many children that Murphy, the presiding judge over the child protection division, noted that created a separate ‘beyond medical necessity’ docket.

Golbert noted that DCFS has closed 460 residential beds since 2015 with the goal of replacing those residential placements with foster homes with specialized services for children. But those homes never materialized. DCFS opened fewer than 30 therapeutic homes since the closures and never reopened the residential placements.”

(For similar reasons, children pulled into the delinquency system are languishing in detention centers based on the lack of available placements.)
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Lagging Police Participation May Derail Use-Of-Force Data Effort
Published On 1/14/2022
“A national program to track police shootings is at risk of shutting down without publishing any data after years of insufficient participation by law enforcement agencies in Missouri, Illinois and around the nation, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office.

In Illinois, 148 out of 983 agencies are contributing incident reports, representing at least 21% of officers.”
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For Poor Defendants, Minor Crimes Can Lead To Devastating Debts
Published On 1/13/2022
“America has long had the highest rates of poverty among the wealthy industrialized countries. Not only do we lead in poverty, but our conditions of impoverishment are incredibly damaging. Rather than providing support to the poor, U.S. social policies appear designed to punish and stigmatize them. Nowhere is this more clear than in Tony Messenger’s book, 'Profit and Punishment: How America Criminalizes the Poor in the Name of Justice.'”

The effect of fees on youth and their families is equally as harmful.
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With Cash Bond Ending In 2022, A New Program Will Use Social Services To Keep Communities Safe
Published On 1/12/2022
“Community Release with Support is being launched as a partnership between the Lawndale Christian Legal Center and the Bail Project, a national nonprofit that pays bail for people who can’t afford it. The pilot aims to tackle the root causes of why people end up committing crimes, and it will offer resources, including drug addiction treatment, housing programs, job readiness, mental health services and violence prevention programs.”
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The Lesson of Meek Mill’s ‘Trauma’
Published On 1/11/2022
“Music icon Meek Mill’s best-selling 2018 rap song, “Trauma,” is a starting point for examining the traumatic experiences of Black youth involved with the justice system, writes the author of a forthcoming book.

A close examination of the song’s lyrics should help enlarge the definition of what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) call Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) — childhood exposure to traumatic events like a shooting, a parent sent to jail, sexual abuse― that develop into adult trauma and often lead to trouble with the law.”
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How Decriminalization Impacts Racial Disparities in Cannabis Arrests
Published On 1/10/2022
“Cannabis decriminalization has modestly reduced the disproportionate possession arrests of Black adults compared to white, according to new research. But while decriminalization has brought down possession arrests overall, it does not seem to have improved the racial disparity for Black youth—only Black people over 18.”
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Prosecutor: Stop Blaming Crime Increase on Bail Reform
Published On 1/7/2022
“Good prosecutorial policies are based on facts, not fear.

While [bail reform] is certainly a departure from the status quo, it is actually a return to what the law says we should be doing in the first place: using pretrial detention as a ‘carefully limited exception’ only in cases where necessary to protect the community and ensure the accused appears in court.”
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Law Curbing Police Access to Home Data Tests Privacy Boundaries
Published On 1/6/2022
“A first-of-its-kind law in Illinois limiting law enforcement access to data from household digital devices sits at the forefront of an emerging legal debate over protecting the privacy of such records.

The state’s law, which takes effect Jan. 1, comes as law enforcement seeks to tap into consumers’ growing collection of internet-connected devices, from smart speakers to security cameras. These devices can capture conversations, movements, and other information that could be used for investigating crimes.

Known as the Protecting Household Privacy Act, the law restricts the sharing of device data by requiring a search warrant or permission from the device’s owner, with some exceptions in emergency scenarios.”
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A Black Teenager Stopped After a Shooting Spent the Night in Jail. He Was Never a Suspect.
Published On 1/5/2022
“‘I’m a Black teenager in Kankakee,’ Gee told the Tribune shortly after his arrest. ‘You just expect stuff like this to happen to you. There’s no sense getting mad about it because it won’t make a difference.’”
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New Video from the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth
Published On 1/4/2022
The CFSY has released a short video reminding us that despite the hurdles we face, we still have much to celebrate. By the end of 2021, over 800 individuals sentenced to life as children have been released from prison. Hundreds more sentenced to de facto life are now home. And thirty one states have either banned juvenile life without parole or have no one serving it. Illinois is not one of them. The work continues.
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JHA Releases Its Latest Monitoring Report on IYC Harrisburg
Published On 1/3/2022
This latest report by the John Howard Association includes conditions of confinement, demographics, education, programming, COVID responses, and recommendations for improvement.
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Why Are More Black Kids Suicidal? A Search for Answers.
Published On 12/30/2021
“Mental health experts assumed that people of all races had the same risk factors for self-harm. Emerging evidence suggests that is not the case.”
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Cook County’s Top Judge Reverses Position and Issues a Vaccine Mandate for Employees
Published On 12/29/2021
A member of the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center advisory board, Amanda Klonsky, said the announcement was “‘good news.’ But she said the policy should have been instituted long before Tuesday.

‘The current surge of omicron cases in the detention center and in the juvenile court was entirely anticipated,’ Klonsky said. ‘We knew there was going to be a winter surge, and the court absolutely should have gotten ahead of it by implementing this vaccine mandate weeks ago.’”
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Mostly White Juries Prompt States To Take Action To Eliminate Racial Discrimination
Published On 12/28/2021
“Nearly four decades after the Supreme Court established a precedent meant to eliminate racial discrimination in jury selection, the problem remains widespread, research shows. Most often the practice occurs through a legal tactic called a peremptory challenge, which allows an attorney to strike a potential juror without having to state a reason.

But critics say lawyers have found ways to get around the Supreme Court’s prohibition against discrimination in jury selection by asking potential Black jurors such questions as, ‘Have you ever had a bad encounter with the police?’”
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Champaign’s Way Out of Gun Violence Starts with $3.2 Million in Pandemic Relief
Published On 12/27/2021
“The city’s new Community Gun Violence Reduction Blueprint infuses $3.2 million in the first year into existing efforts from the housing authority, school district, reentry groups and more.

It also aims to fill gaps in Champaign services compared to other cities. For example, the city would hire two street outreach workers, who would mentor and mediate conflicts between people at risk of becoming shooters or shooting victims.”
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Michigan Shooting Suspect Is Among Thousands Of U.S. Minors Charged As Adults Yearly
Published On 12/23/2021
“For nearly three decades, juvenile crime and the number of juveniles actually prosecuted has sharply declined. But the deadly school shooting in Michigan brings into sharp focus some deep controversy surrounding juvenile justice: whether young people accused of crimes should be charged as a adults.”
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To Prevent Wrongful Convictions, Invest In Public Defense Solutions
Published On 12/22/2021
“Investing in public defense will undeniably help reduce wrongful convictions. But it is also a scalable solution with public-safety benefits far beyond the bounds of the horror of wrongful conviction.

Every dollar spent on public defense ensures that the people most in need of complex, robust support – whether because they have truly caused harm in the community or because they are being unconscionably harmed by our machinery of punishment – receive the tailored solutions they need to keep their present and future intact.”
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‘What Else Can I Do?’: Problems In Expungement Court
Published On 12/21/2021
“It was an unremarkable day in expungement court until a man with tears in his eyes spoke up. ‘This is my fourth time trying to do this,’ he said.

He is not alone. Expungement court at Chicago’s main criminal courthouse has struggled to bounce back after COVID-19 shutdowns, attorneys who work the cases told the Tribune, and for months some cases have been plagued with mystifying procedural and logistical problems.”
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For Kids in Crisis in Illinois, There Is Nowhere to Turn for Help
Published On 12/20/2021
“The state didn’t supply numbers of families waiting to getting into treatment facilities, but parents, school district officials and experts say there isn’t a single residential facility available that will admit children with the most extreme needs. With many pediatric psychiatric units also full, some children are waiting in hospital emergency rooms for weeks at a time. Others are languishing in juvenile detention centers.”
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It’s Never Too Late to Go to College and Rewrite Your Story
Published On 12/17/2021
“Devon Simmons served 15 years in prison for crimes he committed as a teenager. Since then, he’s been on a mission to remake not just his own life, but the legal system itself.”
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A New Evidence Management Tool Aims to Help Public Defenders Process Video and Audio
Published On 12/16/2021
Inspired by Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, two technologists have developed a “platform known as JusticeText, an AI-powered evidence management tool primarily geared toward public defenders.

JusticeText reviews audio and video files and generates a searchable transcript of the data. It does so by employing a speech-to-text machine learning algorithm that’s based off existing algorithms but has been improved through using the platform’s data.”
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How One Chicago Public School Is Changing Its Culture Now that the Police Are Gone
Published On 12/15/2021
“After students returned this fall to in-person instruction at Curie Metro High School on Chicago’s Southwest Side, some of them noticed a big change in the school’s culture. The adults are more willing to hear them out when there is conflict, they say. And there’s more support available for students who are struggling. ‘[The school environment] is better,’ senior Turrant Johnson said during a visit to the school last week. ‘It’s more civilized and more controlled.’”
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A Whiff of Pot Alone No Longer Airtight Probable Cause for Police to Search Cars in Several States
Published On 12/14/2021
“For decades, police officers have used motor vehicle stops and searches, which relied on officers saying they could smell marijuana, as part of their drug interdiction efforts. Because marijuana was illegal, the smell of it gave officers the probable cause they needed to justify the search. But now that marijuana is legal in 16 states and Washington, D.C., and medical marijuana is legal in 36 states plus D.C., the odor of marijuana no longer provides ironclad probable cause, because smoking it in those states is not necessarily criminal.”

An Illinois trial judge recently ruled that that the mere odor of marijuana doesn’t provide probable cause for a search.
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A Criminal Justice Reformer’s Case for Looser Gun Laws
Published On 12/13/2021
“There’s this case in front of the Supreme Court that haunts me a little bit: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen. It’s about whether it is too hard to get an unrestricted gun license in New York state. The plaintiffs say they should be able to carry their firearms wherever they want, not just to work or the gun range, and it seems like the court is inclined to agree with them, paving the way to looser gun laws. It makes me uneasy, because gun sales have spiked since the pandemic, and Kyle Rittenhouse was just found not guilty after shooting three people in the middle of a public street. But Sharone Mitchell Jr., a public defender in Chicago, sees it differently.”
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Illinois Supreme Court Lifts Stay on Redistricting of Appellate Courts
Published On 12/10/2021
Beginning January 1, 2022, notices of appeal and other related petitions must be filed in the appellate court district designated by Public Act 102-0011, regardless of the date of the judgment being appealed. In the case of conflicting case law among appellate districts, trial courts are bound by the law of the district in effect when the trial court action was initiated. The order also addresses law-of-the-case issues when there is a prior appellate decision in a particular case.
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I Was Sentenced to 30 Years to Life at 16. I Shouldn’t Have Been Sent Into the Adult System.
Published On 12/9/2021
“We are so much more than our crimes. And the best way to make it possible for such youths to change their trajectory is to keep them out of an adult system that too often corrupts rather than rehabilitates.”
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Rittenhouse's Defense Renews Focus On The Case Of A 17-Year-Old Who Killed Her Abuser
Published On 12/8/2021
“In the aftermath of Kyle Rittenhouse's acquittal in Kenosha, Wis., advocates are turning back to the case of Chrystul Kizer, who is also arguing it was self-defense when she killed her adult sexual abuser, set his house on fire and stole his car in 2018.

Kizer, who was 17 at the time, is accused of shooting Randall P. Volar III in the head; Volar had previously been arrested on child sexual assault charges. Kizer was released from jail in June 2020 after groups such as the Chicago Community Bond Fund raised money to pay her $400,000 bond. She is still awaiting trial.”
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“Unprecedented” Surge In Bullying, Harassment And Discrimination Against LGBTQ Students
Published On 12/7/2021
“The group of LGBTQ advocacy groups around the state that reported the rise in harassment toward LGBTQ students said the climate is difficult for LGBTQ students this fall. They say harassment is coming from staff or fellow students. It’s also happening at the local level at school board meetings like in Downers Grove.”
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The Perils of Probation: How Supervision Contributes to Jail Populations
Published On 12/6/2021
“Probation has been viewed traditionally as an alternative and solution to the problem of mass incarceration. However, as the number of people on probation has grown massively and probation supervision has become more punitive over the past few decades, recent reports have focused on how probation is actually contributing to mass incarceration.

This report explores how probation drives jail populations in racially disparate ways—through stringent and difficult to meet probation conditions that can result in revocation and through the detention of people awaiting violation hearings.”

Similar flawed practices plague some juvenile probation systems.
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Prosecuting Low-Level Crimes Makes Us Less Safe
Published On 12/3/2021
“It’s an important debate, partly because misdemeanors account for 80 percent of all prosecutions nationally.” A new study that “looked at the effects of prosecuting nonviolent misdemeanors on defendants’ future criminal legal involvement. Across the board, we find that being more lenient on the defendants — that is, erring toward non-prosecution — has big benefits. People who are not prosecuted for misdemeanors are much less likely to find themselves in a courtroom again within two years. Entanglement with the legal system itself seems to be a risk factor for future criminal prosecution."

The effects of non-prosecution are greatest for first-time defendants.
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JISC to be Replaced
Published On 12/2/2021
“Nearly two years after Chicago’s watchdog warned that the city’s efforts to keep teens who commit minor crimes out of jail was badly broken, city officials are poised to replace that system with a brand-new program, funded with $10 million included in the city’s 2022 budget.

The new effort will be ‘trauma-informed and services-oriented,’ according to a statement from the mayor’s office. Organizations will be invited to submit proposals to run the effort early next year, officials said. At the same time, officials with the Chicago Police Department are developing a new policy governing the way officers interact with children and teens, officials said.”
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When Denver Lost Its Mind Over Youth Crime
Published On 12/1/2021
“The power of the narrative propelled the politics. ‘We didn’t read statistics,’ said Governor Romer, musing to a Denver Post reporter in 1998. ‘We read every event, and they were dramatic. It was a dramatic summer.’"

Over two decades later, what lessons must we learned from a public panic that led to the dismantling of a youth justice system?
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Study: Police Exposure ‘Detrimental’ to Black Youths’ Health
Published On 11/30/2021
“The research, conducted by Dr. Monique Jindal, an assistant professor of clinical medicine from the University of Illinois Chicago, uncovered that police exposure up to the age of 26 was significantly associated with multiple negative health outcomes for Black youth — including adverse mental health, substance use, risky behaviors, and impaired safety.”
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Researcher: Adding metal detectors to Champaign-Urbana Schools Won’t Help
Published On 11/29/2021
“School districts in Champaign and Urbana are considering installing metal detectors in response to a rise in youth violence. But a social science researcher says metal detectors are not as effective as more long-term violence prevention.

One of the most effective ways schools can combat youth violence is by changing how students treat one another, says Hong. ‘One intervention that shows promise is social-emotional learning. Students learn proper behavior, how to handle conflict, etc. It’s not very costly, and it’s shown to decrease students’ pro-violent attitudes,’ Hong says.”
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No Bars, No Chains, No Locks: How Finland Is Reimagining Incarceration
Published On 11/24/2021
“A third of Finnish prisons operate as ‘open,’ allowing inmates to leave the facility for work or school. WBEZ’s Natalie Moore spent two weeks overseas to learn more.”
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Do Face Coverings Help or Hinder Clients in Court?
Published On 11/23/2021
“A 2009 study in the Northern American Journal of Psychology suggests facial expressions impact jurors as they are deciding a verdict. The study’s authors showed mock jurors images of defendants showing remorse and anger. It found that if jurors perceived a defendant showing remorse, it resulted in a more lenient verdict than if the defendant looked angry.

More recently, a September paper in the Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition looked at hundreds of studies on deception and mask-wearing and suggested that depriving jurors of a defendant’s facial cues would not have an impact.

‘The face is not a reliable source of information; therefore, depriving observers of parts of the face ought not to hamper them when detecting deceit. It may actually benefit them if it means that they will focus on speech content instead,’ the paper states.”
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School Surveillance of Students Via Laptops May Do More Harm Than Good
Published On 11/22/2021
“This student surveillance is taking place – at taxpayer expense – in cities and school communities throughout the United States. Privacy advocates fear these tools may harm students by criminalizing mental health problems and deterring free expression.

As a researcher who studies privacy and security issues in various settings, I know that intrusive surveillance techniques cause emotional and psychological harm to students, disproportionately penalize minority students and weaken online security.”
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View from the Trauma Center: Why Gun Violence Persists
Published On 11/19/2021
“‘Everybody that I know got a family member dead or locked up,’ says Slim, one of the young Black men featured in Life After the Gunshot, a digital storytelling project coproduced by Joseph Richardson, a professor of African-American Studies and Anthropology at the University of Maryland.

A multimedia experiment, Life After the Gunshot gives voice to those who have experienced gun violence firsthand. It tells harrowing stories of pain, suffering and, sometimes, redemption.”
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Data Snapshots Reveal COVID-19 Impact in Juvenile Justice Facilities
Published On 11/18/2021
“The Performance-based Standards (PbS) Learning Institute has released two new Data Snapshots summarizing the impact of COVID-19 in juvenile justice facilities.

The snapshots highlight information collected in April 2021 about how COVID-19 visitation protocols affected family engagement, and how the decreased use of restraints in facilities improved the youth's relationships with the staff.”
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Henry Montgomery Paroled – His Case Was Key to Abolishing Mandatory Life for Children
Published On 11/17/2021
“A Louisiana parole board granted parole on Wednesday to Henry Montgomery, whose Supreme Court case was instrumental in extending the possibility of freedom to hundreds of people sentenced to life in prison without the opportunity for parole when they were juveniles.”
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New Report on Court-Involved Children with Mental Health Challenges
Published On 11/16/2021
The National Juvenile Justice Network has just released its 2021 Policy Platform: Keep Children with Mental Health Challenges out of the Youth Legal System. “Each year, hundreds of thousands of children are arrested in the United States and thousands are locked up. An estimated two-thirds of youth in detention or correctional facilities have at least one diagnosable mental health issue.” This new report provides an overview of the problem and recommendations for improvement.
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Task Force Calls for Changes in Juvenile Detention Policies for Children Ages 10-12
Published On 11/12/2021
“In a report issued in February, the task force pointed to JMIS data demonstrating various problems with juvenile detention in Illinois, including counties’ inconsistent use of it, widely varying lengths of stay for similar offenses and racial disparities in detention rates.”

Peoria County used the data to revamp its intake procedures when it comes to detaining little kids. “‘Going from 37 to one in a year is pretty remarkable and an amazing success story,’ Smith said. ‘It takes a lot of courage to take a good look at the data and have discussions with all the stakeholders about these difficult issues.’

HB 3767, a bill currently before the Illinois Senate, would amend the Juvenile Justice Act to raise the minimum age for detention from 10 to 13.”
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New Funding and Office Aimed at Reducing Shootings in Illinois
Published On 11/10/2021
“Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday declared gun violence a ‘public health crisis’ and pledged to funnel $250 million over three years to reducing and interrupting shootings, a move he said is ‘about children who are being gunned down among us.’

The order also lays out a four-pronged approach to violence prevention that includes intervention programs for high-risk youth, violence prevention services — such as street-based violence interruption work and emotional or trauma-related therapy — after school and summer programming to increase youth school attendance and reduce contact with the criminal justice system and trauma-recovery services for young people.”
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Police Hurt Thousands of Teens Every Year. A Striking Number Are Black Girls.
Published On 11/9/2021
“A 2017 study by the Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality found that adults often see Black girls as older and less innocent than White girls of the same age.

‘Our deeply embedded biases about Black children being dangerous applies both to boys and girls, and I think we forget that,’ said Kristin Henning, a Georgetown Law professor. ‘We wouldn’t even think about stopping a White girl in quite the way we stop a Black girl.’”
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Homeless, Young and in Trouble with the Law: ‘I Was Angry’
Published On 11/8/2021
“His initial crime and arrest story, including the fact that he’s not since committed any serious crimes, fit a familiar pattern to juvenile justice watchers nationwide who study how such social determinants as poverty and neighborhood blight factor into some violent and other offenses.”
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New Illinois ID Program for Those Being Released from Prison
Published On 11/5/2021
“Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White announced a new program to provide individuals with a state ID card upon release from prison. ‘The State ID Program for Returning Residents gives people who have served their time in prison a necessary tool as they reenter their communities,’ said Secretary White. ‘A state ID card is essential to transition back into society.’

The program is expected to serve 27 IDOC facilities by April 2022. As of October 2021, 346 state ID cards have been processed. The average daily population at IDOC is 27,323.”
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Anti-violence Programs Are Working. But Can They Make a Dent in Chicago’s Gun Violence?
Published On 11/4/2021
“Researchers have been studying the programs now for more than three years, and say they’re surprised by how successful they have been at connecting with the incredibly hard-to-reach men at the center of the city’s gun violence and getting them to accept help. But despite the recent investment of millions in private and public money, they say the anti-violence efforts don’t have nearly the scale, structure or support to make a meaningful dent in the city’s overall levels of gun violence where more than 650 people were already killed this year and another 3,200 were shot.”
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Bill Establishing Sub-circuit Judges about Diversity
Published On 11/3/2021
“When state Rep. Carol Ammons looks at Champaign County’s six circuit judges, she sees too many White males. ‘My proposal is to create sub-circuits within Champaign County ... in an effort to create more opportunity for women and persons of color to serve as circuit judges and increase diversity,’ Ammons wrote to Champaign County Presiding Judge Randy Rosenbaum.”
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#DebtFreeJustice Campaign Seeks to Abolish Fines and Fees on Court-involved Youth
Published On 11/2/2021
Depending on the jurisdiction, thousands of dollars of fines and/or fees can be assessed against court-involved youth and their families. For those who can’t afford to pay, these assessments can drive youth deeper into the justice system and poverty, with lifelong consequences. The #DebtFreeJustice campaign is a national movement to abolish fees and fines by providing policy advocacy, litigation, and research.
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‘Gang Contracts’ in Some Schools Raise Concerns about Criminalization of Youth
Published On 11/1/2021
“Chris Bridges, program counsel at the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, said his organization worries that Morton High School District administrators might use the gang contracts to force students into alternative schools or push them out of school completely. ‘Law enforcement could potentially use them to criminalize students of color, who already face higher odds of being suspended, expelled and arrested at school,’ he wrote in an emailed response.

And there’s evidence that may be happening.”
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I Was Sentenced to Life as a Juvenile. Now I Help Kids Build Brighter Futures.
Published On 10/29/2021
“Imprisoned for 25 years, Fred Weatherspoon was shocked to return to a Chicago he didn’t recognize. He found belonging in an unexpected way — working with vulnerable young people and their families.”
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Chicago to Expand Anti-violence Youth Program That Reduced Arrests in Pilot
Published On 10/28/2021
“Chicago Public Schools will spend $7.5 million to expand an anti-violence program for teens in ‘high-risk situations’ and connect with them with weekly therapy and dedicated mentors.

The program, called Choose to Change, will reach 1,000 students this school year, CEO Pedro Martinez said Monday. Four community groups will help provide the services to students most impacted by violence and trauma.”
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Most Correctional Workers Remain Unvaccinated – Rates Better in Youth Facilities
Published On 10/27/2021
The Governor set a deadline of October 26th for state employees who work in prisons to get their first dose of a COVID vaccine or face discipline, up to losing their jobs. The vast majority of Illinois prisons are located in rural counties where vaccination rates are low. Nearly 57 percent of Illinoisans are fully vaccinated. The rate is 46 percent for correctional workers, with the exception of workers in youth facilities, of whom two thirds are vaccinated.
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New Book Says SCOTUS Does Poor Job of Protecting Against Police Abuse & Racism
Published On 10/26/2021
"The thesis of Erwin Chemerinsky’s latest book - Presumed Guilty: How the Supreme Court Empowered the Police and Subverted Civil Rights – is this: 'Many provisions of the Constitution exist to limit what police can do and to protect the rights of all of us, including those suspected and accused of crimes. Yet the court has done an ineffective, and indeed a poor job, of enforcing provisions of the Constitution intended to constrain the police. The Supreme Court has historically and consistently empowered the police to engage in racialized policing that especially harms people of color.'”
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Let the Punishment Fit the Crime
Published On 10/25/2021
“In 2018, at a maximum-security prison an hour outside of Chicago, a debate team gathered on a stage to argue the merits of reinstating parole in Illinois. Under current law — Illinois abolished discretionary parole in 1978 for all future offenders — none of the 14 members of the Stateville Correctional Center debate team would ever get to appear before a parole board.

A parole reform bill that arose from the Stateville debate team's efforts, Senate Bill 2333, is currently pending before the Illinois legislature. It encompasses many young people not covered by Illinois’ recent youthful parole bill, which didn’t apply retroactively.
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Few Standards for Police Use of Force Against Children: Investigation
Published On 10/22/2021
"An Associated Press investigation has found that children as young as 6 have been treated harshly — even brutally — by officers of the law. They have been handcuffed, felled by stun guns, taken down and pinned to the ground by officers often far larger than they were. Departments nationwide have few or no guardrails to prevent such incidents.
Black children made up more than 50 percent of those who were handled forcibly, though they are only 15 percent of the U.S. child population. They and other minority kids are often perceived by police as being older than they are."
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Judge Unseals Report On Mental Health Care In Illinois Prisons
Published On 10/21/2021
“The monitor's 30-page report is critical of IDOC's efforts to comply with a settlement agreement approved in May 2016 that required Illinois prisons to make sweeping changes in mental health treatment.

According to Stewart, the inability to hire adequate staff remains ‘the major impediment’ for the state's compliance with the federal court order. Stewart called the state's assertion that staffing levels exceed what's required ‘baffling.’ Reports from Wexford, the private firm hired to provide health care for the state's 27,000 inmates, does not support the state's claim, according to Stewart.”
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Don’t Overlook Local Prosecutors in Debate on Criminal Justice Reform
Published On 10/20/2021
“Putting a brighter spotlight on the role of local prosecutors would be an important first step. Miriam Krinsky, the executive director of Fair and Just Prosecution, called it a ‘black box’ that needs to be opened. ‘If this administration wants to impact mass incarceration, address racial inequities and reset the criminal legal system, this is a key way to bring about meaningful and lasting reform,’ said Ms. Krinsky, who is herself a former federal prosecutor.”
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The Shadow Penal System for Struggling Kids
Published On 10/18/2021
"Teen Challenge, made up of more than a thousand centers, claims to reform troubled teens. But is its discipline more like abuse?"
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‘The Only Answer They Have is Jail’: A 13-Year-Old’s Story
Published On 10/15/2021
Nearly every juvenile defender has seen clients unnecessarily land in detention because a parent doesn't want then back in the home or thinks a good scare will do them some good. In this first-hand account, "Z" shares the damage inflicted and asks why there isn't a better way.
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2020 Uptick in Homicides Doesn’t Mean Criminal Reforms Aren’t Working
Published On 10/14/2021
“Several states have modernized their pretrial systems, curtailing the use of cash bail, a practice that disproportionately punishes low-income individuals and people of color. Reform skeptics warned that such changes would cause upticks in crime. Critically, those opponents were wrong.”
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Two Criminal Justice Lawyers Pick 12 Books that Best Explain America’s Incarceration System
Published On 10/7/2021
“America's criminal justice system can feel distant to those removed from courtrooms or prison cells. That's why reading books that humanize the system can help you better relate to the approximately 2.3 million people currently incarcerated in the US.”
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Public Defenders Can Do More for Public Safety — If We Let Them
Published On 10/6/2021
“Much of the talk around justice reform and rising crime focuses on police and prosecutors. Here, Emily Galvin-Almanza explores a different approach: using “Advocates” from the defense side, in addition to lawyers, to help defendants keep jobs and stay out of jail and off the streets. Galvin-Almanza spent six years as a public defender in New York City and is the founder and co-executive director of Partners for Justice, which works with clients to reduce incarceration and recidivism and, therefore, crime.”
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What Happens when Prosecutors Stop Filing Misdemeanors
Published On 10/5/2021
“Misdemeanors don’t often receive much public attention. But for people on the receiving end of these charges, misdemeanors can be expensive, disruptive and a potential entry point to deeper involvement with the criminal legal system.

As some district and state’s attorneys reduce their misdemeanor caseloads, early research shows that this move led police to enforce fewer low-level misdemeanors without sacrificing public safety.”

For youth in Illinois and elsewhere, misdemeanor arrests are a powerful driver of deeper court involvement.
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He Dropped Out Of High School After Witnessing A Murder. 10 Years Later, He’s Graduating.
Published On 10/4/2021
“The Chicago CRED program offers life coaching, job training, a salary and online classes to get a high school diploma. Recently 46 men and women from the CRED program celebrated earning their high school degree. These are people fighting to get out of a life of gun violence. People who have already started down a new path, and who are hopeful their high school diplomas will be as big a turning point in their lives as when they joined a gang or first carried a gun.”
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Don't Ignore the Infrastructure of Criminal Justice
Published On 10/1/2021
“Advocates for criminal justice reform from different fields and backgrounds are all reaching the same conclusion: Any attempt at real, lasting change will require a significant investment in our ability to collect, store, and share data. We cannot confirm that new policies work without tracking their outcomes. We cannot address racial injustice without data about policing practices, court processes, jail populations, and prison systems.

Meanwhile, the political discourse around critical issues like pretrial reform, gun violence, and police accountability all suffer from a lack of objective data.”
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Op Ed: Progress Made in Taking School Discipline Out of the Hands of Cops
Published On 9/30/2021
“We urge those who agree with us — that there are better alternatives to cops in schools cracking down on 12-year-olds — to keep on pushing. We are seeing the beginning of a healthy shift in thinking about school discipline, and advocates for removing uniformed officers from school buildings deserve much of the credit. They are being heard.”
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The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth
Published On 9/29/2021
Professor Kristin Henning of Georgetown Law’s Juvenile Justice Clinic & Initiative, has just released the book youth advocates have been waiting for, The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth. “We’ve long needed a great book on race and the juvenile legal system. Thanks to Kris Henning, we have it. Deeply researched and passionately argued, The Rage of Innocence details how we criminalize Black children—and explains how we can stop.”

Loyola University Chicago Law School and the Catholic Criminal Justice Reform Network is sponsoring a discussion of the book with Professor Henning and Pulitzer Prize winning author of Locking Up Our Own, Professor James Forman, Jr.
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Garbage In, Gospel Out – New Report on Predictive Policing
Published On 9/28/2021
“The purpose of this Report by the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys is to: (1) call attention to the rapid development and deployment of data-driven policing; (2) situate data-driven policing within the racialized historical context of policing and the criminal legal system; (3) make actionable recommendations that respond to the reality, enormity, and impact of data-driven policing; and (4) suggest strategies for defense lawyers in places where data-driven policing technology is employed.”
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Formerly Incarcerated Teens Share their Research, Ideas to Improve the Juvenile Court System
Published On 9/24/2021
Youth with experience in the juvenile court system are a rich, but largely untapped, resource for positive change. This group of young people helped rework probation agreement, block curfews, develop new approaches.
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Illinois Supreme Court Announces Structural Changes to Pretrial Services
Published On 9/23/2021
“The Illinois Supreme Court announced this week structural changes that will move all pretrial services under the authority of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC). The changes will take place in phases over the next 16 months.

The move is aimed at achieving consistent statewide pretrial practices that are ‘fair, efficient, transparent, accountable, and adequately resourced using legal and evidence-based practices,’ the Court said in a press release. The new structure will also help ease the financial burden on Illinois counties.”
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Electronic Monitoring in Chicago Is Pervasive, Due to Sensationalist Crime Reporting
Published On 9/22/2021
“The facts of pretrial justice in Chicago make for a far less catchy headline: The rate of rearrests for violent offenses while on release pending trial remains the same as it was before Chicago limited the use of bail in 2017. At just 3%, it’s near nonexistent.”

Thanks to the Illinois Pre-trial Fairness Act, “starting January 1, 2022, before ordering e-carceration, judges will first be required to share in writing why they believe e-carceration is necessary for the community's safety. Every 60 days after, judges will be required to review their decision. E-carceration may continue only if needed to avoid a specific, real threat and present danger to a person or willful flight from prosecution. The result: Fewer people will be subject to harsh state surveillance and more will be freed after review.”
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Supervisors in DOJJ Facilities Must Vaccinate, but No Agreement for Other Staff
Published On 9/21/2021
The State of Illinois has reached an agreement with supervisory employees in the Department of Juvenile Justice and DOC to require COVID-19 vaccinations, but other staff members responsible for caring for children in state care are not subject to the mandate. Only 44 percent of DOJJ and DOC staff are currently vaccinated.
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Arizona the First State to Nix Peremptory Challenges
Published On 9/20/2021
Proponents of the change “relied on decades-old arguments based on numerous empirical studies that found racial imbalances in American juries both before and after the Supreme Court formulated the current framework for conducting peremptory challenges. Justice Thurgood Marshall predicted correctly in Batson that the test meant to prevent discriminatory peremptory challenges was too easy to evade and urged the majority to eliminate the practice altogether.”
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Chicago Police Pull Over Black Drivers 7 Times More Often Than White Drivers, State Report Shows
Published On 9/16/2021
Unnecessary stops have increased since the annual study was commissioned in 2003 – and the vast majority are unrelated to public safety. Citations were issue less than 10 percent of the time, and guns were found in less than one percent of encounters. Vast racial disparities continue to exist, with white drivers being more likely to be found with contraband despite being less likely to be pulled over in the first place.

In addition to constitutional concerns, it is “especially harmful that Black and Latino Chicagoans are so heavily impacted by the surge in traffic stops since any interaction with police can spiral into a situation of police violence, said Daniel Massoglia, an attorney and civil rights clinic director for First Defense Legal Aid.”
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Ethical, Authentic, and Youth-led Advocacy
Published On 9/15/2021
The Juvenile Law Center has issued its latest publication, Building the Field of Ethical, Authentic, and Youth-led Advocacy: Key Components of a Youth Advocacy Program. “The key components guide is a document intended for those who work with youth and youth themselves engaged in experience-led advocacy. It is designed to provide guiding principles and a framework for developing and supporting youth-led advocacy, using the best practices Juvenile Law Center's Youth Advocacy Program has gleaned over the past twelve years.”
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Reentry Programs, Reforms Helped Lower Recidivism Rates by Nearly Half: Report
Published On 9/14/2021
“An overall decline in recidivism rates may have been driven by federal and state reentry programs and changes in policing strategy, according to an analysis of 2005-2012 data by the Council on Criminal Justice.”
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Why Many Districts Are Struggling Over whether to Keep Officers in Schools
Published On 9/13/2021
“Policing in schools continues to be debated across the country in an ongoing racial re-examination, with many districts still struggling with what to do in light of robust data showing the disparate treatment of minority students. Many justice experts say policing has been so deeply intertwined with schooling that parting with the programs can be a hard pill to swallow for districts.

Ben Fisher, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at Florida State University who researches school policing, said districts find it difficult to part with police because they are viewed as an extra layer of safety even though there is no objective research to establish that they make schools safer.”
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Youth Justice System Worsened During Pandemic
Published On 9/10/2021
“The pandemic has made it more difficult for justice-involved youth to receive fair treatment in the justice system, according to a report by the National Juvenile Defender Center (NJDC). ‘What has passed as due process in this time of COVID threatens to unravel the fabric of the Constitutional protections that stand between young people and injustice,’ wrote the authors of the report, entitled ‘Due Process in the Time of COVID.’

They warned that the pandemic has ‘magnified’ communication, access and racial bias issues in the already-troubled youth justice system, and threatens to cause permanent damage.”
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The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Significant Work on Probation Reform for Youth
Published On 9/9/2021
“Given juvenile probation’s significant footprint, transforming juvenile probation presents an enormous opportunity to improve the entire juvenile justice system. Given research on adolescent behavior and brain development and evidence about interventions that consistently reduce delinquency, the knowledge now exists to get juvenile probation right.”

To that end, the Foundation has compiled a variety of material “that provide key tips, tools and recommendations for transforming juvenile probation that are organized to help users find the right resource for their need.”
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Texas woman who works with indigent defendants says she was arrested in retaliation for her work
Published On 9/8/2021
“As the holistic approach to indigent defense becomes increasingly popular, proponents of the model have begun to clash with those accustomed to the old way of doing things. Harris is only the latest example: Two public defenders in Pennsylvania were fired in 2020 for submitting an amicus brief to that state’s supreme court for a case about cash bail. And last year, a district attorney in California threatened a whistleblower complaint against a public defender for blog posts he wrote during the George Floyd protests.”
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These Students Grew Up Around Gun Violence. They Decided It Was Time To Talk About It.
Published On 9/6/2021
"‘It was always something we were around, but not something that was talked about,’" says Makiyah Hicks. So Hicks, along with her classmates Jonetta Harrison and Quin Wells, decided to talk about it. The students, all recent graduates of the Duke Ellington School, made a podcast about gun violence in D.C., and how families of victims are shaped by the loss.”
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How pandemic practice left lawyer-moms facing burnout
Published On 9/3/2021
"It is a law of physics that two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time. Otherwise, matter can collapse in on itself like a black hole. If ever there was a moment when the principles of quantum mechanics applied to American households, this is it. After protracted stay-at-home measures with family members confined together—working, studying, struggling—the bottom fell out, exposing a void where a net was supposed to be.

As the world ground to a halt and parents scrambled for solutions, an uncomfortable truth emerged: Women are America’s default social safety net."
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Troubling Treatment: Efforts are underway to reform teen behavioral programs
Published On 9/2/2021
“Although a number of people say these programs helped to positively change their lives, critics of the industry argue that no federal oversight or consistent regulations among states put vulnerable children at greater risk. For example, a program that is licensed as a therapeutic boarding school in one state may be licensed as a residential treatment center in another state.

In addition, many states exempt religious boarding schools from licensing requirements entirely, in addition to not requiring any oversight by education or child welfare authorities. Because programs exist in a murky area of the law, it has been difficult to track and curtail abuses that have occurred over the years.”
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New Legislation Creates Safer Learning Environments for Students
Published On 9/1/2021
“Building on efforts to cultivate safe and inclusive classrooms, Governor JB Pritzker today signed House Bill 219 into law, seeking to end the use of physical restraints to discipline students in public schools. The legislation, which received wide bipartisan support, aims to eliminate solitary time out and other restrictive interventions within three years, while expanding training and accountability in schools as it relates to these practices.”
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Chicago Police Defend Gang Database, More than 2 Years After Watchdog Called it ‘Deeply Flawed'
Published On 8/31/2021
“Chicago Police Department officials on Tuesday defended their continuing use of “deeply flawed” records that list approximately 135,000 Chicagoans as members of gangs nearly 2 1/2 years after the city’s watchdog found the databases were riddled with errors, ripe for abuse and disproportionately targeted Black and Latino Chicagoans.”
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ABA House encourages prosecutors to collect and publish case data
Published On 8/30/2021
“Resolution 504 urges all prosecutors’ offices to produce regular reports that include the crimes charged; defendant’s or respondent’s race, gender and ZIP code; recommendations related to pretrial release and the court’s decisions; the disposition of each charge; and case rejection rates from all stages of criminal and juvenile processes.

The resolution also urges these offices to make the data available and accessible to the public, subject to any confidentiality requirements.”
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Urbana Police revise policy to reduce structural biases and build trust with community
Published On 8/27/2021
“The Use of Force policy revision reflects the City’s commitment to the NAACP’s Ten Shared Principles of community policing and prioritizes de-escalation during encounters with the public. It also reflects many comments and suggestions received from the Urbana City Council and through public engagement over the past ten months and aligns with the Illinois General Assembly’s recently passed police reform legislation,” Urbana Police Chief Bryant Seraphin said.
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Chicago will limit when schools call police. Do changes go far enough?
Published On 8/26/2021
“Chicago will limit when school administrators can call police and advise them to first consider factors such as a student’s disability or past trauma.

The revisions to the student code of conduct policy come in the wake of years of lobbying by student activists, a renewed urgency sparked by protests for racial justice, and some high-profile cases at campuses.”
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Chicago youth offer public policy suggestions to city leaders through Mikva Challenge
Published On 8/25/2021
“The kids’ feedback centered on school curriculum, an independent audit of the controversial gunshot detection technology ShotSpotter and an expansion of restorative justice court. The Juvenile Justice Council under Mikva addressed suggested a minimum age of 14 for detainment, in addition to alternatives to juvenile detention.

‘We talk a lot about what happens to youth after they get out of the detention,’ said Octavio Montesdeoca, a UIC student who took part. ‘It’s a band-aid on a bullet wound. We need to provide resources before they get into the juvenile system to avoid trauma. We need to be providing community-based alternatives earlier to mitigate people being incarcerated.’”
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Interrupting Implicit Bias in the Illinois Judiciary
Published On 8/24/2021
“If our justice system is fair and just for all, why is there a consistent disparity in the sentencing of some groups compared to others? Throughout our nation’s history, we’ve regularly seen individuals of color, specifically African American males, jailed and sentenced at a higher and harsher rate than their peers.

While thinkers have advanced countless theories to explain this discrepancy, it’s wise to consider whether members of the judiciary have the tools they need to make sure their decisions are fair and just.”

Illinois courts “have created educational tools, resources, and trainings to support judges in understanding and disrupting possible biases so they can render fair judgments.”
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On The West Side, New Youth Hub Will Offer Space To Learn, Create And Grow
Published On 8/23/2021
“The new ‘youth and community hub’ will allow BUILD to grow its programs for kids and teens that are ‘engaging them in community, bringing them in the sports and arts and music and food, providing mentors and safe spaces,’ said Adam Alonso, the CEO of BUILD.

The development will have facilities dedicated to the Peace and Justice Center, a restorative justice collaborative BUILD participates in.”
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New Illinois Bill Advances Equity, Reduces Mandatory Minimums for Youth
Published On 8/20/2021
The legislation, which takes effect immediately, “enhances procedural justice by removing mandatory penalties that create longer sentences for younger teens than for older youth who commit the same offenses. Youth labeled as Habitual Juvenile Offenders or Violent Offenders will no longer be committed until age 21, but instead will receive a proportionate extension to their stay at IDJJ.

The bill also clarifies concurrent sentencing, so that calculating sentences is done uniformly for youth across the state.” And it prohibits the use of isolation as a punishment.
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Data Collection Is Crucial For Equity In Diversion Programs
Published On 8/19/2021
“The Prosecutorial Performance Indicators project, an initiative led by researchers at the Florida International University and Loyola University of Chicago to help prosecutors collect data to improve their methods, recently released a report that looked at racial disparities in the number of people who had their cases diverted from criminal courts to diversion programs, like mental health or drug courts.”
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If Google wants to reform criminal justice, it should start with its search results
Published On 8/13/2021
Did you know that in the U.S., if you declare bankruptcy, after 10 years there is no record of this fact anywhere? Yet if you have anything on your past criminal record, even a smaller charge such as possession of marijuana or bouncing a check, this mistake remains in your Internet search results forever.

To solve this problem, Google should provide people with criminal records a way to expunge their record from search results after a given period of time.
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Are Virtual Courtrooms Here to Stay?
Published On 8/11/2021
"When the pandemic forced attorneys to present their cases remotely, courtroom members had little time to adapt in-person practices to online platforms. Some changes were glaring, like the court’s inability to ‘all rise’ remotely. Others were smaller but still consequential: sitting behind separate screens, clients and attorneys could no longer whisper to one another — a loss that Howard ‘Rex’ Dimmig, the public defender for the 10th Judicial Circuit of Florida, said conveys the disadvantages of virtual court proceedings."
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High-Risk Youth Recidivism Halved by Diversion Program
Published On 8/10/2021
Diversion programs in juvenile court often focus on lower risk youth and can provide too much intervention. In an effort to reduce reoffending and keep youth out of detention, “DDAP chooses to focus on having high-risk juveniles participate in its program since studies have shown that interventional and supportive programs were most effective whereas, for low-risk juveniles, programs that provided youth with a ‘caution’ and were low intervention were most efficacious.

‘We go for the highest risk population — if it succeeds with this population, then why are you keeping the lower risk population in the hall?’”
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Juvenile Court Records Shed Light On Adult Recidivism
Published On 8/9/2021
Researchers at Illinois State University have begun analyzing a decade’s worth of data from the McLean County Juvenile Detention Center and the County Jail, looking for ways in which youth may trend toward adult court involvement and the role of mental health. Researchers believe “judges, prosecutors, defenders, and others can use the data to adjust court diversionary programs.”
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Champaign Police & Unit 4 Schools Announce Temporary Suspension of School Resource Officer Program
Published On 8/6/2021
“’As we strive to provide a safe and nurturing learning environment for our students and staff, we will continue to work closely with our partners at CPD. This is an opportunity for us to proactively approach the security of our students and staff from a social-emotional and equity lens,’ said Unit 4 Superintendent Dr. Shelia Boozer. ‘We plan to strengthen student supports through restorative proactive, therapeutic crisis intervention (TCI) training, and introducing Student Support Advocates (SSAs) as part of our staffing.’”
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National Judicial Organization Issues Probation Toolkit for Juvenile Judges
Published On 8/5/2021
The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) has released 'The Role of the Judge in Transforming Juvenile Probation: A Toolkit for Leadership.'

This Toolkit for judges follows the NCJFCJ’s 2017 'Resolution Regarding Juvenile Probation and Adolescent Development,' that called for a research-informed approach to juvenile probation that is individualized, partners with youth and families, doesn't include too many conditions, avoids unnecessary detention, and promotes long-term success. "'Rather than expecting perfect compliance with probation requirements, goals, and expectations,’ the Resolution recommended that probation should ‘[e]mphasize effort and improvement through a process of behavior change,’ and it should ‘[u]tilize incentives and rewards to motivate youth to meet expectations and goals.’”
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Study: Body Cameras Close the Racial Gap in Police Misconduct Investigations
Published On 8/4/2021
“Video footage captured by police-worn body cameras is closing racial gaps in police misconduct investigations according to research by criminologists and economists. . . . ‘Police bodycams – when they’re turned on – even the playing field by introducing objective evidence into the investigation of complaints about police behavior [and] help eliminate ambiguities and conflicting accounts among Black and Hispanic complainants more often than whites, narrowing proven disparities among racial lines.’

Before the adoption of police bodycams, evidence suggests the Chicago PD citizen complaint investigations process produced biased outcomes.”
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Former Youth Center Worker Admits to Misconduct
Published On 8/2/2021
A former Illinois Youth Center employee pleaded guilty to felony official misconduct and was sentenced to 30 months’ probation after she engaged in sexual contact with an 18-year-old youth at the St. Charles facility.
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More than 30 Chicago high schools will pursue alternatives to police
Published On 7/30/2021
“When students at Hyde Park Academy High School on the South Side return to school next year, a new dean of school culture and climate will begin handling some disputes through restorative justice. The Gordon S. Hubbard High School in West Lawn will have a dedicated staff member coordinating social and emotional support for students. And the Emil G. Hirsch Metropolitan High School in Greater Grand Crossing will have a full-time social worker.

All three schools will free up funds for these positions by removing one of their two in-school police officers.”
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Study: Police Talk Less Respectfully to Black People Than White at Traffic Stops
Published On 7/29/2021
“In a study published earlier this week in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Attitudes and Social Cognition, a group of researchers and professors analyzed the audio from traffic stops to understand if cops treat Black and white men differently during these encounters.

The big reveal: Cops talk differently and more negatively to Black drivers than white ones during traffic stops, aggravating tension between law enforcement and minority communities.”
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High Incarceration Rate Is Drag on U.S. Growth, Fed Official Says
Published On 7/28/2021
“The high level of incarceration in the U.S., especially among Americans of color and indigenous people, constrains the labor market and the economy’s ability to reach its full potential, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic said. . . . ‘Incarceration and how we execute criminal justice inhibits global competitiveness, [and]can have the effect of exacerbating race-based employment, income and wealth disparities, which can limit economic mobility and resilience and ultimately constrain labor markets and compromise the performance of the overall economy.’

Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren said that the U.S. may need to take a look at what it considers criminal offenses, especially when it comes to non-safety issues. With marijuana now legalized in many places, it may make sense to examine if other things can be decriminalized.”
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In A Major Step For Chicago Police Reform, Civilians Gain Oversight Of Department
Published On 7/27/2021
“In Chicago, the city council has approved a plan that, for the first time, will give civilians direct oversight of the city's police department. It's part of a years-long push to make police officers more accountable to the residents whom they serve. And it could make Chicago a model for what independent community-based police oversight looks like.”
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Trauma-Informed Legal Advocacy: A Resource for Juvenile Defense Attorneys
Published On 7/26/2021
This resource from the American Bar Association, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, and the National Juvenile Defender Association “is intended to provide juvenile defense attorneys with an increased understanding of what trauma-informed legal advocacy entails, how trauma impacts child development, the attorney-client relationship, family and caregivers, and attorneys themselves. Additionally, this resource addresses screening and assessment, information sharing, transitions and placement decisions, and effective treatments for traumatic stress.

Within each topic area, strategies for integrating this knowledge into legal advocacy (“Practice Tips”) are offered. Finally, this resource is intended to help you understand your role as the gatekeeper of trauma-based information for your client and support judiciously choosing how and when to use this information to best advocate for your client.”
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Child Poverty Improved In Illinois Before COVID-19 — But Gaps Remain
Published On 7/23/2021
“A child poverty report released Monday shows major improvement in the last decade, but for kids in many rural pockets of the state, progress was less significant. That was not only true about geography, but also differences between racial and ethnic groups, according to the nonprofit Voices for Illinois Children’s 2021 Kids Count report.”
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Can Criminal Justice Reform Survive a Wave of Violent Crime?
Published On 7/22/2021
“An uptick in homicides across the country is getting blamed on reforms. That argument gets the data all wrong. To be clear, the defenders of the status quo are mistaken. Not only have reforms been less extreme than they often claim, but the rise in homicides has occurred more or less equally in places that adopted reforms and those that rejected them.

What’s more, to argue in favor of the status quo is to ignore that the prescribed cure—more of what we have been doing for decades now—is almost certainly not the best cure, and is quite likely not even a good cure.”
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What Do Police Know About Teenagers? Not Enough.
Published On 7/21/2021
“In the training session, ‘Policing the Teen Brain,’ [officers] learned all the ways that adolescents are different from adults. For instance, because of their less-developed prefrontal cortex — the part of the brain charged with problem solving and controlling irrational behavior — and the coursing hormones of puberty, they are not always in command of their actions. Children who have suffered violence or other trauma are even more likely to become emotionally unstable under stress.

Most police never learn this.”
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Gov. Signs New Law Creating Privilege for Statements Made in Restorative Justice Diversion Programs
Published On 7/20/2021
“Senate Bill 64, which encourages the use of restorative justice practices by providing that participation in such practices and anything said or done during the practice is privileged and may not be used in any future proceeding unless the privilege is waived by the informed consent of the party or parties covered by the privilege.”

The new legislation is effective immediately and applies in delinquency, criminal, civil, and administrative hearings.
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From prison, a convicted drug dealer designed a board game. It challenges players to go legit.
Published On 7/19/2021
“At the time, Parker envisioned the games sitting on tables at group homes, juvenile detention centers and prisons. ‘I kept thinking of my 14-year-old self and how there were still 14-year-olds and 15-year-olds being incarcerated,” he tells me on a recent evening. “I thought what if they had something they could interact with and get a view of the path that they’re going down? What if they could visually see it while they’re playing?’”
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Chicago’s top cop blames the courts — again — after one of the most violent Fourth of July weekends
Published On 7/16/2021
“But the police superintendent was immediately attacked by Cook County’s state’s attorney, chief judge and public defender, who all said Brown’s criticism was simplistic and not based on reality.”
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Detention of Children 10-12 Years Old In Illinois: A Call to Action
Published On 7/15/2021
Despite the well-documented harms caused by juvenile detention and the availability of alternatives, 15 of Illinois’ 102 counties still detain children as young as 10 to 12 years old. The largest numbers occur in mid-sized counties with their own local detention centers – and can include incarceration for property crimes, warrants, and probation violations. The racial disparities are profound, and the number of girls being detained is on the rise.

To learn more and see how your own county is doing, take a look at the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission’s recent report ‘Detention of Children 10-12 Years Old In Illinois: A Call to Action.’
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Why Implicit Bias Training For Police Doesn't Work — And What Can Be Done To Combat Racism
Published On 7/14/2021
“In the aftermath of recent police killings of Black Americans, many departments have implemented implicit bias training for officers. Here & Now's Tonya Mosley speaks with Jack Glaser, a University of California, Berkeley social psychologist whose work focuses on police interactions and implicit bias.”
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Missouri Supreme Court Poised to Decide Constitutionality of Remote Trials
Published On 7/13/2021
Briefing has begun in two defense challenges to remote proceedings under the state’s confrontation clause – a COVID-triggered remote delinquency trial of a 12-year-old where all the state witnesses testified remotely and a criminal trial involving remote testimony from a state lab employee on paternity leave.
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Ankle Monitors Tether Wearers to the Carceral System: Study
Published On 7/12/2021
Former juvenile defender and GW School of Law associate professor Kate Wesiburd “details in her latest research published by the Virginia Law Review that electronic ankle monitors are keeping people tethered to the prison system longer than necessary — and there’s no substantial evidence to suggest the monitoring is rehabilitative.”
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Predictive policing strategies for children face pushback
Published On 7/9/2021
Under the label of “intelligence-led policing,” law enforcement collects information about youth from a variety of sources, including law enforcement and school records, to predict which young people are most likely to commit future crimes.

“Criminal justice advocates say programs like these targeting adolescents, and the broader trend to increase surveillance in schools under the guise of school safety, fuel the so-called school-to-prison pipeline. This is where instead of letting children and teenagers make and learn from their mistakes, they are marked as criminals at an early age — even if they are only interacting with school resource officers. Once they are in the criminal justice system, it’s almost impossible to escape.”
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Black and brown children are not 'superpredators' and should not spend life in prison
Published On 7/8/2021
“The truth is, it did not take much for the superpredator myth to thrive. America was more than ready to accept that children of color were unworthy of dignity, largely because we are so well-practiced in doing so.” In its recently released report The Origins of the Superpredator: the Child Study Movement to Today the Coalition for the Fair Sentencing of Youth looks at the development of the superpredator myth of the 1990s and makes recommendations for repairing the damage inflicted by myth-driven policies.
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Speedy Trial Deadlines to be Reinstated in Illinois Courts
Published On 7/7/2021
Current COVID-related tolling of statutory speedy trial rights in delinquency and criminal courts will be lifted October 1, 2021. Days prior to the suspension of speedy trial will count toward the new calculations.

But Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell is troubled by the delayed start date. “We are now at a time where baseball stadiums and basketball stadiums are filled to the brim. And the idea that we can do all that, but … we can’t restore that right, immediately. It’s just, I just can’t wrap my head around it.”
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Bill to End Criminalization of Students Reintroduced in Congress
Published On 7/6/2021
"The Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act would prohibit the use of federal funds to increase police presence in schools. Instead it would provide $5 billion in new grant funding to help schools hire more counselors, social workers and other behavioral health personnel, and implement services that create positive and safe climates for all students. It also incentivizes states and districts to bring an end to the criminalization of young people, particularly Black, Native American and Latino students, immigrant students, students with disabilities, LGBTQ+ students and other historically marginalized students."
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Op-Ed: The In-between
Published On 7/5/2021
This firsthand account by scholar and incarcerated person Phillip Hartsfield discusses the dilemma for young people stuck between truth-in-sentencing and a youthful parole bill that’s not retroactive. “Many of these youth have languished in prison for decades, rehabilitated themselves, and statistically have the lowest recidivism rates of most returning citizens. If the youthful offender parole bill applied to them, the years they have already served might allow them to already be going home. Similarly, if they had been convicted pre-TIS they would be home now as well.” But for those “convicted between 1998 and June 1, 2019 they are stuck, set aside as a different species in purgatory, never to be released.”
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First Confirmed Appellate Justice of New Administration a Black Woman and Former Public Defender
Published On 7/2/2021
Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed on Monday to the D.C. Circuit, a circuit often viewed as a springboard to the U. S. Supreme Court. Jackson, who is just the ninth Black woman to join the federal appellate bench, will join the 1% of federal appellate judges who spent the majority of their legal careers in public defense or legal aid. All of Biden’s circuit court appointments thus far have some public defense experience.
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Youth Justice Needs Specialized Training of Judges, Lawyers, Court Employees, and Courtroom Language
Published On 7/1/2021
“It is not enough to just say we should ‘treat kids like kids.’ Juvenile court practitioners need concrete guidance. That’s why Fair and Just Prosecution, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and National Juvenile Defender Center worked together to issue a joint statement on how important legal specialization is for those working in the juvenile court system; and to issue “Seeing What’s Underneath: A Resource for Understanding Behavior & Using Language in Juvenile Court,” a new resource, developed with the Georgetown Law Juvenile Justice Initiative, that provides guidance for legal practitioners and other court employees.”
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Supreme Court Rules for Cheerleader Punished for Vulgar Snapchat Message
Published On 6/30/2021
“The decision, on a vote of 8 to 1, did not establish a categorical ban on regulating student speech outside of school, citing the need of school systems to be able to deal with issues like bullying and threats. Instead, it set out factors that courts should assess in weighing the right of administrators to punish speech in nonschool settings, with one important component being whether parents are better suited to handle the situation.”
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The False Hope of the Progressive-Prosecutor Movement
Published On 6/29/2021
“It is unrealistic to expect that even reform-minded prosecutors (or anyone, for that matter) can and will dispense justice when they have virtually boundless power and almost unlimited discretion to use it against criminal defendants. To transform the criminal legal system, prosecutors must stop resisting—and indeed start supporting—efforts by courts and legislatures to reduce their power.

Expand the consideration of who should not face criminal punishment beyond those who commit only very low-level offenses. . . . Advocate for the reallocation of funds from your office’s budget to social services that keep people out of the criminal legal system entirely, and to the indigent defense system that advocates on behalf of those who are prosecuted. . . . Lobby for more external limits on prosecutorial power, such as the elimination of mandatory minimum sentences and other laws that enable coercive plea bargaining.”
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Get police out of the business of traffic stops
Published On 6/28/2021
“For those worried these proposals will hamper police enforcement of criminal law, research has shown that traffic stops aren’t a good way to solve more serious crime. The Stanford Computational Policy Lab, in collaboration with the New York University School of Law’s Policing Project, recently analyzed traffic enforcement by the Nashville police. Not only did project members find racial disparities in police enforcement, but also they concluded that ‘traffic stops are not an effective strategy for reducing crime.’”
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Central Park 'Exonerated 5' Member Reflects On Freedom And Forgiveness
Published On 6/25/2021
“In 1989, 15-year-old Yusef Salaam was one of five Black and Latino teenagers who were wrongly accused of assault and rape in the so-called Central Park jogger case. . . . Each of the boys, then known as the "Central Park Five," was convicted. It wasn't until 2002 — well after Salaam had completed his nearly seven-year prison sentence — that DNA evidence confirmed that they were all innocent. A serial rapist and murderer had acted alone in committing the crime.”
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Lawyers: Ruling May Not Impact State's Young Offenders
Published On 6/24/2021
"Illinois defenders are cautiously optimistic that little will change in Illinois following the U. S. Supreme Court’s disappointing decision in Jones v. Mississippi."
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Psychiatry Confronts Its Racist Past, and Tries to Make Amends
Published On 6/23/2021
“Psychiatry continued to pathologize — and sometimes demonize — African-Americans, with the result that, by the 1970s, the diagnosis of psychosis was handed out so often that the profession was essentially ‘turning schizophrenia into a Black man’s disorder of aggression and agitation,’ said Dr. Hairston, a contributor to the 2019 book, ‘Racism and Psychiatry.’

Since then, numerous studies have shown that an almost all-white profession’s lack of attunement to Black expressions of emotion — and its frequent conflation of distress with anger — has led to an under-diagnosis of major depression, particularly in Black men, and an overreliance upon the use of antipsychotic medications.”

(A reminder that biases are present in all professions and could have potential adverse effects on client evaluations.)
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Cook County public defenders can represent immigrants facing deportation
Published On 6/22/2021
“Unlike criminal defendants, immigrants facing deportation don’t have the right to a government-appointed attorney. The Cook County public defender’s office created an immigration unit last year to represent immigrants in immigration court, but it needed authorization from the state legislature to do so.”
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New Partnership to Provide Wraparound Services to Central Illinois Youth
Published On 6/21/2021
Forty percent of Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) commitments come from Central Illinois, but there are no transitional services in the region. DJJ has announced a new partnership with National Youth Advocate Program, Inc. (NYAP) to provide community-based services to youth in Champaign, Macon, Sangamon, Peoria, and Vermillion counties, that will allow a continuum of support to youth and families in this region—before, during and after release from DJJ commitment.

Youth will have access to a variety of holistic supports and services, including individual and family psychotherapy, mentoring, case management, and educational and vocational support. DJJ believes this partnership will allow it “to more equitably and effectively serve youth and families in this region by providing needed services and interventions in youth's homes and communities of origin.”
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Juneteenth Declared a Federal and Illinois Holiday
Published On 6/18/2021
“Juneteenth has never been a celebration of victory or an acceptance of the way things are. It’s a celebration of progress. It’s an affirmation that despite the most painful parts of our history, change is possible - and there is still so much work to do.” — Barack Obama

As we commemorate and give thanks for the first time when all Americans enjoyed freedom and independence, we as public defenders recommit ourselves to fighting the injustices and inequities that still disproportionately fall on the heads of our Black clients, families, neighbors, colleagues, and friends.

As Fannie Lou Hamer reminds us, “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.”
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Lack of statewide oversight has led to excessive caseloads for Illinois public defenders, study says
Published On 6/17/2021
“Public defenders across Illinois are struggling with excessive caseloads and a lack of independence that is negatively affecting their clients, according to a new study commissioned by the Illinois Supreme Court. Illinois is one of just seven states in the country without a state commission, agency, or officer that sets standards for indigent representation, according to the report. That means the state government has no way of determining if each county has enough lawyers, enough time to handle cases, or enough resources. In all of Illinois’ 102 counties aside from Cook County, public defenders are appointed by circuit court judges.

An Illinois bill awaiting Gov. Pritzker’s signature will create a public defender task force to make recommendations by the end of next year.
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Treating All Kids as Kids
Published On 6/15/2021
“America’s mistreatment of Black children is chronic and casual. Sadly, it is an American phenomenon — a handed-down thing — that is deeply rooted in American soil and in the American psyche. Virtually every system that touches Black children in this country — public schools, foster care, immigration — treats them more harshly than white children. Arguably, though, the most acute harm occurs in the criminal justice system, where we routinely exercise the power to designate and derail.”
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Chemerinsky: Precedent seems to matter little in the Roberts Court
Published On 6/14/2021
"How much does stare decisis matter in the Roberts Court? Jones v. Mississippi and Edwards v. Vannoy and decisions from past terms provide an answer: not much."
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Mayor Blamed Gun Violence On Judges, But Her Staff Knew It Wasn’t True
Published On 6/10/2021
“Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the police superintendents who work for her have repeatedly blamed judges when the city’s violence starts to rise. The argument goes like this: If judges would keep more people locked up after arrest, then they wouldn’t be able to commit crimes, and violence in Chicago would decrease.

It’s a line of reasoning that has been popular with American politicians for decades and reflects the thinking that has propelled mass incarceration.” But emails show high-ranking city officials knew that lower bonds and releases on electronic monitoring weren't behind the spike.
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Chicago Police Are No Longer Allowed To Chase People For Minor Offenses Under New Policy
Published On 6/9/2021
"Two months after the police killing of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, Chicago police unveiled a new policy governing when and how officers should engage in foot chases. The policy tells officers they are not allowed to pursue someone suspected only of committing a minor traffic offense, or suspected of committing a low-level misdemeanor, unless the person poses an 'obvious' threat to the community.

It also provides guidance on ways cops can avoid foot pursuits altogether, and directs Chicago police to never chase if they believe the risk to officers or the public outweighs the need for 'immediate apprehension.'”
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High court hears challenge to mandatory life for young adults
Published On 6/8/2021
The Illinois Supreme Court heard oral argument in May in People v. House. The question presented in House was whether the record on appeal was sufficient to find that a mandatory life sentence for murder by accountability by a 19-year-old violated Illinois’ proportionate penalties clause under Miller-like principles. Audio and video of the argument is available.
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Illinois Bill Would Expand Civics to Incarcerated Youth
Published On 6/7/2021
Illinois stands on the cusp of expanding voting and civics education to young people incarcerated at the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice who are older than 17 and within a year of their release date. Senate Bill 2116, which has cleared both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly, would ensure that incarcerated youths have access to voter registration, information on how to vote, and opportunities to co-facilitate the civics education curriculum with their peers in state juvenile facilities.

Supporters of the bill said the idea behind the legislation is to help ensure that, before their release, incarcerated youths know the process for voter registration and are equipped to engage meaningfully in civics life as they reintegrate into society.
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IL Supreme Court: Courthouses statewide can lift masking rules for vaccinated visitors, workers
Published On 6/4/2021
Effective May 27th, “the high court, following new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, now said courts may opt not to require face coverings for people who have been fully vaccinated. However, the order still allows lower courts throughout the state to require everyone in courthouses to wear face coverings, regardless of their vaccination status.”
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Illinois to become first state to ban police officers from lying to minors during interrogations
Published On 6/3/2021
“Illinois could soon become the first state to bar police from lying to minors during interrogations, a tactic advocates say significantly increases the risk of false confessions. If a law enforcement officer knowingly provides ‘false information about evidence or leniency’ during an interrogation, any statements from someone under 18 would be inadmissible as evidence in court, according to a bill that passed the Illinois General Assembly with near-unanimous support. Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected to sign it into law in the coming weeks.”
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Illinois Dramatically Limits Use of Seclusion and Face-Down Restraints in Schools
Published On 6/2/2021
"A new bill will ban school workers from locking children in seclusion spaces and limit most uses of isolated timeout and physical restraint. A ProPublica and Chicago Tribune investigation found widespread abuse of the practices in Illinois."
Governor Pritzker indicates he will sign the bill.
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Youth Correctional Leaders for Change Say Raise the Minimum Age of Juvenile Court Jurisdiction to 14
Published On 5/28/2021
"Unlike every other advanced nation on earth, the U.S. sets no minimum age of juvenile court jurisdiction below which children cannot be arrested or taken to court...As current and former administrators of youth justice agencies, we know how challenging it is – and how dangerous – to confine very young children away from their families and keep them safe in facilities populated by older and more mature adolescents. We are also acutely aware of the research showing that arresting, prosecuting and punishing young people in the legal system has severe negative consequences for these children, and actually harms our public safety."

Illinois defenders thank two Illinois' signatories to the recommendations, Avik Das and Mike Rohan. Illinois has no minimum age of juvenile court jurisdiction.
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Did the Supreme Court Base a Ruling on a Myth?
Published On 5/26/2021
“The Supreme Court has indeed said the risk that sex offenders will commit new crimes is ‘frightening and high.’ That phrase, in a 2003 decision upholding Alaska’s sex offender registration law, has been exceptionally influential. It has appeared in more than 100 lower-court opinions, and it has helped justify laws that effectively banish registered sex offenders from many aspects of everyday life.

But there is vanishingly little evidence for the Supreme Court’s assertion that convicted sex offenders commit new offenses at very high rates. The story behind the notion, it turns out, starts with a throwaway line in a glossy magazine.”

Illinois has issued a handful of reports in recent years acknowledging the gap between perception and reality, especially when it comes to youth. But it still maintains a mandatory registration system for all children. And the mechanism for petitioning off that registry is woefully inadequate.
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Police shootings of children spark new outcry, calls for training to deal with adolescents in crisis
Published On 5/25/2021
“A Washington Post database of fatal force incidents finds most children shot by police are minorities and less likely to be armed than adults shot by police.”
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Briefs Released on Emerging Adult Issues
Published On 5/24/2021
“The Emerging Adult Justice Learning Community at the Columbia University Justice Lab released a series of three Key Elements Briefs examining specific practices and offering guidance on key elements important to consider in both the design and implementation of specialized courts, specialized probation, and specialized correctional units for emerging adults.”
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Judicial Nominations Bring the Largely Missing Perspective of Public Defenders to the Bench
Published On 5/21/2021
“Diversity of profession. Four of Biden’s first choices are former public defenders. It is imperative that a judiciary that handles criminal cases — federal, state, or local — consist of more than former prosecutors or corporate attorneys given a reward for past partisan service. Judges who have experience as defenders are judges who have seen the justice system from a perspective no corporate attorney has seen. They have experienced it in ways prosecutors cannot imagine. And that ultimately brings a desperately needed diversity of thought to judging.”
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Black Mothers On The Lasting Impact Of Chicago’s Gun Violence
Published On 5/20/2021
"NPR’s Reset talks to the author of the New York Times piece, 'Black Mothers Are the Real Experts on the Toll of Gun Violence', and to two of the Chicago mothers she interviewed for their solutions.”
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Chicago Police Unveil Revised Search Warrant Policies
Published On 5/19/2021
The CPD has announced changes to its search warrant policies effective May 28, but many say they don’t go far enough. Changes include more internal supervision of no-knock and “John Doe” warrants, the presence of higher-ranking officers at a search, “courteous” behavior, and – in a breathless declaration of the obvious – expanding the definition of “wrongful raids” to include those executed at the wrong address or predicated on false information.
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Podcast: Should Intent Matter?
Published On 5/18/2021
“A widely criticized legal principle disproportionately puts youth of color and women behind bars. But is it the only way to hold police accountable when they kill?” That’s what some prosecutors claim about the felony murder rule.
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Opinion: Prolonged solitary confinement is torture. It’s time for all states to ban it.
Published On 5/17/2021
“Earlier this month, New York enacted a law affirming what medical experts, human rights advocates and survivors have been saying for years: Prolonged solitary confinement is torture. With legislators’ passage of the Halt Solitary Confinement Act, New York became the first state to codify the United Nations’ Nelson Mandela rules, which ban the use of solitary confinement after 15 consecutive days. This is incredible progress for New York, but work cannot stop there. Banning torture in any one state is simply not enough. It’s barely a beginning.”

(The Halt Act also created an absolute ban on the use of solitary for children, emerging adults, and the mentally ill. Illinois has no such protections for children and other vulnerable populations.)
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Defend the Public Defenders
Published On 5/14/2021
“Their ability to hold on to their job should not depend on the same people they challenge in court.

Working as a public defender can be like walking a tightrope. Attorneys are constitutionally required to provide effective representation to their clients, ethically required to do so as officers of the court, and subject to the ordinary human desire to keep their jobs. Other actors in the criminal process complicate the public defender’s ability to do each of these things. . . . . So who defends public defenders when they are faced with serious consequences for challenging the decisions of opposing actors, when those very actors oversee the public-defender institution?”
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New vision? Or new prison?
Published On 5/13/2021
“The Lincoln Developmental Center, first called the Illinois Asylum for Feeble-Minded Children, had a sordid history before former Gov. George Ryan closed it in 2002. Founded in 1877, it was an institution for developmentally challenged children and became the largest employer in Logan County. Ryan was pressured to shut it down by those advocating for the developmentally disabled after abuse and neglect, including preventable deaths, were reported. The state now has plans to repurpose part of the abandoned facility and turn it into a youth detention center for up to 30 youth.”
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Illinois parents arrested and jailed for kids missing school
Published On 5/12/2021
“Parents in Harrisburg, Illinois are being arrested and prosecuted for their kids missing school. Parents have even been arrested and jailed” for what is a Class C misdemeanor offense.

Prosecutors in Saline County previously found themselves in the news for criminally prosecuting youth at the IYC Harrisburg facility for behavior typically handled through internal disciplinary measures in other IYC facilities. A lawsuit ensued. And the governor subsequently commuted the sentences of many of the affected youth.
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Rethinking Justice for Emerging Adults – A Report
Published On 5/11/2021
“The criminal justice system is only beginning to acknowledge and respond to the distinctive developmental characteristics of emerging adulthood. As youth incarceration rates have steadily fallen, rates of justice involvement for young adults have barely budged, despite an overall decrease in crime rates across the country. Emerging adults disproportionately comprise those who are arrested and incarcerated across the country. And, in a criminal justice system rife with racism, available data suggests racial disparities are worst for this age group.”

The Report contains a snapshot of Illinois’ recent progress on page 27. Members of the JDRC can find an overview of Illinois’ quickly evolving body of developmentally-based sentencing case law for emerging adults in the Illinois Juvenile Defender Case Law Summaries.
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Study: Body-Worn Camera Research Shows Drop In Police Use Of Force
Published On 5/10/2021
“Now, in one of the latest studies about the equipment, a team of public safety experts and world economists say body-worn cameras are both beneficial and cost effective. They outline their reasoning in a research paper released recently by the University of Chicago Crime Lab and the Council on Criminal Justice's Task Force on Policing. The report is an update of a variety of studies of body-worn cameras and it also compares the cost of the technology to the dollar value of the benefits that may come as a result.”

(Only 75 of the over 900 law enforcement agencies in Illinois currently employ body cameras. With the recent passage of the omnibus criminal justice bill, all Illinois law enforcement agencies will be required to have body cameras. Effective dates range between 2022 and 2025, depending on the size of the jurisdiction (50 ILCS 706/10-15))
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School cops won’t return to CPS high schools this spring, district says
Published On 5/7/2021
“Uniformed Chicago police officers won’t return to patrolling the city’s public high schools for the rest of this academic year, Chicago Public Schools officials said.

The removal of school cops is temporary until the fall but is being welcomed as a good first step by students who for years have advocated for police-free schools. It comes as about one-third of CPS high school students returned for in-person learning this week for the first time since the pandemic began.”
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Untreated traumas in arrested juveniles linger 15 years past incarceration, Northwestern study finds
Published On 5/6/2021
“Research over the years has shown that the more often children are stopped by police officers, the more likely they are to report emotional trauma, and that police encounters with boys tend to increase crime instead of reducing it. The ongoing Northwestern Juvenile Project focuses on the mental health of delinquent juveniles, and newly released data examines what happens to youths who enter detention with psychiatric disorders.”
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The Illinois Juvenile Justice System Faces COVID-19
Published On 5/5/2021
"The pandemic has exacerbated systemic issues in Illinois’s juvenile justice system, ranging from the overuse of pretrial detention to the disruption of already struggling education programs. Meanwhile, it has also exposed juveniles to new challenges, including infection and isolation. Despite the hardship over the last year, some advocates are optimistic that the pandemic may have built momentum for reform."
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No Child Is Born Bad
Published On 5/4/2021
Last month, the Coalition for the Fair Sentencing of Youth launched its ‘No Child Is Born Bad’ campaign. Over two decades ago the myth of the child “superpredator” emerged and drove harsh sentencing and transfer laws that survive to this day. And although the myth has since been debunked by research and repudiated by its creator, its legacy continues to inflict irreparable harm on Black youth, their families, and communities. Learn more about the campaign and how you can help.
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Politics of fear: Are youth really to blame for the carjacking spike?
Published On 5/3/2021
“Cops say masked teens with a thirst for violence and joyrides are terrorizing the city. An examination of arrests reveals a narrative built on shoddy data and anecdotal evidence.”
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Even When Marijuana Is Legal, Young People Are Locked Up for It
Published On 4/30/2021
“As more states legalize recreational cannabis use, a large group is continuing to face marijuana-related criminalization: anyone under 21. Similar to alcohol laws, recreational adult-use cannabis laws permit anyone 21 and over to use cannabis recreationally. In practice, youth prohibition doesn’t prevent young people from using marijuana, but it does increase the policing and criminalization of Black, Brown and/or disabled young people.”

(Illinois prohibits the detention or imprisonment of status offenders, like youth caught with alcohol. With the legalization of marijuana in Illinois, possession of cannabis is now a status offense for Illinois youth, and they can't be placed in secure confinement for underage possession.)
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The Supreme Court calls a halt to its progress on juvenile sentencing
Published On 4/29/2021
“It is a tragic fact that children sometimes commit murder. To compound that tragedy, it was, until relatively recently, possible for states to sentence such children to death or to mandate that they spend life in prison without the possibility of parole. Over the past decade and a half, the Supreme Court struck down those laws as the unconstitutional ‘cruel and unusual punishment’ they were.

On Thursday, however, the court stopped progressing on this moderate and humane road. By a vote of 6 to 3, the justices ruled that states are not obligated to make a legal finding that a juvenile defendant is ‘permanently incorrigible’ before imposing life without parole — even though common sense, and some of the court’s own past words, suggest that’s what locking a child up forever means.”
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The history of police killing children in America
Published On 4/28/2021
“According to a study by researchers at the Children’s National Hospital, Black children are six times more likely to be fatally shot by police than white children, and between 2003 and 2018, about 93 percent of the children killed were boys. The odds for the adult population are similar — a Black person in America is three times more likely to be killed by police than a white person. So do officers fail to recognize the distinction between an adult man and a boy when they fire a gun, or do they just not care?

One answer to this can be found in a study published in 2014, which showed that Black children are often perceived as older than their white counterparts of the same age. The study reported that police officers ‘overestimated the age of Black and Latino child crime suspects. White children, on the other hand, were not subjected to such overestimations.’”
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Cavity Search: Sotomayor Speaks Up on Denied Cases
Published On 4/27/2021
“In a 6-page statement Monday, Sotomayor agreed that the case is not ripe for Supreme Court intervention as the issue needs input first from other courts. ‘It bears emphasis, however, that the degree of suspicion required for a search should be substantially informed by the availability of less intrusive alternatives,’ Sotomayor wrote. ‘This court does not lightly permit an entire category of warrantless, invasive searches when less offensive options exist. Particularly searches of those who have not been convicted of any crime.’”

(Strip searches aren't prohibited for children being held in Illinois detention centers.)
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Illinois education officials order changes for special education students held in detention
Published On 4/26/2021
“The state’s corrective action plan comes after two legal aid groups filed a complaint with ISBE back in November alleging that Chicago Public Schools ‘essentially halted’ special education services during the Covid-19 pandemic for students at Nancy B. Jefferson Alternative School inside the detention center.

The groups alleged that officials at Jefferson failed to provide proper instruction, therapeutic services, or a certified special education teacher for special education students, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by Injustice Watch.”
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If Biden approves loan forgiveness, what could it mean for law school debt?
Published On 4/23/2021
"People with law school loans could benefit if President Joe Biden authorizes a plan to forgive all or a portion of student debt, but it could exclude those who owe private lenders and impose limits based on income, experts say."
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Federal Bill To Address Disproportionate Punishment Of Black Girls In Schools
Published On 4/22/2021
“Black girls are suspended six times more than white girls in schools across the U.S., according to 2018 government data. A new report from the National Women’s Law Center finds they are disciplined more harshly than their white peers for things like dress code violations and hairstyles.

Pressley’s bill would provide schools with a myriad of resources that include mental health, counseling and care programs as preventative measures against pushout in schools. The bill also calls for data gathering under the Civil Rights Data Collection, strengthens the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and establishes a federal task force to address the school pushout crisis, she says.”
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Cook County chief judge launches committee to study use of solitary confinement against children
Published On 4/21/2021
"Chief Judge Timothy Evans launched the committee to examine the use of solitary confinement across the U.S. and as well as research on the trauma it inflicts on children ahead of potential changes to the practice at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center. The panel will be chaired by Dr. Gene Griffin, a childhood trauma expert and former Cook County assistant public defender.”
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Chicago Police To Create New Foot Pursuit Policy In Wake Of Adam Toledo Shooting
Published On 4/20/2021
“In 2017, the Justice Department found that CPD officers engage in dangerous and unnecessary chases that 'too often' end with someone getting shot. Mayor Lori Lightfoot is urging Chicago Police to adopt a new foot pursuit policy after an officer shot and killed 13-year-old Adam Toledo last week. Several U.S. cities have developed new policies in recent years, including Dallas, Texas, where CPD Supt. David Brown was formerly chief of police.”
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A Novel Effort to See How Poverty Affects Young Brains
Published On 4/19/2021
New monthly payments in the pandemic relief package have the potential to lift millions of American children out of poverty. Some scientists believe the payments could change children’s lives even more fundamentally — via their brains.
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Professional diversity is needed on the bench
Published On 4/16/2021
“We need more criminal defense attorneys on the bench. Theirs is an expertise to be respected and valued, never more so than when our country is finally starting to grapple with the human toll of overcriminalization, excessive policing and mass incarceration.”
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Juvenile Defenders and School Superintendents Announce ‘Futures in the Balance’
Published On 4/15/2021
“NJDC is pleased to announce the release of our new Futures in the Balance page, a joint project with AASA, the School Superintendents Association.
The page includes a whiteboard animation that introduces school superintendents and others to the negative consequences of juvenile court involvement and four new resources about why less court intervention leads to more success, myths and facts of juvenile court involvement, examples of how court involvement harms youth, and reforms that can keep youth in school.

We hope you find these new resources helpful in your work against school pushout and other efforts to reduce the number of youth referred to juvenile court.”
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Marginalized Youth Need Real Change in Schools, Courts, Other Systems
Published On 4/14/2021
“Are juvenile injustice centers not worthy of monitoring precisely because they are overflowing with Black, brown and poor throwaway human beings?” A friend of the author shared with him that “he doesn’t go to court expecting to get justice; he goes to expose the injustices that many Black children, in particular, often confront, including in their schools and in courtrooms. . . . We need more people like that lawyer. We need education and justice system professionals who love children, who are more concerned with nurturing our young than merely cashing a paycheck to do damage control among our troubled, yet promising, young people.”

(In Illinois, children held in youth prisons have access to an ombudsperson, but the same isn’t true for youth who are presumed innocent and held pre-trial in local detention centers.)
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Standards, Oversight For Jailed Kids Need To Improve: Watchdog Report
Published On 4/13/2021
“Gov. J.B. Pritzker last summer called for getting rid of Illinois’ five state-run juvenile facilities and instead focusing on community-based rehabilitation and treatment services. But the county-run pre-trial detention centers will remain, and a recent report from the John Howard Association says they need better oversight.

The report calls for the Office of the Independent Juvenile Justice Ombudsman, which oversees the five state-run juvenile prisons, to assume oversight of the county detention facilities as well. Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice Director Heidi Mueller said the ombudsman office's oversight pushes the agency ‘in a good way.’"
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Can Lawyers and Traumatized Clients Learn to Trust Each Other?
Published On 4/12/2021
"By definition, a trauma-informed legal practice aims to reduce retraumatizing the client and to better advocate for clients by recognizing the role that trauma plays in shaping the lawyer-client relationship."
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Prosecutors Should Add Sentencing Review Units to Their Offices
Published On 4/9/2021
“Two-thirds of likely voters support legislation that allows for the re-examination of old sentences, and crime survivors overwhelmingly want to see rehabilitation prioritized over punishment.
By establishing sentencing review units (sometimes called resentencing units), prosecutors can actively review and recommend sentencing reductions and releases for those who were subject to the ‘tough-on-crime’ sentencing of yesterday. Such units are already in operation in Prince George’s County, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco, Brooklyn, Baltimore, and Los Angeles.”

Such units could provide fundamental fairness to Illinois youth who don’t have access to the state’s new parole statute.
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I Survived 18 Years in Solitary Confinement
Published On 4/8/2021
“The harrowing injustice I suffered as a boy should never happen to another child in this country. . . . Sadly, solitary confinement for juveniles is still permissible in many states. But we have the power to change that — to ensure that the harrowing injustice I suffered as a boy never happens to another child in America.”

Illinois is one of those states that doesn't have a court rule or statute banning the use of solitary confinement/“isolation” for youth.
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Chicago asks its high schools to come up with alternatives to campus police
Published On 4/7/2021
“Seeking alternatives to assigning police to campuses, Chicago is asking 55 high schools to draft safety plans based on restorative justice and crisis management. The school district has assigned newly appointed safety committees at each school to devise the plans then send them to local school councils for approval in June.”

On Wednesday, the school district offered the most detailed look yet at how it plans to reimagine school safety. Five community-based nonprofits will help train schools in student mental health, crisis de-escalation, and restorative practices such as peace circles. The district plans to spend an additional $24 million over three years on addressing student trauma and mental health.”
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Cook County replaced its public defender. But she’s not done fighting yet.
Published On 4/6/2021
"The fiery advocate who spent nearly 30 years in the public defender’s office, including the past six years at the helm, said she has considered the nonprofit sector or even putting her hat in the ring for a federal judgeship.

'I still feel like I have a lot of fight in me,' Campanelli told Injustice Watch in a wide-ranging exit interview on her second-to-last day on the job."
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Top tips for lawyers who struggle with self-compassion to develop inner strength
Published On 4/5/2021
“The legal profession is defined by compassion. Lawyers are motivated to help others. . . . Most lawyers have witnessed or experienced injustice in their lives, and it is compassion that motivates us to right wrongs, rescue people victimized in some way and change the way society and culture operate for the better.

A significant percentage of lawyers face emotional and mental challenges because they are not trained to channel that compassion correctly. Lawyers are particularly susceptible to stress, anxiety, depression and burnout. . . . . The ones who suffer the most, ironically, lack the most fundamental compassion of all: compassion for themselves.”
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Meet Cook County’s New Public Defender Sharone Mitchell Jr.
Published On 4/2/2021
“After five years of leading the Illinois Justice Project, reform advocate Sharone Mitchell Jr. will serve as Cook County’s new public defender.” He discusses his new role and priorities with WBEZ.
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Children Can Be On Their Own When Grilled by Police. The Push for Protection Is Growing.
Published On 4/1/2021
“Miranda rights are often illusory for juveniles. Studies have shown that most young people waive their Miranda rights, and they don’t understand the rights read to them, such as the right to remain silent. (Studies of adults have come to similar conclusions.)”

“Few, if any, legal protections exist for minors during interrogations. In many states, law enforcement don’t have to ensure a child of any age consults with an attorney before an interrogation begins. But after high-profile exonerations of young people who falsely confessed, some states are taking action.”

Except for a handful of offenses, Illinois is one of those states that doesn’t require consultation with an attorney before a child can be interrogated.
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NJDC Issues Report on Representing Youth During COVID
Published On 3/31/2021
“The National Juvenile Defender Center is pleased to announce the release of Due Process in the Time of COVID: Defenders as First Responders in a Juvenile Court System Struggling with the COVID-19 Pandemic. We hope the report captures some of the many challenges our community has faced during this extraordinary time, and that you will find it useful in your advocacy to protect young people’s constitutional rights and to ensure you have the resources you need, both throughout the remainder of the pandemic and after.”
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You’ve Been Lied to About Lying
Published On 3/30/2021
“Police thought that 17-year-old Marty Tankleff seemed too calm after finding his mother stabbed to death and his father mortally bludgeoned in the family’s Long Island home. Authorities didn’t believe his claims of innocence, and he spent 17 years in prison for the murders. Yet in another case, detectives thought that 16-year-old Jeffrey Deskovic seemed too distraught and too eager to help detectives after his high-school classmate was found strangled. He, too, was judged to be lying and served nearly 16 years for the crime.

One person was not upset enough. The other was too upset. How can such opposite feelings both be telltale clues of hidden guilt? They’re not.”
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Lawndale Christian Legal Center Receives National Recognition For Criminal Justice Work On West Side
Published On 3/29/2021
“The legal aid clinic helped establish the state's first Restorative Justice Community Court, and the re-arrest rates for its clients are a fraction of the national average.

LCLC uses ‘a holistic model: not just legal services, but case management, outreach services and wraparound services to help our youth continue to be stabilized … once they’ve dealt with their legal issues to grow in other areas.’”
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Illinois lawmakers disagree with state Supreme Court over bias training for judges
Published On 3/26/2021
“A bill in the Illinois Senate would require judges in the state to attend more training about issues like trauma, racial bias, and cultural competency. . . . The Illinois Supreme Court, which oversees training for judges and other court personnel through the Illinois Judicial College, opposes the Judicial Quality Act.”
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CPS Announces $24M Plan to Address Student Trauma, Mental Health
Published On 3/25/2021
“Chicago Public Schools officials have announced a new $24 million plan to expand behavioral health services and address student trauma. The three-year initiative will be funded, in part, by the $1.8 billion CPS received in federal stimulus dollars.”
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Professionals See Uptick In Teen Mental Health Issues Aggravated By Pandemic
Published On 3/24/2021
“NPR's Michel Martin discusses teen mental health amid the pandemic with NPR's Anya Kamenetz, clincal psychologist and columnist Andrea Bonior, and high school counselor Melisa Hannon.”
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Cost-benefit examination of pre-trial detention raises serious questions
Published On 3/23/2021
“Nowadays, the primary justification for keeping accused people in jail is to prevent a future crime. Remember, though, that we are talking about people who have not been convicted. The government has no right to impose punishment before a conviction. It does not claim that pretrial detention is deserved. The legal rationale for detention is simply that its safety benefits outweigh the harm that it inflicts. The public good outweighs the individual cost.

So how dangerous must someone be for the benefit of detention to outweigh its costs? If we detain people who pose a 10 percent risk of committing a serious crime during the pretrial phase, we expect to avoid one serious crime for every 10 people we detain. Is it worth it? This question is extremely uncomfortable, but there is no getting around it.

(Given the long-term damage to youth from pre-trial detention, these conversations take on an added urgency, and the reformation of juvenile detention should follow quickly behind.)
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Illinois Supreme Court Announces New Task Force to Review Court Fees
Published On 3/19/2021
“The Task Force will conduct a thorough review of the Criminal and Traffic Assessment Act (CTAA), including the statutory fees imposed or assessed on criminal defendants and civil litigants and the fiscal impact of the new civil and criminal fee schedules. Additionally, the Task Force will review any implementation issues and suggest legislative and/or rules changes as needed. The Task Force will submit a report and recommendations to the Supreme Court and General Assembly within one year.”

(Although fines are prohibited in Illinois delinquency cases, a variety of fees are applicable in juvenile court. And when those fees are imposed, then often resulting in crippling financial burdens that put added pressure on struggling youth and families.)
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On the Anniversary of Gideon - Defend the Public Defenders
Published On 3/18/2021
“Their ability to hold on to their job should not depend on the same people they challenge in court. Working as a public defender can be like walking a tightrope. Attorneys are constitutionally required to provide effective representation to their clients, ethically required to do so as officers of the court, and subject to the ordinary human desire to keep their jobs. Other actors in the criminal process complicate the public defender’s ability to do each of these things.

It can be a vicious cycle, where a public defender is fighting a battle against the very entity that must provide that public defender with the resources and support it needs to do so. So who defends public defenders when they are faced with serious consequences for challenging the decisions of opposing actors, when those very actors oversee the public-defender institution?”
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How My Arrest at Age 13 Changed the Shape of My Life
Published On 3/17/2021
“As a young Black kid growing up in Washington, D.C., I hoped to become a lawyer one day. I wanted to be like Perry Mason, a heroic figure protecting the falsely accused. I told my grandmother, who largely raised me, that this was my plan. But my first encounter with the criminal justice system pushed me in a different direction, along a path that ultimately stripped me of those dreams. Here’s how.”
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How Trauma-Informed Care Can Prevent Youth Incarceration
Published On 3/16/2021
The majority of youth involved in the juvenile court system have experienced trauma. Two activists and former court-involved youth share their own experiences, and and a pediatrician discusses the effects of trauma on children.
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The Making of “Superpredators”
Published On 3/15/2021
“The first edition of The Marshall Project’s new video series, designed for audiences inside and outside of prison, examines a toxic media myth that damaged a generation of Black youth.”
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'Everything Has Been Criminalized,' Says Neil Gorsuch
Published On 3/12/2021
“In 2019, the California Court of Appeal, 1st Appellate District, ruled that a police officer may always enter a suspect's home without a warrant if the officer is in pursuit of the suspect and has probable cause to believe that the suspect has committed a misdemeanor. This week, the U.S. Supreme Court considered whether that ruling should be overturned.”
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Six Years After Tamir Rice, Cleveland Makes New Rules About Policing Kids
Published On 3/11/2021
“More than six years after Cleveland police fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice as he played with a toy gun in a park, sparking national outrage and calls for change, the city is poised to introduce a policy aimed at reshaping how officers interact with children.

Cleveland is the exception; most police departments do not offer clear guidelines about the use of force on youth, experts said.”
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The Problem with the Felony Murder Rule
Published On 3/10/2021
Simply put, “felony murder targets youth, women, and nonwhite people.” In Illinois, a felony murder state, a child as young as 13 can be convicted of felony murder and sentenced to decades in prison for a death they neither intended nor foresaw.

Felony murder is a legal theory rooted in the English common law, but scholars exploring the rule’s historic roots have begun to question the degree to which the felony murder rule was ever actually employed. “What is clear. . . is that the felony murder rule spread like wildfire in the United States as state legislatures codified the law in statutes defining homicide. Regardless, by 1957, England had abolished the felony murder rule. But it remains alive and well in the United States—an outlier among common law countries—with some version of the law in place in more than 40 states and at the federal level.”
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Many Juvenile Jails Are Now Almost Entirely Filled With Young People of Color
Published On 3/9/2021
“White youths were being released from juvenile detention centers at a far higher rate than their Black peers during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, and young people of color have since been detained for longer than they were before the crisis, according to data gathered by a leading children’s philanthropy.”
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Amid reopening, Chicago moves ahead with school discipline overhaul
Published On 3/8/2021
“By this fall, 55 Chicago high schools with school police officers will have a new accountability mechanism: school-level safety teams charged with developing a plan for safety without police.
The teams could put Chicago one step closer to ending its school police program. The issue has been controversial but overshadowed by the district’s efforts to reopen schools, a struggle that gained national attention.”
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Legal Pot Doesn't Seem To Increase Teen Use or Addiction
Published On 3/5/2021
“Opponents of marijuana legalization frequently warn that it will lead to rampant cannabis consumption by teenagers. But two studies published in November found that legalization has not been associated with increases in adolescent marijuana use or addiction. In fact, there is some evidence that both decline when pot prohibition is repealed for adults.”
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Children should never be interrogated without a lawyer present. Here’s why
Published On 3/4/2021
“The Central Park Five. The Englewood Four. The Harlem Park Three. Each case is a stain on the United States legal system, representing 12 teenagers convicted of crimes they did not commit, and 210 lost years behind bars. The convictions were all based on false confessions and false witness statements.”
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Evidence-based paths toward criminal justice reform
Published On 3/3/2021
“Evidence-based criminal law reform — which draws on lessons learned from medicine and other disciplines — advocates policies driven by the results of research, rather than by anecdote or collective assumptions.” Three areas – prosecutorial discretion, participatory defense, and addressing the needs of small, rural communities – hold promise.
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'Worth Being Forgiven': A Father And His Son's Killer Bring Past And Present Together
Published On 3/2/2021
“In 1995, 14-year-old Tony Hicks got involved with a gang in Southern California. One night, as he and fellow gang members attempted to rob a pizza delivery driver, Tony shot and killed him. That driver was Tariq Khamisa, a 20-year-old student at San Diego State University.

Tony became the youngest person in California to be charged as an adult. He served the majority of his sentence in maximum security prisons before he was released in 2019. It was in the prison's visiting room where, a few years into his sentence, he first met Tariq's father, Azim Khamisa.”
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Children in distress aren’t criminals. Stop handcuffing them.
Published On 3/1/2021
“As longtime researchers of juvenile justice (one of us is a social worker; the other a pediatrician), we know that the juvenile justice system is not the place to address the behavioral or health needs of young children. Yet in the United States, more than 100 years after the founding of the first juvenile courts, 28 states still have no minimum age for juvenile court jurisdiction. And 47 states have the power to forcibly arrest elementary-school-age children (those under 12) and do so regularly.”
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No End In Sight: America’s Enduring Reliance on Life Imprisonment
Published On 2/26/2021
“Before America’s era of mass incarceration took hold in the early 1970s, the number of individuals in prison was less than 200,000. Today, it’s 1.4 million; and more than 200,000 people are serving life sentences – one out of every seven in prison. More people are sentenced to life in prison in America than there were people in prison serving any sentence in 1970.

The now commonplace use of life imprisonment contradicts research on effective public safety strategies, exacerbates already extreme racial injustices in the criminal justice system, and exemplifies the egregious consequences of mass incarceration.”

In keeping with sentencing practices in the rest of the world, a new report recommends maximum sentences of 20 years absent extraordinary circumstances – a mark far below Illinois’ current 40-year limit for children. Illinois' own Justice Neville echoes a similar recommendation in his dissent from denial of rehearing in People v. Lusby, 2020 IL 124046.
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‘Tough on Crime’ Laws Lag Behind Citizens’ Perceptions of Justice
Published On 2/25/2021
“The average citizen might think that contemporary criminal law aligns with Americans’ conceptions of justice. However, several of the harsh punishments that have contributed to mass incarceration in the U.S. now ‘seriously conflict’ with what Americans consider fair and just, according to a forthcoming paper in the University of Illinois Law Review.”

Laws that are too harshly out of step with the public include trying youth in adult court, three-strikes laws, the insanity defense, and the felony murder rule.
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How long is too long to wait for work to begin on a case?
Published On 2/24/2021
“A judge on Thursday said it was unconstitutional for Missouri to fail to provide lawyers for criminal defendants who can't afford them, leaving them on waiting lists for months or years.

‘Across the country states and municipalities failing to provide adequate resources to public defense systems have created an epidemic where the most vulnerable among us lack adequate legal representation to defend themselves against charges levied by the state,’ said Jason Williamson, deputy director of the ACLU’s Criminal Law Reform Project, in a statement Friday announcing the decision. ‘Missouri’s waiting lists are some of the most egregious examples of this and the court's decision today highlights the unconstitutionality of the practice.’”
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Gov. Pritzker Signs New Criminal Justice Reform Legislation
Published On 2/23/2021
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a sweeping criminal justice bill into law Monday, moving Illinois closer to ending cash bail and requiring police officers to wear body cameras — arguing the package will lead to 'true safety, true fairness and true justice.'"
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The black box of justice: How secret algorithms have changed policing
Published On 2/22/2021
“Crime prevention efforts increasingly depend on data analysis about neighborhoods. But there’s a lot we don’t know—and vast opportunities for bias.”
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Advocates push Illinois to reclassify drug charges, establish prison diversion programs
Published On 2/19/2021
“After a ‘defelonization’ bill failed to pass in the Illinois General Assembly, criminal justice reform advocates are pushing to reintroduce the proposal in 2021. On top of reclassifying low-level drug possession charges from felonies to misdemeanors, the defelonization bill would seek to divert people with substance use disorders from the criminal legal system.

A 2015 report released by the Northwestern Juvenile Project, which studies youth substance use after detention and into adulthood in Cook County, found that while White youth are more likely to have ‘hard drug’ use disorders, Black youth are more likely to be incarcerated for drug crimes.”
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At 83 years of age, the country’s oldest juvenile lifer is released after 68 years
Published On 2/18/2021
Joe Ligon is believed to be the the oldest and longest-serving youth serving a life sentence in the U.S., having been imprisoned since 1953 at age 15.
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Illinois Supreme Court offers rules for remote criminal hearings
Published On 2/17/2021
“The state’s highest court issued new rules last week to help courts transition to remote hearings for criminal cases as the pandemic continues to disrupt court operations statewide. Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Anne Burke said the order ‘provides guidance for our courts to address the backlog of criminal cases created by the COVID-19 pandemic,’ in a news release last week.”
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3 Detectives Obtained a False Murder Confession. Was It One of Dozens?
Published On 2/16/2021
Another youth has been exonerated of murder based on a false confession. Yet again, the confession was rooted in deceptive practices by law enforcement, and was admitted at trial despite a recantation that occurred once the pressures of the interrogation room had dissipated. And, as with many exonerations, the victory was bittersweet. This time a 16-year-old boy spent nearly 20 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

This latest exoneration occurred in New York, where – as in Illinois – it’s not illegal to lie to youth in order to obtain a confession. And where – as in Illinois – courts weigh law enforcement lies in determining the constitutionality of a child’s confession, but don’t prohibit the practice.
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The Real Rosa Parks Story Is Better Than the Fairy Tale
Published On 2/12/2021
“Reckoning with the fact that Mrs. Parks spent the second half of her life fighting the racism of the North demonstrates that racism was not some regional anachronism but a national cancer.

Learning about the real Rosa Parks reveals how. . . criminal justice was key to her freedom dreams, how disruptive and persevering the movement, and where she would be standing today — an essential lesson young people, and indeed all Americans, need to understand to grapple honestly with this country’s history and see the road forward.”
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Lightfoot says executive order will help people alleging police misconduct
Published On 2/11/2021
“People alleging they are the victims of police misconduct could, in some cases, have an easier time obtaining video and documents from the Chicago Police Department, according to a new policy announced Friday night.

Under an executive order signed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot, people who have filed complaints with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability can obtain that information without needing to file a formal request under the Freedom of Information Act.”
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Planned central Illinois youth center will advance juvenile justice overhaul
Published On 2/10/2021
“The Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice is establishing an Illinois Youth Center in the city of Lincoln in Logan County. The facility will be part of the state’s ongoing effort to secure incarcerated juveniles in smaller dorm-like facilities based on community, rehabilitation and restorative justice, rather than only detention.
Around 40 percent of youths committed to IDJJ facilities come from central Illinois, yet there are no such facilities located there to contain them. The Lincoln facility will be the first.”
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State Task Force Advocates For Greater Support For Children Of Jailed Parents
Published On 2/9/2021
“One out of every 20 children in Illinois has had a parent in jail or prison, according to a new report released Wednesday from a task force that members hope will ease challenges those children face. According to the report from the Task Force on Children of Incarcerated Parents, the trauma children face from a jailed parent can affect not only their education, but also their mental and physical health.”
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The police must see Black girls as the children they are
Published On 2/8/2021
We’ve all seen the recent news reports of a 9-year-old girl being pepper-sprayed by police for refusing to swing her feet into the back of a squad car. "'You’re acting like a child,’ the officers told her — to which she responded, ‘I am a child.’”

“For an officer to look at a 9-year-old girl and fail to see her as a child is, sadly, consistent with research, which has shown that adults view Black girls as young as age 5 as less innocent and more like adults than White girls of the same age, and needing less protection and nurturing. Scholars and researchers say the perspective is based in stereotypes of Black women as threatening and aggressive, which are projected onto Black girls.”
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When Policing Youth, Honey Works Better Than Vinegar
Published On 2/5/2021
“These studies also reinforce what many of us recognize intuitively. Young people are highly impressionable, and experiences—both first- and second-hand—during our childhood and teenage years often harden and resonate well into adulthood. This means that law enforcement officers should assume that any contact with a young person will last a lifetime.

When this contact affirms perceptions that they won’t be treated fairly, that they will be subject to the use of force, or that they will be humiliated in front of their peers, these youths become more, not less, likely to commit crimes in the future.”
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Charging teens as adults won’t stop carjackings. It will create tougher criminals.
Published On 2/4/2021
“The system doesn’t always work, but the alternative is worse. Research shows that youth who are sent to adult prisons are more likely to die by suicide while in jail. They experience more psychiatric problems than young people in juvenile facilities. And they are more likely to commit additional crimes once they are released.

It might seem like an easy fix to charge a kid as an adult and get him out of the way. But society pays for it in the long term.”
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Rockford ‘Step-Up’ program aims at stopping juvenile crime and domestic violence
Published On 2/3/2021
“The ‘Step-Up’ program takes kids between 12 and 17 years old with minor criminal offenses out of the justice system and puts them in a 21 week program.
That program helps cultivate better relationships with family members and teaches de-escalation tactics to keep situations from becoming violent.

However, for Rockford Family Peace Center Youth Services Manager Annie Hobson, the most important part of the program is that kids don't go through it alone.”
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Do We Ask Too Much of Black Heroes?
Published On 2/2/2021
"Every year for a month, we celebrate the heroes of Black history. But these stories can obscure how change happens and who gets left behind."
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More intensive supervision of youth on probation has NO EFFECT on recidivism
Published On 2/1/2021
A new study by the U. S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs compared intensive supervision of youth on probation with less supervision and found the additional surveillance-based supervision was no more effective. And was substantially more expensive to implement.

Conditions of intensive supervision vary by jurisdiction, but “generally include increased face-to-face contact with probation officers, drug/urinalysis testing, and participation in programming (such as tutoring, counseling, or job training).” This study can provide juvenile defenders with additional ammunition to combat unnecessarily lengthy and/or restrictive probation conditions.
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Newark Officers Fired ‘Zero Shots’ in 2020, Reform Overhaul Cited
Published On 1/29/2021
Following reforms implemented as part of a federal consent decree, Newark, NJ police didn’t fire a single shot in 2020. Public safety increased. Advocates and legislators alike were surprised. “And the city didn’t pay a dime to settle any police brutality cases as the need was not there. This has never happened in the city’s modern history.”

The de-escalation reform methods and programs that helped Newark are now serving as the inspiration for reforms elsewhere in the country.
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Public Defenders Suffer From the ‘Stress of Injustice’: Study
Published On 1/28/2021
“The ‘occupational stress’ suffered by those tasked to fulfill constitutional guarantees of the right to counsel regardless of the ability to pay is a too-often neglected consequence of the inequities of the justice system, the study argued. The authors of the study called it the ‘stress of injustice.’

They found three ‘major stressors’ of injustice that affected the emotional health of those practicing indigent defense just as definitively as the individuals they defended: penal excess, economic divestment and the criminalization of mental illness. A fourth more recent stressor was the COVID-19 pandemic.”
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Incapable of Criminal Intent - Setting a Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility in Illinois
Published On 1/27/2021
Illinois’ lack of a minimum age at which children can be prosecuted in delinquency court disproportionately affects youth of color and is out of step with science, effective rehabilitation, international norms, and the practice in 22 other states.

The Legislation and Policy Clinic at Civitas Child Law Center, Loyola University Chicago School of Law has released a report with research-informed findings and recommendations for raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility for Illinois children to age 14. Click on the headline to read the report.
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High court deadlocks on how to interpret juvenile sentencing statute
Published On 1/26/2021
A split exists in the Illinois Appellate Court on whether a judge must explicitly find that the Department of Juvenile Justice is the least restrictive alternative before sentencing a youth to one of Illinois’ youth prisons. The First and Second Districts have held that such a finding is necessary. The Third District disagreed in In re J.M.A. The Illinois Supreme Court granted leave to appeal in J.M.A. to resolve the question. But with a recusal of one justice, an evenly divided court couldn’t reach a conclusion. The split in authority remains.
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Racial Justice Toolkit available to juvenile defenders
Published On 1/21/2021
The National Juvenile Defender Center and Georgetown Law Juvenile Justice Initiative have collaborated to create “Racial Justice for Youth: A Toolkit for Defenders.” The Toolkit “empowers juvenile defenders with the training, resources, and information to fight the over-policing, over-criminalization, and school exclusion of youth of color. Through the Toolkit, the creators hope to inspire juvenile defenders to view racial justice advocacy as an integral and essential component of their youth advocacy.

While many Toolkit resources are available without an account, Racial Justice Defenders who sign up can access actionable content for verified professionals including sample motions and more.”
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Juvenile Diversion Shows ‘Positive Results’ as Jail Alternative
Published On 1/20/2021
"Programs which address behavioral health, addiction and trauma for juveniles caught up in the justice system yield positive reform results that surpass traditional methods of incarceration, according to a new Case Western Reserve University study.

While these results are not only promising on a behavioral side, the authors added that they yield cost-savings as well."
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Advocates call for raising the minimum age of juvenile court
Published On 1/19/2021
“Did you know: Currently, over half the states (28 states) in the U.S. still have no minimum age of juvenile court jurisdiction?” Illinois is one of those states. “The U.S. is an outlier throughout the world in the practice of prosecuting young children in court; 14 is the most common minimum age of criminal responsibility internationally.”

The National Juvenile Justice Network has released its latest platform, "Raise the Minimum Age for Trying Children in Juvenile Court," calling “on all states to set a minimum age of prosecution of no lower than 14 in accordance with the standards set forth by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
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Letter from a Birmingham Jail
Published On 1/18/2021
As the nation commemorates the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today, and racial disparities continue to manifest themselves in juvenile justice systems across the country, we are reminded by Dr. King that we cannot rest. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
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Illinois Ranks Low in Human Rights Protections for Kids
Published On 1/15/2021
The group Human Rights for Kids “examined 12 categories of law it calls ‘vital to establishing a basic legal framework to protect the human rights of kids in the criminal justice system.’ They cover four main areas, including entrance into the juvenile and criminal justice systems, the treatment of children as adults, conditions of confinement, and release and social reintegration of child offenders.”

Illinois, home of the first juvenile court in the country, falls in the third of four tiers based on its lack of a minimum age of juvenile court jurisdiction, the automatic transfer of some youth to adult court, its use of solitary confinement, and application of the felony murder rule to youth who lack an intent to kill.
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Righting a wrong — and rewriting a racist legacy
Published On 1/14/2021
For years, People v. Hester, 39 Ill.2d 489 (1968), was used to deny relief to Illinois defendants challenging the validity of their confessions. To defenders, the case “smelled bad.” “It seemed probable that Lee Arthur Hester, the case’s Black 14-year-old defendant, had falsely confessed to fatally stabbing a white teacher. As they dug into the 1961 conviction, Prof. Steve Drizin and colleagues at Northwestern University became convinced Hester had been railroaded by racist authorities, an injustice that controlled the fate of many boys and girls in the years to come.

Justice came in January (2020). In the same building where a grade-schooler six decades earlier had displayed no emotion when a jury found him guilty of murder, an old man wept as a judge declared his innocence, and recast the racist legacy of Illinois vs. Hester.”
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Illinois Lawmakers Pass ‘Transformational’ Criminal Justice Legislation
Published On 1/13/2021
“We are fundamentally changing the way that we do criminal justice in this state. We are fundamentally changing the way that law enforcement and communities interact,” said state Senator Elgie Sims (D-Chicago), a sponsor of the legislation. “This is a complex piece of legislation. It is bold. It is transformational. …This bill is not about who we are. It is about the Illinois that we strive to be.”

Changes affecting Illinois youth include requiring counsel for youth under the age of 18 during questioning in murder and sex cases. Counsel previously was required only for youth under age 16. The bill now heads to the governor’s desk for signature.
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A Call to Action by the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission: Racial Equity in Juvenile Justice
Published On 1/12/2021
“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.”
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Cops And Mental Health Pros Would ‘Co-Respond’ To Some 911 Calls Under New City Plan
Published On 1/11/2021
"The Chicago pilot program would pair up cops and mental health care workers, but an alternative ordinance backed by the Progressive Caucus prefers non-police responses to psychological emergencies."
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Congress clinches deal to restore Pell grants for prisoners 26 years after ban
Published On 1/8/2021
“Congressional leaders have struck a deal to reinstate Pell grants for incarcerated students more than a quarter century after banning the aid for prison education programs, top Democrats and Republicans announced on Sunday. . . . In addition to restoring Pell grant eligibility for incarcerated students, the deal would also repeal a 1998 law that restricts federal financial aid for college students who are convicted of a drug crime.”
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Biden Made Big Promises On Juvenile Justice. Activists Worry It's Not Enough
Published On 1/7/2021
“President Trump brought big setbacks for juvenile justice, advocacy groups say — and although they like what they've heard from President-elect Joe Biden, some activists still worry about what they call an ongoing crisis.

Trump and Biden both have sought political credit at various times for criminal justice reform, but the picture is nuanced; every year, approximately 76,000 children are prosecuted, sentenced, and incarcerated as adults. In 2018, a child was arrested every 43 seconds. Children of color were twice as likely to be arrested than white children.”
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Shifting Incarceration Costs to Counties Could Mean Fewer People Incarcerated, Study Suggests
Published On 1/6/2021
"If counties are responsible for the costs of incarceration, they may be less likely to imprison people, a new study suggests. . . . Reforms implemented in California in the mid-1990s that increased the cost for counties to incarcerate children lead to a significant drop in children being sent to juvenile prisons."

(Illinois still has fiscal incentives to incarcerate children. The cost of commitments to the Department of Juvenile Justice is born by the state, while counties are largely responsible for the cost of community-based sentences. Illinois' Juvenile ReDeploy program shifts those financial incentives -- but not all counties are willing to participate. Perhaps not surprisingly, non-participating counties disproportionately incarcerate youth.)
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An Alternative to Police That Police Can Get Behind
Published On 1/5/2021
“‘Defund the police’ has sparked polarized debate, in part, because it conveys just one half of an equation, describing what is to be taken away, not what might replace it. Earlier this month, former President Barack Obama called it a ‘snappy slogan’ that risks alienating more people than it will win over to the cause of criminal-justice reform.

Yet the defund idea cannot simply be dismissed. Its backers argue that armed agents of the state are called upon to address too many of society’s problems—problems that can’t be solved at the end of a service weapon. And continued cases of police violence in response to calls for help have provided regular reminders of what can go wrong as a result.”
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Aldermen Recommend $300K Payment to Marshall High Student Dragged Down Stairs, Tased by Police
Published On 12/31/2020
"Two Chicago police officers were captured on surveillance video confronting a 16-year-old special education student at Marshall High School on Jan. 29, 2019. When video of the violent altercation between the student and the officers became public, it created a firestorm of controversy that helped fuel a move to remove officers from Chicago Public Schools this summer."
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IL judge suggests new young adult circuit court branch
Published On 12/30/2020
Judge Timothy Evans proposes creating a separate young adult court as a “far more humane” alternative to adult criminal court in a recent guest column on the Illinois Courts website.
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National Juvenile Defender Center Releases Recommendations for New Administration
Published On 12/29/2020
Recommendations include restoring youth justice programming, guidance, and staffing, robust data reporting, adequate funding, and an official joint statement that Black lives matter.
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Amid Criminal Justice Reform Push, Advocates Say Felony Murder Should Be Next
Published On 12/28/2020
“Criminal justice reform advocates argue that's especially true when juveniles are involved, contending teens' brains are underdeveloped, resulting in more impulsive behavior—especially if they fall in with the ‘wrong crowd.’

Garien Gatewood, program director for the Illinois Justice Project, said it's not uncommon for kids to get caught on felony murder charges and sent to prison for longer than they've been alive—up to 25 years, on top of other charges and sentencing enhancements.

If the point of pursuing those charges is the make communities safer, Gatewood said, prosecutors are missing the point. He said children come out of incarceration worse than when they went in.”
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Budget cuts threaten successful youth programming
Published On 12/23/2020
“State agencies in Southwestern Illinois are bracing for budget cuts after Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a first round that will affect public safety and social services, with promises of more to come. . . . It won’t be the first time Renae Storey, vice president for the southern region of Children’s Home and Aid, will have worked through a fiscal crisis.”

She reflected on the damage inflicted by such cuts. “One of the organization’s programs, for instance, has reduced the number of St. Clair County children going into the juvenile justice system each year from 90 to 10 since 2005. The cost of one year in juvenile corrections costs $160,000, whereas Redeploy Illinois costs roughly $10,000 per child.”
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Lightfoot ‘Completely Guts’ Proposal To Ensure People In Police Custody Get A Prompt Phone Call
Published On 12/22/2020
“Advocates want city law to guarantee a person gets to make a phone call within one hour of being arrested. The mayor's version gives police more discretion. ‘They are playing games with people's lives and people's liberties,’ one alderman said.”
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Changing the criminal justice system on behalf of children
Published On 12/21/2020
PBS continues its “reporting on the challenges facing former prisoners with Bryan Stevenson, an American lawyer, social justice activist and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative.”
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How a police contact by middle school leads to different outcomes for Black, white youth
Published On 12/18/2020
“For Black youth, an encounter with police by eighth grade predicts they will be arrested by young adulthood – but the same is not true for white youth, a new University of Washington study finds.

Black young adults are 11 times more likely to be arrested by age 20 if they had an initial encounter with law enforcement in their early teens than Black youth who don’t have that first contact.

In contrast, white young adults with early police contact are not significantly more likely to be arrested later, compared with white peers without that history.”
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“Left Behind” -- Youth Tried and Sentenced As If They Were Adults, In Their Own Words
Published On 12/17/2020
“I’ve had a long time to think about what I did when I was 13. That was how old I was when I ceased to be a daughter, sister, niece, student, and friend and became instead a murderer, super predator, killer, felon, criminal, and inmate. What little innocence I had I exchanged for an inmate identification number. I was a 13-year-old charged with second-degree murder.”
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Seclusion of Illinois school children used over 10,000 times in a year
Published On 12/15/2020
"Illinois schools reported putting students into seclusion at least 10,776 times in the 2017-18 school year — up more than 50% from the last time districts sent seclusion data to the federal government, two years earlier.

Over the last year, in response to a November 2019 investigation by the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois, the state took several actions to discourage schools from relying on seclusion and physical restraint in response to difficult student behavior. But advocates for students with disabilities say the most recent data offers evidence that the new restrictions need to be enforced and that stronger steps are needed."
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Execution Stirs Debate Over Punishment for Young Offenders
Published On 12/14/2020
Brandon Bernard is the second of two teenagers executed by the federal government for an armed robbery committed by four youth when Brandon was 18 years old. The remaining two teens were under 18 at the time and are serving life sentences. Federal executions began this year after a 40-year moratorium.

“The disparate sentences for the teenagers in the case, determined in part by age differences of months or a few years, have put new focus on the distinction between adults and juveniles when it comes to sentencing and what critics of the death penalty see as its arbitrary application.”
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Justice-involved young adults tout a promising initiative for young incarcerated people
Published On 12/11/2020
Two program mentors with the program explain, “This issue is personal for us: We are both Black men who were in the justice system as emerging adults, ended up serving long prison terms and worked as mentors to currently incarcerated young adults. We are social justice advocates who have a combined 50-plus years of incarceration. . . . Our lived experience is that evidence-based, developmentally appropriate interventions for emerging adults can have an outsize positive impact on racial justice and public safety. One model we are proud to share is the D.C. Jail’s Young Men Emerging Unit (YME), a successful program that blends mentorship and counseling to reach the young adult population.”
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Incarcerated and Detained Youth Face Hurdles When Returning to School
Published On 12/10/2020
“Juvenile Law Center, Education Law Center-PA, and Southern Poverty Law Center are excited to share their new report Credit Overdue: How States Can Mitigate Academic Credit Transfer Problems for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System. This report details the numerous challenges facing youth when it comes to their educational experiences in juvenile justice facilities with a focus on problems with academic credit transfer.

Credit Overdue highlights new survey data from the Juvenile Justice Research and Reform Lab at Drexel University of 208 professionals around the country that confirms youth frequently do not receive academic credit for the schoolwork they complete inside juvenile justice facilities and the devastating consequences of this practice. The report also includes recommendations for legislative reforms to mitigate credit transfer problems.”
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It’s time to finally give incarcerated people access to Pell grants
Published On 12/9/2020
“Earning a quality education plays a critical role in the successful reentry of formerly incarcerated people into their communities. Nationwide, more than 95 percent of people in prison will eventually be released, but more than a third will return to prison within three years. However, incarcerated people with access to education and skills training are about 48 percent less likely to return to prison than those without. When we empower incarcerated people to start down a meaningful career path upon returning to the community, the cycle of poverty and involvement in the criminal justice system is positively disrupted.”
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Preventing Youth Arrests through Deflection: Best Practices and Recommendations
Published On 12/8/2020
The Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission has issued a report on the use of deflection in lieu of arrest to prevent the unnecessary involvement of Illinois youth in the juvenile court system. The research-informed best-practices in the report “are not only applicable for the City of Chicago in determining their best course of action regarding current diversion and deflection programs, such as the Juvenile Intervention & Support Center (JISC), but for communities across Illinois who are dedicated to reducing the number of youth who come in contact with the juvenile justice system.

In light of the profound racial disparities evident in our state's juvenile systems and the growing body of research on fair and effective practices, getting this right has never mattered more than it does today.”
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Prosecutor, Defender, and Public Health Law Organizations Call for Prioritizing Carcerals Settings
Published On 12/7/2020
“‘Incarcerated individuals have higher rates of asthma, diabetes and heart disease, which makes them especially vulnerable to COVID,’ said CHLP Executive Director Catherine Hanssens. ‘A disproportionate number are Black and Hispanic, from communities that have been hit hard by the pandemic. Federal, state, and local governments have an ethical and legal responsibility to protect the health of incarcerated individuals and all others in the criminal legal system, which in turn protects the health of communities.’”
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Illinois Supreme Court Amends Rule 23 to Permit Citation of Unpublished Appellate Court Rulings
Published On 12/3/2020
"As of January 1, 2021, litigants will be allowed to cite unpublished Illinois Appellate Court opinions for persuasive purposes thanks to an amendment to Illinois Supreme Court Rule 23. The Supreme Court, which announced the amendment last week, cited the availability of text-searchable electronic legal research databases as an impetus for the change."

(Beginning January 1, 2021, the Juvenile Defender Resource Center Case Law Summaries will include all unpublished decisions in delinquency appeals and significant Rule 23 decisions in criminal cases involving youth.)
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With COVID-19 surging anew, alarms sound again for Cook County’s incarcerated
Published On 12/2/2020
“More than 20 residents of the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center have tested positive in the past month, a dramatic increase over the numbers reported at the end of spring and early summer.

The staff numbers are alarming as well, with more than 70 people who work at the near West Side facility now reported to have tested positive during the entire pandemic.”
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Op-Ed: Why America is still living with the damage done by the ‘superpredator" Lie
Published On 12/1/2020
“Twenty-five years ago, John DiIulio, a political science professor, created and disseminated one of the most dangerous and lethal lies in our history. He coined the term ‘superpredator,’ depicting Black children as remorseless animals who would prey on victims.

Even when DiIulio admitted being wrong about his predictions, his retraction could not dislodge this country’s already-formed assumptions that young Black males were coldblooded and dangerous. Today, virtually every state still permits middle schoolers to be prosecuted as adults, exposing them to adult punishment. The overwhelming majority of those kids are Black.

What made this superpredator story so easy to swallow — and so stubbornly intractable?”
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Blaming Chicago’s Violence On Bail Reform Is Wrong, A New Study Finds
Published On 11/30/2020
“‘What we show is that the risk of new criminal activity is relatively low and the risk of new violent criminal activity is extremely low.’ The most common new charge for the alleged reoffenders was drug possession, followed by drug dealing and retail theft. Just 3 percent of people released allegedly committed a violent crime while out awaiting trial, according to the report. ‘The only way to reduce that to zero would be to hold the other 97 [percent] … in jail pretrial.’”
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Juvenile Defenders Mourn the Loss of a Leader in the Move to Abolish Isolation for Youth
Published On 11/25/2020
Alexandra Korry "saw the issue as a moral one. 'Consigning children and young adults to the degradation of solitary confinement is inconsistent with any standard of decency,' she said when the committee’s report was released. 'Subjecting Blacks and Latinos disproportionately to such terror is unconscionable.'"

(The use of solitary confinement/isolation is still not prohibited by statute or rule for children in Illinois.)
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Chicagoans Want Money Reallocated From Police Budget, City-Sponsored Survey Shows
Published On 11/24/2020
“At a time when policy analysts say Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s task of presenting a balanced budget amid an economic downturn due to the pandemic is already 'a challenge,' a citywide survey released by the mayor’s office shows nearly nine in 10 respondents support reallocating city resources away from police.”
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Chicago’s Top Cop Tells Recruits They May Need To Ignore Trainers And Supervisors To Do What’s Right
Published On 11/23/2020
“Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown repeatedly referenced the police killing of George Floyd in a speech to the city’s newest class of police recruits Tuesday, telling the soon-to-be officers they may need to buck the department’s culture, and even their own trainers, to do what’s right.”
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NYC lawyer pardoned by Illinois gov two decades after teen robbery conviction
Published On 11/20/2020
“A veteran New York City public defender who spent two years in prison as a teenager on robbery charges has received a pardon from the governor of Illinois, decades after his conviction.

‘It was this long journey, over a decade in the making,’ Thomas Kim said of the pardon he finally received last month. ‘You know, validation does feel good.’”
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Campaign for Youth Justice Releases Report on Prosecuting Children as Adults
Published On 11/19/2020
“According to a new report from the Campaign for Youth Justice (CFYJ) – 'Winning the Campaign: State Trends in Fighting the Treatment of Children As Adults in the Criminal Justice System (2005-2020)' – the number of children prosecuted as adults has plummeted over the past 15 years, and more laws passed and implemented over the past three years are likely to reduce those numbers further.

This final CFYJ report, in addition to reviewing past legislative successes, also looks forward to the year 2021 and beyond, and calls for robust action to address persistent racial disparities, and to confront the emerging revival of open racism that undermines the current consensus and sees youth – particularly youth of color – as dangerous predators to be feared rather than as children in need of support and with the potential to succeed.”
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Chicago police more likely to stop Black drivers without citing them, data investigation reveals
Published On 11/18/2020
"An I-Team data investigation of racial disparities in Chicago Police Department traffic stops shows Black drivers are far more likely to be stopped by Chicago Police than white drivers. New evidence also shows Black drivers are more likely to be pulled over for no reason at all.

The number of traffic stops in Chicago is significantly increasing. In 2014, Chicago police only pulled over 87,355 people. Last year alone they pulled over a half a million more drivers than five years ago."
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Advocates Demand Aldermen Pass Law Requiring Detainees Get A Phone Call In First Hour
Published On 11/17/2020
"Just 2 percent of people arrested get access to an attorney while in custody of Chicago police. An ordinance could help change that, advocates said."
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Illinois legislators discuss statewide police reforms
Published On 11/16/2020
"In the wake of a police shooting that left one teenager dead and a woman injured last week in Waukegan, lawmakers met in a joint hearing of the Senate Criminal Law Committee and Senate Special Committee on Public Safety to discuss statewide reforms for law enforcement.

Lawmakers and witnesses discussed body cameras, mandatory data collection, increased transparency around police shootings, residency requirements for officers and changes to how allegations of police misconduct are handled. Public defenders, state’s attorneys, municipal officials and law enforcement all gave testimony."
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Tackling Racial Disparity Called Key to Youth Justice Reform
Published On 11/13/2020
“Racial disparities are at the core of what’s wrong with today’s approach to youth justice, and little will change unless authorities recognize that, according to a leading youth advocate. . . . [T]he pandemic, in a curious way, may have opened the door to real change.

With many youth facilities releasing young people or reducing the number of those inside because of the risk of infection, authorities have begun to realize that keeping kids close to their communities and families presents little risk to public safety. . . ‘Everything we know tells us that locking kids up doesn’t work,’ said Balis. ‘Interventions in the community is a much more effective way to reduce the likelihood of them coming back in the system.’”
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Feds ban solitary confinement for kids in prison, but state juvenile facilities still use isolation
Published On 11/12/2020
“‘There is no single standard for anything in the United States when it comes to crime and punishment, which is usually to everyone’s detriment,’ said Ian Kysel, a visiting assistant clinical professor of law at Cornell Law School.

“Advocates, researchers, legislators and psychologists agree on the long-lasting, detrimental effects solitary confinement has on youth and adults alike. Despite overwhelming evidence and pressure from these groups, solitary confinement still is utilized in nearly every state for one reason or another. According to the National Conference of State Legislators, 16 states use it without limitations.”

(Illinois is one of several states that do not have a court rule or statute banning the use of solitary confinement ("isolation") for youth.)
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Will A New High Court Swing Against Juvenile Lifers?
Published On 11/11/2020
“After last week's oral arguments in a U.S. Supreme Court case concerning the sentencing of juvenile offenders, advocates on both sides say it's unclear how the court, which has changed in composition since the last major rulings on the issue, will interpret those precedents.

Observers said the justices didn't give much away during their questioning Tuesday in Jones v. Mississippi, which concerns how states should interpret and implement a previous high court ruling that declared life without parole sentences for juvenile offenders to be unconstitutional unless a defendant was found to be ‘permanently incorrigible.’”
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UPDATE: Out of Jail and Back in School, Grace Finds Her Voice
Published On 11/9/2020
“'Your past does not define you,'” Grace said in her first public event. The Michigan teen’s case sparked national outrage and the #FreeGrace campaign after she was sent to juvenile detention for not completing online schoolwork."
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Misdemeanor Offenses And Racism In The Criminal System
Published On 11/6/2020
“The police killings of George Floyd, Eric Garner and other black men and women began with allegations of a minor offense, such as passing a counterfeit $20 bill or selling individual, untaxed cigarettes. Misdemeanors — these types of low-level criminal offenses — account for about 80% of all arrests and 80% of state criminal dockets.”

(In Illinois, over 80 percent of youth arrests are for misdemeanors and petty offenses. And while youth convicted of misdemeanor offenses can no longer be incarcerated in the Department of Juvenile Justice, youth as young as 10 years old can still be incarcerated pre-trial in Illinois detention centers.)
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Conservatives and progressives agree Jones v. Mississippi should affirm fundamental principles
Published On 11/5/2020
“Brett Jones was barely 15 when he killed his grandfather in 2004 during an argument. He was a profoundly traumatized kid who had fled a violent home only to find himself in circumstances he again perceived as life-threatening. A Mississippi court sentenced him to serve the rest of his life in prison, with no chance of release.

His case gives the Supreme Court an opportunity to restate a settled principle: No child may be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole unless the sentencing court determines that he is the rare individual who is beyond rehabilitation.”

See these three articles, including two from conservative thought leaders, supporting Jones.
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Criminal Justice Reform Should Decriminalize Addiction, Advocates Say
Published On 11/3/2020
“As jurisdictions around the country start to examine and redress the harms of police violence and incarceration, activists and professionals in addiction treatment and harm reduction urge that such steps also take the drug war into consideration, including the punitive models of treatment that are rooted to the carceral system.”

(In Illinois, there’s a less harmful alternative to delinquency court for youth with substance abuse issues in Article IV of the Juvenile Court Act. Raise the Article IV alternative with prosecutors and courts as a way to intervene without the stigma, record, and less successful outcomes of delinquency court.)
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Listen to Jones v. Mississippi Oral Argument
Published On 11/2/2020
In recent years, the United States Supreme Court has provided important protections against the extreme sentencing of youth. The court can potentially narrow the scope of those decisions in Mississippi v. Jones. You can listen to the oral arguments live tomorrow.
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Prisons Are a Public Health Crisis, the American Public Health Association Says
Published On 10/30/2020
“The U.S. incarcerates more people per capita than any other country in the world, spending trillions of federal, state, and local tax dollars on jails, immigration detention centers, pre-trial detention, and prison upkeep.

Specifically, the recommendations concern the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been especially deadly in jails and prisons. America must ‘immediately and urgently reduce the number of people incarcerated in jails, prisons, and detention centers, regardless of conviction, especially in light of pressing concerns related to COVID-19 transmission," the APHA said.’ The guidelines also advocate for long-term solutions to the nation’s incarceration crisis.”
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West Side Police Districts Participate in Community Training Academy
Published On 10/29/2020
“The training includes a community immersion program led by residents. ‘It’s important for someone who has a role in determining someone’s freedom or not to understand that it is not just simply bad character of the of the residents of these communities,’ said Burrell Poe, an Austin resident who facilitating some officer trainings.

The program, which is codesigned by the Metropolitan Peace Academy of Metro Family Services, includes trauma-informed trainings and teaches officers how implicit bias may influence policing. The training sessions facilitated by Poe emphasize the city’s history of segregation, disinvestment in the West Side and policies rooted in racism.”
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Policing Studies Measure Benefits to Crime Reduction – But Not Social Costs
Published On 10/28/2020
“Local governments collectively spend roughly $100 billion per year on policing, and with big cities dedicating about 15 percent (if not more) of their budgets to police, a growing number of people are asking if it may make more sense to spend some of that money elsewhere, like on drug treatment, mental health, social work, or shelter.”

(Illinois Redeploy currently provides funding to participating counties to pay for community-based services for youth in the delinquency system as an alternative to incarceration. If your county isn’t one of the participants who have successfully reduced their commitments to the Department of Juvenile Justice, explore why.)
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How the Racism Baked Into Technology Hurts Teens
Published On 10/27/2020
“Acts of technological racism might not always be so blatant, but they are largely unavoidable. Black defendants are more likely to be unfairly sentenced or labeled as future re-offenders, not just by judges, but also by a sentencing algorithm advertised in part as a remedy to human biases. Predictive models methodically deny ailing Black and Hispanic patients’ access to treatments that are regularly distributed to less sick white patients. Examples like these abound.

Research suggests that being on the receiving end of discrimination is correlated with poor mental-health outcomes across all ages. And when youth of color experience discrimination, their sleep, academic performance, and self-esteem might suffer. Experiencing discrimination can even alter gene expression across the life span.”
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The Cycle of Punitive Justice Starts in Schools. Showing Kids and Teachers How to Break It
Published On 10/26/2020
“The idea of restorative justice is not But amid our national reckoning with systemic racism and a punishment-oriented legal system, it’s an approach that’s gaining steam in the United States.

Traditional justice asks what law has been broken and demands retribution. Depending on whether you robbed a store or killed somebody, the penalty can range from a jail term to execution. Restorative justice, by contrast, asks: Who has been harmed? How? If there is a perpetrator and a victim, could one make amends to the other? Is there room for mediation? For an apology? For forgiveness? For acts of service that would make victims—and the communities they are part of—feel healed?”
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Kyle Rittenhouse Deserves the Kind of Mercy My Son Did Not Receive
Published On 10/22/2020
Justice and mercy can coexist. Life sentences for juvenile offenders are wrong no matter who the offender is. Yusef Qualls doesn’t deserve to die in prison, and neither does alleged Wisconsin shooter Kyle Rittenhouse, writes Qualls’ father.
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Ending cash bail, more rehab part of Pritzker prison plan
Published On 10/20/2020
“Gov. J.B. Pritzker has announced proposals to end cash bail, change theft and drug-crime sentencing to give criminals opportunities to escape addiction and creating more rehabilitation options to reduce long sentences.

The ideas are among seven ‘guiding principles’ unveiled for negotiations with the General Assembly over criminal justice reform, an initiative announced in January and spearheaded by Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and pushed forward for decades by the Legislative Black Caucus.”
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More than half of all wrongful criminal convictions are caused by government misconduct, study finds
Published On 10/19/2020
"Misconduct can be intentional or unintentional, but either way innocent people are found guilty.

And then there are cases where people plead guilty simply to get out of jail rather than wait months for trial, although the evidence later clears them. 'My guess is,' Gross said, 'the most common cause of false convictions is pretrial detention,' often in low-level drug or theft cases.

Fair and Just Prosecution, which supports liberal prosecutors across the country, has called on local district attorneys to create a 'Misdemeanor Post-Conviction Integrity' process, saying that 'integrity issues in misdemeanor cases are as, if not more, profound as concerns arising in felony cases, for numerous reasons.' But Krinsky said she was not aware of any prosecutors who have tried that approach."
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National Juvenile Defender Center Issues Statements on Racial Justice and Equity
Published On 10/16/2020
“As injustice continues to unfold around us, our team at the National Juvenile Defender Center is adding our intentional commitments to racial justice and equity to our vision. In a week where we lost the opportunity to hold law enforcement accountable for the death of Breonna Taylor we want to share these vision statements on Racial Justice and on Equity. As we face all that 2020 has brought and will bring, we hope to follow Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s example of harnessing the Constitution to break down the structures by which the state maintains and enforces spheres of inequality.”
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‘The Doors Don’t Lock’ in DC Jail Program for Young Adults
Published On 10/15/2020
“A program that houses long-term incarcerated individuals together with younger ones offers an alternative model of incarceration centered on education, personal growth, and transformation, and has helped foster an unprecedented ‘culture change’ in the Washington, D.C. jail, according to a recent report issued by the Justice Policy Institute.”
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'Strengthen the Sixth' Website Launched
Published On 10/14/2020
“The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in partnership with the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, the National Center for State Courts, and RTI International are pleased to announce the launch of StrengthenTheSixth.org, a website dedicated to the core values and principles enshrined in the Sixth Amendment. The website will serve as a resource for criminal legal system actors and the community as a whole, focusing on some of the key tenets of the Sixth Amendment including the right to a speedy and public trial, an impartial and representative jury, to have access to witnesses and evidence, and the right to counsel.”

(With the exception of the right to a jury trial, the rights in the Sixth Amendment are guaranteed to youth in delinquency court via the due process protections of In re Gault, 387 U.S. 1 (1967), and Section 5-101(3) of the Illinois Juvenile Court Act.)
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To Charge or Not to Charge? How Prosecutors Drive Mass Incarceration
Published On 10/13/2020
“The large number of Americans behind bars may be in part a consequence of prosecutors’ determination to level charges for offenses that in other circumstances might not have merited punishment, according to a forthcoming paper in the Southern California Law Review."

(In addition to the traditional charging motivations in adult court, filing a delinquency petition is sometimes seen as a way to help or provide services to children. But given the life-altering consequences of system involvement for youth, and the racial disparities that exist, defenders can have an important role – both in court and on their local juvenile justice councils – in educating stakeholders about the harm from unnecessary delinquency interventions and the critical importance of robust diversion programming.)
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New Report on Youth Justice Under the Coronavirus
Published On 10/9/2020
“The Sentencing Project released its new report, Youth Justice Under the Coronavirus: Linking Public Health Protections to the Movement for Youth Decarceration. This report summarizes lessons learned through the first months of the pandemic, focusing on system responses to slow the virus’s spread to protect the safety and wellbeing of youth in the juvenile justice system.”
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‘A Battle for the Souls of Black Girls’
Published On 10/8/2020
“Discipline disparities between Black and white boys have driven reform efforts for years. But Black girls are arguably the most at-risk student group in the United States.”

“Statistically, Black boys have led the country in suspensions, expulsions and school arrests, and the disparities between them and white boys have been a catalyst for national movements for change. But Black girls’ discipline rates are not far behind those of Black boys; and in several categories, such as suspensions and law enforcement referrals, the disparities between Black and white girls eclipse those between Black and white boys.”
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Illinois Supreme Court hires its first diversity officer
Published On 10/7/2020
“Deciding to ‘put concrete action’ toward racial justice following recent social unrest, the Illinois Supreme Court has appointed its first-ever diversity officer. . . . The court saw an opportunity to speak to the history of ‘the disproportionate impact the application of certain laws, rules, policies and practices have had on the African American population, the Latinx community, and other people of color in Illinois and nationally.’”
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Student Arrest Records A ‘Disturbing Mess’ At Illinois School Districts
Published On 10/6/2020
"Twenty-one Champaign Unit 4 students were arrested during the 2013-14 school year — 19 of them were Black — according to documents obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request. During the 2015-16 school year, 17 students were arrested — of which 15 were Black.

But the federal government thinks there were no arrests. That’s because the district reported to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights that not a single student was arrested over the course of multiple school years dating back to 2013." Unit 4 isn't alone in it's poor reporting practices.
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Study Finds Court Involvement Linked to Lower School Attendance
Published On 10/5/2020
A new study looking at the effect of juvenile court involvement – particularly probation – on school attendance found that attendance actually decreased for court-involved youth. The researchers also examined school practices and policies that discourage youth engagement and success.

The report and accompanying materials contain concrete recommendations and serve as a springboard for local school and court systems to examine whether their community’s school discipline polices and juvenile court practices are the most appropriate and effective ways to help kids succeed in school.
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Could This City Hold the Key to the Future of Policing in America?
Published On 10/2/2020
"The Camden Police Department’s efforts to reduce its use of force have made it one of the most compelling turnaround stories in U.S. law enforcement. The changes have led to a stark reduction in the number of excessive-force complaints against the police and have helped drive down the murder rate in what was once one of America’s most dangerous cities."
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New Podcast - “Walk, Listen and Learn: Our Journey to Justice”
Published On 10/1/2020
Take a walk with Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton and special guests during the month of October in this series that combines self-care and justice. "Each episode in the series will offer an introduction to various aspects of justice from subject-matter experts. We hope listeners will enjoy the conversation, and ultimately be better equipped to understand and advocate for equity and opportunity."
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How Losing RBG Could Shape Criminal Justice For Years to Come
Published On 9/30/2020
"The upcoming case Jones v. Mississippi, to be argued before the high court on Nov. 3, is all about what steps a court must take to show that it has seriously considered the question of youth rehabilitation.

The defendant, Brett Jones, who was abused as a child and committed a murder at age 15 during a domestic dispute, has since expressed deep remorse and become educated and religious, according to testimony by corrections officials. He will argue that a judge can’t simply note his rehabilitation before re-sentencing him to life in prison. Rather, the judge must specifically rule on whether or not he is permanently incapable of positive change.”
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Debate over school resource officers once again ignited in Urbana
Published On 9/29/2020
Fulltime police officers were placed in Urbana middle and high schools in response to a 2019 fight that injured a teacher and resulted in 11 arrests. But with school buildings shuttered and school-based arrests pushing youth into a juvenile court system ill-equipped to help them, the community is debating anew how $327,000 a year might be better spent elsewhere.
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A Tale of Two School Districts
Published On 9/28/2020
In Philadelphia, school arrests dropped by 84 percent in five years after a diversion program was created to deal with school discipline issues. While in Florida, schools experienced a surge in arrests and physical restraints after additional police officers were placed in schools.

A bill currently pending in Congress aims to “divert Federal funding away from supporting the presence of police in schools and toward evidence-based and trauma informed services that address the needs of marginalized students and improve academic outcomes, and for other purposes.”
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Data Shows Dozens Of Pre-Teen Illinois Kids Detained In 2020
Published On 9/25/2020
"Juvenile-justice advocates say Illinois is failing its children by allowing kids as young as 10 years old to be locked-up without being found guilty of a crime." Although Illinois prohibits the incarceration of youth younger than 13 post-trial, and requires that incarceration be a disposition of last resort, these protections don't exist for the pre-trial detention of youth accused of a crime.
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True Lies: How to End Abuses of Police Interrogation
Published On 9/24/2020
“As the nation focuses on police reform, law enforcement agencies are under increasing pressure to weed out recruits who show signs of potential violent or unstable behavior, and to correct the kind of over-aggressive policing that results in the deaths of unarmed civilians. But they need to spend as much energy and time in changing abusive or coercive interrogation practices that lead to the conviction of innocent individuals and undermine community confidence in the justice system, according to a former Washington, D.C. detective.”

These coercive techniques are even more likely to result in coerced and false confessions in youth. Yet in Illinois, as elsewhere, there are insufficient safeguards in place to protect youth, who waive their Miranda rights 90% of the time.
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Far from Being Beyond Saving, Prison Youth Deserve Every Opportunity for Meaningful Rehabilitation
Published On 9/23/2020
“‘Left Behind,’” a collaboration between The Appeal and Oregon Justice Resource Center, presents firsthand accounts of growing up in prison from individuals sentenced as children to 25 years-to-life. Inspired by the Supreme Court’s ruling in Miller v. Alabama, which prohibits the imposition of a mandatory sentence of death in prison for children, this series reveals the humanity of those given life sentences by asking: What obligations do we have as a community of not leaving them behind? Each of the primary authors is incarcerated in the Oregon state correctional system.”
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Conviction, Imprisonment, and Lost Earnings
Published On 9/22/2020
“Encounters with the criminal justice system can depress wages for the entirety of a career. Black and Latino Americans suffer these consequences most acutely.” The same is true for youth involved in the delinquency system.
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Today we mourn the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Published On 9/21/2020
Today we mourn the loss of a warrior sister who paved the way for all women, including those proud to call themselves public defenders. We honor her for joining the majority in Roper, Graham, Miller, and Montgomery. And, as she would expect us to do, we examine and vow to fight the gender biases still present in our profession and juvenile court system.

In Illinois, as in the rest of the country, girls continue to enter the system for “offenses” like truancy, running away, and curfew violations that frequently don’t merit the same legal response for boys. And once ensnared, girls are disproportionately incarcerated for low level offenses. Justice Ginsburg spoke truth to power in 1973 when, in her first argument before an all-male Supreme Court, she invoked the words of Sara Grimke, a woman who aspired to law school at a time when women were not admitted. “I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.” We’re obligated to do the same.
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Even in the Time of Remote Learning, Police Manage to Arrest Students
Published On 9/18/2020
A Black seventh-grader with attention-deficit disorder was playing with a “Zombie Hunter” toy gun during a virtual art class. After consulting with their school resource officer, the school called the police. The boy was suspended for five days for bringing a “facsimile of a firearm to school” and now has a record with the local sheriff’s office. The boy’s mother, who feared for her son’s life when she heard law enforcement was on the way to her home, “never thought: ‘You can’t play with a Nerf gun in your own home because somebody may perceive it as a threat and call the police on you,’”

On the other side of the country, a Long Island student who had been protesting his school district's hybrid learning plan was suspended from school. When he arrived at school two days later to attend class on a virtual learning day, he was arrested and charged with criminal trespass.
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DCFS Faces A Housing Crisis Affecting Dual Involved Youth in the Juvenile Court System
Published On 9/17/2020
“The state is barely three years out of a prolonged budget stalemate under former Gov. Bruce Rauner, which left Illinois’ human services sector severely weakened, and resulted in a surge of need in the child welfare system.” Because of the resulting shortage of beds, “[s]ometimes, children who have served their time in juvenile detention or finished a stint in a psychiatric hospital are held in those settings beyond the time they’re supposed to be there if there’s no bed available in a less restrictive setting. ‘Those places are not benign places,’ [ICOY CEO Andrea] Durbin said. ‘Being stuck in a hospital, prison, or detention center are not neutral experiences; it’s a traumatic experience…People don’t get back the days of their lives. You don’t get a do-over on your childhood.’”
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Police interrogators need clear guidelines on when sleep deprivation amounts to torture
Published On 9/16/2020
“The International Association of Chiefs of Police recommends that police officers get at least 48 hours to rest up before they are interviewed about an incident in which they were involved. But that standard does not apply to crime suspects and witnesses, who often are interrogated for many hours while in a state of extreme sleep deprivation. In the interest of true justice, Illinois should set a clear standard for how long witnesses and suspects can be questioned before they are allowed to get some rest.”

(Ironically, even children in Illinois lack this basic protection. For example, in In re G.O., 191 Ill. 2d 37 (2000), the Illinois Supreme Court found a 3 a.m. confession by a 13-year-old was voluntary. A bill currently pending in the Illinois legislature (HB 4609) would provide attorneys to all children under age 18 during interrogation in cases that could trigger adult sentencing.)
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Presiding Judge of the Cook County Juvenile Division not Endorsed for Retention
Published On 9/15/2020
“'(Advocates) universally opposed Judge Toomin’s retention as presiding judge on the grounds that he lacked the appropriate temperament to lead the juvenile justice courts, is obstructing efforts at reforming the juvenile justice courts and pursues an outdated approach to juvenile justice,'” said the chair of the Democratic party’s judicial retention committee. Judge Toomin called the lack of endorsement retaliation due to his appointment of a special prosecutor in the Jussie Smollett case.
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Investigation Focuses On U.S. Juvenile Justice, Issues Of Race
Published On 9/14/2020
“At a time when the country is grappling with racial inequality, reporters from across the U.S. with the News21 project set out to investigate the country's juvenile justice system. They call the project ‘Kids Imprisoned,’ and among their findings was evidence of the effect race has on juvenile cases across the country.” Oftentimes, “schools can be feeders into the juvenile justice system.”
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Amid protests, Chicago BOE votes to keep school police, but also moves to create phase-out plan
Published On 9/11/2020
“The Chicago Board of Education will enter into another yearlong contract with the Chicago Police Department, this time not to exceed $12.1 million. In the meantime, the board gave Chicago Public Schools seven months to come up with a comprehensive plan to help schools develop alternative school safety strategies.

‘This is a bad move by the Board of Education,’ Watts said. ‘As young people, we have been telling CPS exactly what we need, and CPS is continuing to play games with our future. This is not right. What we need is for CPS to invest in us, not to continue to criminalize us.’”
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Thousands of Children On Probation Are Incarcerated Each Year for Nonviolent, Noncriminal Behaviors
Published On 9/10/2020
"Experts say Black and Native children are disproportionately jailed either for status offenses or for technical violations of probation or parole—and that incarcerating them has far-reaching negative consequences. Studies have found that risks include depression, suicide or other self-harm, insurmountable debt, educational and professional instability, and an increased risk of future arrests for actual crimes."

(Illinois allows judges to incarcerate youth for non-criminal probation violations. And despite the fact that Illinois isn't a "valid court order" state, contempt is still used in some counties in lieu of probation violations in order to hold youth beyond the detention limits in our Juvenile Court Act. If you're a juvenile defender who wants to challenge these practices, contact the Juvenile Defender Resource Center.)
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Jonathan Rapping debuts new book, ‘Gideon’s Promise’ to advocate for public defenders
Published On 9/9/2020
“'Not only can Lady Justice see, Lady Justice only looks for certain populations. From the moment that Lady Justice decides who to monitor, who to police, who to control, where resources are concentrated — in poor communities, disproportionately communities of color — to decisions that Lady Justice makes about who to charge and what to charge them with, how to treat them once they’re convicted — not only is Lady Justice not blind, Lady Justice targets certain populations in this in this society.'

Perhaps no other time in modern American history, sans the Civil Rights Movement, has this harsh reality been so vividly exemplified. 'A public defender movement, with a renewed vision for public defense, is critical to transforming the culture,' Rapping penned in his book. 'It starts with a client-centered vision of public defense leading to a defender-driven movement to transform systemic assumptions.'”
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A tale of two studies - bias training for law enforcement changed attitudes but not behavior
Published On 9/8/2020
A study of New York law enforcement found that racial bias training resulted in positive attitude changes toward people of color. But a study of Vermont law enforcement showed that racial bias training had little effect on behavior when it came to traffic stops.
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We Already Have a Tool That Lowers Crime, Saves Money and Shrinks the Prison Population
Published On 9/4/2020
“It’s time for Congress to rescind the ban on Pell Grants for the incarcerated. Providing education to the incarcerated is a win-win — it reduces future crime rates and saves public funds that otherwise would be spent keeping people in jail or prison. Luckily, lawmakers are beginning to introduce legislation to support these goals. A repeal of the Pell Grant ban was included in an appropriations ‘minibus’ bill passed out of the House at the end of July; it currently is waiting for action by the Senate. If successful, this measure promises a new era of learning — and safety.”
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West Side Teens Take Cops On Neighborhood Tour, Have Mixed Feelings On Expanded Community Policing
Published On 9/3/2020
"Led by neighborhood teens, Chicago Police officers toured North Lawndale on Wednesday as part of a larger city initiative to build better relationships between police and communities. Teens in My Block, My Hood, My City‘s Explorer’s program led the tours, bringing recruits from the Chicago Police Training Academy to schools, gardens and their favorite shops to show them what Lawndale looks like to the people who live there."
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Judge cuts sentence in half for Chicago man charged with murder at 16
Published On 9/2/2020
Dimitri Buffer “was resentenced on Tuesday to serve 25 years in prison for a murder he committed at age 16, more than a year after the Illinois Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in his case triggered additional sentencing protections for juvenile offenders serving mandatory prison terms of more than 40 years. [Judge] Wilson recalled that Buffer had rejected a plea deal that would have resulted in a 20-year sentence, which indicated to the judge that the teen didn’t fully grasp how much prison time he could be facing. ‘It weighs heavy on me as the court to see someone who doesn’t understand the gravity of what they’re doing and what a case and a trial is all about, and what they’re really risking,’ Wilson said.”
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‘I thanked the Creator.’ Man wins freedom after COVID-19 delays, change on teenage sentencing
Published On 9/1/2020
“About 70 of the roughly 100 Illinois inmates once sentenced to life without parole as juveniles have been resentenced following the state and federal court rulings, according to Shobha Mahadev, a clinical associate professor at Northwestern University Law School’s Children and Family Justice Center. Most have received shorter sentences, some have been freed, and a handful have been resentenced to life in prison again, Mahadev said.”
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Arlington prosecutor goes to Va. Supreme Court against judges who challenge her new policies
Published On 8/31/2020
“It’s the latest battle between law enforcement entities that have seen cases handled a certain way for decades, and prosecutors who want to try a new way. ‘Tellingly,’ the supporting prosecutors wrote, 'courts historically did not interfere with prosecutorial discretion when that discretion was being used to ramp up prison and jail populations and fuel "tough on crime" thinking and mass incarceration. It is particularly troubling that, now, as reform-minded prosecutors are being elected in cities and counties across the country, courts are intervening in charging and prosecutorial decisions perceived by some to be too lenient.’”
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Study: More Cops in Schools Lead to Harsher Discipline, Don't Make School Safer
Published On 8/28/2020
"Increasing the number of police in schools doesn't make school safer and leads to harsher discipline for infractions, according to a new study in the journal Criminology & Public Policy."
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Latinx Youth Undercounted, Ignored in Juvenile Justice System: Report
Published On 8/27/2020
"Today, Latinx youth make up 25 percent — or 8.3 million — of the U.S. youth population between the ages of 10 to 17. In an incarceration setting, over 48,000 youth are detained in juvenile or adult criminal justice facilities on any given day. But, of those that are incarcerated, the racial and ethnic makeup of that youth is largely unknown due to the fact that law enforcement and jail ethnicity data isn’t being collected, and even if it is, it’s incredibly inconsistent 'despite federal law mandating a uniform approach,' the researchers found, calling the missing data 'alarming.'"
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Can Prosecutors Be Taught to Avoid Jail Sentences?
Published On 8/26/2020
"At least 60 district attorneys have come to see incarceration as destructive, racist, expensive and ineffective. But can they persuade their own staffs?"
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Crack, Mass Incarceration and Black Trauma: Jeffrey’s Story
Published On 8/25/2020
"If he just pled guilty, they said, he could go home. Sure, he’d have a five-year suspended sentence and a felony record, but those things were abstractions to the teenager. 'I just heard, "You can go home," so I signed.' On a physiological level, adolescents placed in this position struggle to weigh short-term benefits versus long-term consequences. Yet in the United States, district attorneys routinely impose these impossible decisions on teenagers."
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Ending the ‘Virus’ of Bigotry in Youth Justice
Published On 8/24/2020
"A new report from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, for example, shows that overall, youth incarceration has decreased by almost 60 percent between 1997 and 2017. Those gains have been primarily to the benefit of white children."
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Millennial Futures Are Bleak. Incarceration Is to Blame.
Published On 8/21/2020
"From cradle through childhood to parenthood and near middle age, Millennial lives have been shaped and stymied by policing and prisons."
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Prosecutors Condemn ‘Myopic’ Approach to Punishment
Published On 8/20/2020
“Are so-called ‘progressive’ approaches by prosecutors to crime and punishment going mainstream? Interviews with 22 state and district attorneys, many of them from smaller jurisdictions, suggest a growing willingness to look for alternatives to incarceration, such as diversion to treatment programs.”
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Scales of justice can be tipped by spending on prosecutions, public defenders
Published On 8/19/2020
"Questions about the fundamental fairness of the criminal justice system have resurfaced in the aftermath of the Memorial Day killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and the nationwide protests that ensued. Top among them is whether poor defendants are woefully over-matched when it comes to their legal defense."
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Racism is a mental health issue, especially for children
Published On 8/18/2020
“The primary impact, of course, is the negative effect on the disadvantaged, minority children who are the victims of racism. Racist acts against children and observed by children are profoundly detrimental to their health, including their mental health. Today's focus on the victims of racism is appropriate and long overdue. Less frequently discussed is racism's negative impact on the mental health of some advantaged children -- white children. Raising a less-racist, mentally healthier child is just as important as raising one who doesn't touch a hot stove or walk into traffic. Both the child and our society will benefit.”
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The post-pandemic juvenile justice system could be more equitable. Will we choose that?
Published On 8/17/2020
As a result of the pandemic, admissions to youth detention centers have dropped for youth of all races and ethnicities – without a corresponding increase in serious new offending by youth who otherwise would have been confined. Can these lessons create a new path forward? “Most of the time, young people need opportunity, support and a chance to repair the harm they have caused. Few need a courtroom or probation officer and far fewer should ever see the inside of a cell. The question is whether we will seize this moment — heeding research, following innovative examples from before and during the pandemic, and making the right choices in youth justice.”
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Virus-Driven Push to Release Juvenile Detainees Leaves Black Youth Behind
Published On 8/14/2020
Nationally, “after an initial decrease in the youth detention population since the pandemic began, the rate of release has slowed, and the gap between white youth and Black youth has grown.” In Illinois, detention has slowed, but our racial disparities remain high. To see how Illinois and your county are doing, take a look at the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission's annual and monthly detention reports.
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‘Restorative' courts are expanding in Chicago — and that’s a good thing
Published On 8/13/2020
"The two Restorative Justice Community Courts are set to open Sept. 14 in the Englewood and Avondale neighborhoods. The courts will aim to settle nonviolent felony and misdemeanor cases involving young people through talks and sit-downs between victims and defendants, even members of the community. The first restorative justice court in Chicago has been operating in North Lawndale since 2017. The courts are based on a pioneering model in Brooklyn that’s been credited with lowering recidivism among both juveniles and young adults."
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Proposed New York Legislation Would End Juvenile Delinquency For Kids 7 to 11
Published On 8/12/2020
“New York state lawmakers and justice reform advocates are trying to end formal prosecution for all children under the age of 12, in a measure that would steer them toward county-based social services.” (Illinois, like New York and 31 other states, currently has no minimum age limit for filing delinquency charges against children. Illinois’ minimum age for trying children in adult court is 13.)
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Is It Time To Change How We Prosecute Young Adults?
Published On 8/11/2020
“In some ways, how the new neuroscientific research is being used to push for change in the judicial system has split into a battle on two fronts: litigation efforts to expand juvenile precedent to include young adults, and new legislation and programs aimed at steering young adults out of adult prisons.”
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Dozens of Prosecutors and Corrections Officials Say Close All Youth Prisons
Published On 8/10/2020
“In a sign of the nation’s rapid rethinking of the justice system prompted by protests against racism and police brutality, dozens of elected prosecutors, corrections officials and probation chiefs have called for all youth prisons to be shut down. They described the lockups as ‘ineffective, inefficient and inhumane.’"
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Sticker Shock 2020: The Cost of Youth Incarceration
Published On 8/7/2020
The average state cost for the secure confinement of a young person is now $588 per day, or $214,620 per year, a 44 percent increase from 2014. These cost figures over a six-year period represent the growing economic impact of incarcerating youth. However, the long-term impact of these policies extends well beyond the fiscal cost.
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Community Convenings: Reimagining Investments in Illinois' Youth
Published On 8/5/2020
The CFJC went to the nine counties that send the most youth to the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, and held 33 community convenings attended by 388 participants. This report compiles the voices and wisdom of the young people who have been locked up in Illinois youth prisons, parents of those youth, other youth and families impacted by the juvenile legal system and staff from community organizations serving youth and their families.
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Pritzker, Stratton launches community-based approach to transform juvenile justice statewide
Published On 7/31/2020
“They’re calling it the ‘21st Century Illinois Transformation Model’, which is a three-phase plan designed to reduce the harm of incarceration. The plan would transition youth to small, regional residential centers, invest in community wraparound support and intervention services for justice-involved youth, and increase financial support for victim services in communities that are disproportionately impacted by violence.”
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Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation
Published On 7/30/2020
In this essay, penned shortly before his death and published today, on the day of his funeral, John Lewis speaks to us.
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Study: Pretrial Juvenile Detention Increases Odds of Felony Recidivism by 33%
Published On 7/29/2020
“Jurisdictions use pretrial confinement to ensure that young people who have been accused of an offense attend court hearings. Yet, a stay in pretrial juvenile detention increases a young person's likelihood of felony recidivism by 33% and misdemeanor recidivism by 11%, according to a new peer-reviewed study published in Crime and Delinquency. The researchers found that any pretrial detention stay — regardless of its length — increases the likelihood of recidivism.”
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Lessons from Rayshard Brooks: Reform of parole and probation is just as important as police reform
Published On 7/27/2020
"Just a few months ago, Rayshard Brooks spoke to a public benefit company that helps people reenter the workforce after being incarcerated. His words tell us as much about criminal justice reform as any research or protest speech.

Brooks recounts how little help he received from community supervision and how threatening it was to be under constant surveillance, facing possible incarceration for the slightest infraction. These violations — like consuming alcohol or missing appointments — would never lead to incarceration for the general public, because they are not crimes.”
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Police chiefs and NAACP agree on a way to improve policing
Published On 7/20/2020
The Illinois NAACP State Conference and the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police are renewing attention on their 2018 Ten Shared Principles. "The agreement calls for valuing every life, treating everyone with respect, rejecting discrimination, and supporting community policing, diversity and de-escalation training." Some supporters warn that enforcement measures are necessary to make it work, and others have called for stronger measures.
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Michigan Teen on Probation Incarcerated After Not Doing Online Schoolwork
Published On 7/18/2020
"Attorneys for a 15-year-old sent to juvenile detention for not doing her schoolwork argued the teenager is not a threat to the community, contrary to a judge’s ruling. Now Michigan’s Supreme Court is stepping in." (Illinois, like Michigan, allows judges to incarcerate youth for non-criminal probation violations.)
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Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission Issues Call to Action for Racial Equity in Juvenile Justice
Published On 7/17/2020
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:
1) Eliminating detention for children 10 – 12 years old
2) Requiring use of alternatives to arresting and detaining children and youth in crisis
3) Restricting secure detention to situations in which community safety is at risk
4) Limiting the role of policing in schools
5) Eliminating the trial, sentencing, and punishment of youth as adults
6) Expanding the automatic expungement of juvenile records
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A Majority of Voters Support An End To Extreme Sentences For Children
Published On 7/15/2020
New report offers findings from two national polls showing that public thinking and discourse on extreme sentencing of youth has shifted:

1) Over two-thirds of respondents agree that children who receive lengthy sentences should have their sentences reviewed by a judge or parole board after no more than 15 years, with the opportunity for release if they pose no danger to the community. This majority holds across race, age, gender, and education.

2) Over two-thirds of respondents, including over two-thirds of Republicans, believe that all children, including those convicted of crimes, have the capacity for positive change, and that a person who committed a crime as a child should be paroled from prison if a parole board later concludes that the person does not pose a threat to public safety.
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Pandemic Is Opportunity to Reshape Family Courts, Probation, Experts Say
Published On 7/14/2020
"Avik Das, director and chief probation officer in Cook County, Illinois’ juvenile justice system, said the youth justice system should be a “last-resort” option for high-risk youth.

“I believe my home court, the oldest juvenile court in the nation, is being called on to reinvent itself,” he said. “Otherwise it is at risk of being declared obsolete at best. Or at worst being downright injurious to the well-being of children and young people, particularly Black youth, families and neighborhoods, and other communities of color.”"
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CPS Dodged Reforming Police In Schools For 2 Years - District Vows To Do Better
Published On 7/9/2020
"For nearly two years, local leaders have had a road map to overhaul how the city uses Chicago police officers in its public schools. But in that time, city officials and police have dragged their feet in fixing widespread problems, inconsistencies and misunderstandings about how the program should work, Inspector General Joe Ferguson said. Thursday’s meeting revisited a September 2018 report from Ferguson that blasted the lack of transparency on how the school resource officer program is managed."
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Stateville Voices Presents Plays by Incarcerated Students in Northwestern’s Prison Ed Program
Published On 7/8/2020
Stateville Voices: A Festival of Short Plays by the Northwestern University Prison Education Program and Goodman Theatre premiered July 3rd and are available for viewing at: https://www.goodmantheatre.org. "Stateville Voices invites us to reflect on what freedom and independence mean in a country that incarcerates more of its citizens than any other nation on earth."
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Hearing set over Rockford police chief’s comments
Published On 7/7/2020
"Commissioners are evaluating a formal complaint that accuses O’Shea of violating a departmental policy against bias with comments he made during a May 18 news conference. After a series of violent incidents, O’Shea at the news conference said police shouldn’t be 'wasting our time trying to save' 16- and 17-year-olds who 'are running around shooting each other.' O’Shea said that teens who are committing murders and shooting people should be arrested, convicted and sent to prison. The complaint — filed by Winnebago County resident Aija Penix on behalf of a group of residents — argues the comments show bias and discrimination. Penix argues in the complaint that O’Shea is writing off some youth with his comments, and sending a message to police officers that some youth are not worth trying to save."
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Ex-Chicago principal who turned around tough high school explains why cops don’t belong in schools
Published On 7/6/2020
“Liz Dozier significantly improved a violent, under-performing South Side school. Instead of relying on police to enforce discipline, they instituted restorative justice practices, which focus on repairing harm rather than applying punishment, and held peace circles to defuse conflicts. They provided grief counseling and anger-management training to students and created trauma groups to help deal with emotional baggage they brought to school from home. The problem with getting police involved is that it sucks students into a situation from which they might never recover. ‘Once a kid touches the criminal justice system, it just steamrolls,’ Dozier says.”
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First feel me, then heal us, Chicago man who knows violence all too well writes
Published On 7/2/2020
"Charles Woodhouse Jr. witnessed a murder at 11, was shot at 15, imprisoned at 17. Now 25 and under house arrest, the South Side native has a strong take on what it will take to curb violence."
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Advocates Blast Chicago Plan To Sweep Up 'Drug Corner' Teens Before July 4
Published On 6/30/2020
Civil-rights advocates and some criminologists are panning a Chicago plan to arrest teenagers on “drug corners” this week to keep them from inflaming the city’s traditional July 4 gun-violence surge.
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Lawsuit alleges Chicago police routinely deny arrestees the ability to call, meet with attorneys
Published On 6/30/2020
"Even before the protests and unrest, the public defender’s office was polling its clients about when and whether they had been given access to a phone call. Out of 1,468 defendants surveyed between mid-April and early June, 33% said police never offered them access to a phone, according to the lawsuit. Of those who did get a phone call, the average wait time was 4.2 hours after they were taken into custody, the suit states.
And according to an affidavit from Eliza Solowiej, executive director of First Defense Legal Aid, less than 2% of arrestees had a lawyer at any point during their time in Chicago police custody during 2019 — the highest rate since the police began keeping track."
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When a juvenile justice diversion center does more harm than good, close it
Published On 6/29/2020
"The purpose of JISC was to keep kids who screw up, but mostly just need help, from getting sucked into the juvenile justice system. It hasn’t worked out that way. The center has worked more like a kiddie cop station than a diversion program, and there’s a possibility it has made matters worse, not better, for some of the 3,000 young people delivered there annually."
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Illinois Supreme Court Issues Statement on Racial Justice and Next Steps
Published On 6/26/2020
The Court stated, in part, "The events of recent days and weeks have exposed frailties in our public institutions and brought to the forefront the disproportionate impact the application of certain laws, rules, policies and practices have had on the African American population, the Latinx community, and other people of color in Illinois and nationally.
Racism exists, whether it be actualized as individual racism, institutional racism or structural racism, and it undermines our democracy, the fair and equitable administration of justice, and severely diminishes individual constitutional protections and safeguards of full citizenship with the attendant rights and benefits sacred to all. People of color have no less expectation of fairness, equity and freedom from racial discrimination than others, yet they are continually confronted with racial injustices that the Courts have the ability to nullify and set right."
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Cops to stay in Chicago’s public schools after a divided vote
Published On 6/25/2020
"Despite vocal opposition to having the resource officers in CPS buildings — including from many students, parents and educators — the mayor and schools chief have spoken in favor of maintaining the officers but continuing to give local school councils the choice. Currently, 144 officers are assigned in pairs to 72 schools. There are another 48 mobile school officers and 22 sergeants. The board members who tried to end the contract characterized it as a civil rights issue, citing research on the school-to-prison pipeline and significantly higher rates of police notifications for Black students than for white students."
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Post-pandemic, the criminal justice class can choose not to return to business as usual
Published On 6/24/2020
A public defender asks the criminal justice class – legislators, judges, and lawyers – whether the current times haven’t presented us with an opportunity. To value human flourishing over penal bureaucracies, to reject the myth that confining and degrading people is a just response to perceived transgressions, and to learn what justice means to the people whose rights we purport to uphold. “As we emerge from the pandemic, what if the criminal justice class chooses not to return to business as usual? What if, instead of rushing to ramp up arrests and reschedule thousands of postponed prosecutions, we invite communities affected by incarceration to imagine non-carceral responses to transgression? We would learn that they, like us, know what else to do.”
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10 Things We Want White People to Do to Celebrate Juneteenth
Published On 6/19/2020
"Each year, Juneteenth is a day for Black people to celebrate freedom. This year Juneteenth carries deeper meaning in the wake of Black lives lost to police brutality in the last few weeks and months." For allies - including the predominately white public defender community - this article is a must-read.
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Public defender cites backlash from sheriff’s deputies after Black Lives Matter rally
Published On 6/17/2020
The Cook County public defender is calling for an investigation into a handful of sheriff’s deputies who reportedly made insulting or threatening social media posts after public defenders marched around the jail in support of Black Lives Matter this week.
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Public defenders hold Black Lives Matter march around courthouse, jail complex
Published On 6/17/2020
Public defenders marched to show support for their clients and raise awareness about injustices in the system.
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Top juvenile court judge still blocking detention motions despite new emergency order
Published On 5/12/2020
“Presiding Judge Michael Toomin is still blocking detention review motions from juvenile defendants, despite an order from Chief Judge Timothy Evans on Friday requiring that all such motions be heard.”
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Lessons From Juvenile Justice Reforms Could Help Reduce Pandemic's Impact on Confined Youth
Published On 5/12/2020
“The costs—and risks—of confining youth in residential placements have been elevated by the potential transmission of COVID-19. New budget challenges lie ahead. Fortunately, state leaders can address these challenges and navigate this unsettling time by leaning on a deep research base and large menu of tested policy options that can help them safely reduce the number of youth in facilities and heed physical distancing guidelines intended to promote safer communities.”
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Frustration reigns as attorneys seek release of detained youth before virus spreads
Published On 5/7/2020
With many Cook County youth being held in pre-trial detention beyond the 30-day limit imposed by statute, an amended court order issued on May 5th stating that “Juvenile detention hearings, including all motions to review detention, and other emergency matters will be conducted daily."
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New Report on DOJJ's Covid-19 Response
Published On 4/22/2020
The Ombudsperson who works on behalf of youth in the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice has issued a COVID-19 report on the steps IDOJJ is taking to keep youth safe, reduce the number of youth in custody, and ensure appropriate services for youth on aftercare.
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Advocates Demand Illinois Release Youth From Juvenile Detention Centers Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
Published On 4/3/2020
“Advocates and correctional officials are calling on Illinois and other states across the country to release youth from juvenile detention facilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.”
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Harm Instead of Healing: Imprisoning Youth with Mental Illness
Published On 3/17/2020
More than nine out of ten youth in Illinois prisons have been diagnosed with at least one mental illness, and two-thirds of the youth in state prisons have three or more diagnosed mental disorders. Few of them are receiving the treatment needed to help them overcome or even cope with these disorders.
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Vicarious Post-Traumatic Stress — Or Why There’s Such A High Rate Of Burnout Among Criminal Defense
Published On 3/6/2020
“Being exposed to histories of abuse, neglect, poverty, and violence can affect attorneys. According to studies on burnout (referred to in one study with the unfortunate acronym 'BO'), dealing with trauma-exposed clients causes ‘an accumulation of stress and the erosion of idealism characterized by fatigue, poor sleep, headaches, anxiety, irritability, depression, hopelessness, aggression, cynicism and substance abuse.’
A survey done in the early 2000s by Pace University found that in comparing criminal defense attorneys with mental health providers and social service workers (who also work with traumatized populations), the criminal defense attorneys experienced more symptoms of STS than the others.”
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How to End Racial Bias in Juvenile Justice Risk-Needs Assessments
Published On 3/6/2020
A recent Child Trends report found that “risk and needs assessments may misclassify youth of color as being high risk, which may perpetuate racial biases in the justice system.” This doesn’t mean a wholesale abandonment of assessments. “Research shows that risk and needs assessments are more accurate at identifying a youth’s level of risk than the professional judgement of justice officials, such as a judge or probation officer.” It does mean that stakeholders must follow the data, raise their awareness, and combat the effects of implicit bias in diversion, detention, and sentencing.
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Watchdog: A Chicago Program Meant To Help Juveniles May Instead ‘Retraumatize’ Them
Published On 3/3/2020
The Chicago JISC (Juvenile Intervention and Support Center) was created as an arrest diversion program that connected youth with needed services. Instead, a recent audit reveals that the 14-year-old program fails to follow best practices when working with justice-involved youth and “may actually re-traumatize youth or increase their likelihood of reoffending.”
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Rockford Hopes to Disrupt Juvenile Prison Pipeline
Published On 2/25/2020
A new initiative in Rockford will connect youth who have been exposed to domestic violence and trauma in the home with social services. "Last year, the Illinois Collaboration on Youth, which promotes children’s health and safety, alerted the city to concerns about the number of Winnebago County young people placed with the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, a disproportionate number of whom are black."
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The Enduring Trauma of Stop and Frisk
Published On 2/20/2020
“I want to tell you what it is to be ‘stopped and frisked.’ The first time a police officer did this to me, I was 11 years old. As a Black child in San Francisco, I learned early that mine and others’ bodies meant nothing to those supposedly tasked with our protection.”

If you have two minutes to read anything today, make it Jamal Trulove's unflinching look at the most intimate and lasting effects of the over-policing of communities of color, and imagine the children in your own lives.
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More than 2,000 Adults Who Were Sent as Kids to Die in Prison were Given a Second Chance
Published On 10/8/2019
9,008 days – In 2016, more than 2,000 adults who were sent as kids to die in prison were given a second chance. Marshan Allen was one of them.
As juvenile defenders prepare for dozens of resentencing hearings throughout Illinois, this Chicago Reader profile reminds us what is at stake: “Allen bears his personal story openly as both cautionary tale and evidence: though people tend to describe what he accomplished while in prison, and since, as exceptional, he views himself as an example. ‘Not the exception, the example,’ he says. He sees thousands of people behind bars whose personal journeys to reform and remorse go unrecognized, people whose potential for creation rather than destruction goes squandered."
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How Mandatory Minimums Enable Police Misconduct
Published On 10/8/2019
In this New York Times opinion piece, Brooklyn public defender and policy director Scott Hechinger explains: “In criminal courts throughout this country, victims of police abuse — illegal stops and frisks, car stops and searches, home raids, manufactured charges and excessive force — routinely forgo their constitutional right to challenge police abuse in a pretrial hearing in exchange for plea deals. They do so because the alternative is to risk the steep mandatory minimum sentence they would face if they went to trial and lost. Prosecutors use the fear of these mandatory minimums to their advantage by offering comparatively less harsh plea deals before pretrial hearings and trials begin."
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Felony Murder Rule for Youth Must be Changed
Published On 8/20/2019
Editorial boards join the call for long-overdue amendments to Illinois' sweeping felony murder rule, especially as it applies to youth. The opinion pieces followed the Lake County State's Attorney's decision to charge five teens with felony murder after their 14-year-old companion was fatally shot by a homeowner in the course of an apparent car theft.
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Life After Miller
Published On 8/14/2019
Thanks to our friends at the Children an Family Justice Center, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law Bluhm Legal Clinic, for this reminder of how important Miller-Graham resentencing hearings are for youth, the attorneys who represent them, and their communities.
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School-to-Prison Pipeline Must End, Foxx Says
Published On 7/2/2019
School-to-prison pipeline must end, Foxx says after convening meeting with law enforcement, educators. Chicago stakeholders are exploring more effective alternatives to arresting youth for minor infractions at school.
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EDITORIAL: The latest evidence against police in Chicago schools.
Published On 7/2/2019
EDITORIAL: The latest evidence against police in Chicago schools. “Chicago Public Schools need more strategies that don’t rely on handcuffs, Tasers and arrests to manage student misbehavior.”
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D.C. Prosecutors, Once Dubious, Are Becoming Believers In Restorative Justice.
Published On 7/2/2019
D.C. Prosecutors, Once Dubious, Are Becoming Believers In Restorative Justice. “Achieving justice doesn't always involve punishment or retribution — and young people have the capacity for change.” That’s the principle behind a successful new restorative justice division of the D.C. attorney general’s office.
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Why Juvenile Defense Matters
Published On 4/30/2019
Effective juvenile defense saves communities money, increases public safety, and leads youth to success.
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Chicago Police Dept. Broken Gang Database Needs Reform
Published On 4/22/2019
The Chicago Office of the Inspector General’s report on the Chicago Police Department’s gang database paints a troubling picture. Thousands of uncorrected inaccuracies. No recourse for those wrongfully placed on the list. And officers who list “turd,” “black,” and “scumbag” as “occupation” on arrest cards. “A system that results in comparatively standardless, inaccurate, and unaccountable stigmatization of residents without due process protections can only further fray the very relationships needed to achieve positive, constitutional, and effective community policing,” said Inspector General Joe Ferguson. “CPD, the City Council, and the Mayor’s Office have to undertake holistic and comprehensive actions to enhance violence reduction efforts, and they have to include community voices in ongoing reforms.” The Cook County Board recently voted to permanently dismantle its own gang database.
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IL Supreme Court Holds that Sentencing Youth to 40+ Years is De Facto Life
Published On 4/22/2019
The Illinois Supreme Court holds that sentencing youth to prison for longer than 40 years is the equivalent of a life sentence. Read the Court’s full opinion in People v. Buffer.
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Parole Hearings for Under 21
Published On 4/5/2019
Thanks to the hard work of advocates, bipartisan support, and the Governor’s signature, young people under the age of 21 serving long prison sentences will be eligible for parole in as early as 10 years. The new legislation, Public Act 110-1182, currently applies to those sentenced on or after June 1, 2019.
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RFK National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice's New Edition of Its Probation System Review Guide
Published On 3/5/2019
RFK National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice announces the online availability of the newest edition of its Probation System Review Guidebook, 3rd Edition. The new Guidebook is an important tool for local Juvenile Justice Councils and defenders sitting on those Councils who want to improve outcomes for youth and communities. This resource features the seminal framework that the RFK National Resource Center has used in partnership with twenty-five jurisdictions across nearly one-third of the states and territories to achieve substantial improvements in youth outcomes and system performance. This latest edition includes: an increased focus on the translation of adolescent development into practice; renewed emphasis on resiliency and positive youth development; improved and updated tools and guidance related to risk-needs-responsivity instruments; specific benefits to undertaking a system review; updated jurisdictional examples; lessons learned; testimonials; and many more useful fea
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Cook County Dismantles Their Gang Database
Published On 2/22/2019
The Cook County Board has voted to permanently dismantle the county's gang database.
Advocates have long maintained that the database was over-inclusive and plagued by errors, and unfairly affected youth of color. The Chicago and State Police continue to maintain similar databases.
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Michigan Attorney General Argues Sex Offender Registration is Punishment
Published On 2/11/2019
The Michigan Attorney General has filed an amicus brief in the Michigan Supreme Court arguing that sex offender registration is punishment and that registries should be based on individualized risk assessments. The AG's stated interest in filing the brief: "The Attorney General is charged with defending not only state laws but also the state constitution."
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Incarcerated Children's Advocacy Network: Stories of Redemption
Published On 1/25/2019
Three years ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Montgomery v. Louisiana, which extended the protections of Miller v. Alabama to all youth sentenced to life-without-parole. Take a moment to view these stories of redemption provided by the Incarcerated Children's Advocacy Network.
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IL Justice Needs Age-Appropriate Approach
Published On 1/24/2019
Young people ages 18 to 25 are not children anymore, but many are not quite grown up either. When it comes to African-Americans in this population, Illinois has one of the highest incarceration rates in the U.S. New research examines how the state can better help these emerging adults in the criminal justice system.
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People vs. Aikens Goes to the IL Supreme Court
Published On 12/18/2018
The Illinois Supreme Court has taken the State's appeal in People v. Aikens, 2016 IL App (1st) 133578. In Aikens, the appellate court held that a mandatory minimum sentence of 40 years (20 years for attempt murder of a peace officer plus 20 years for personal discharge of a firearm) was unconstitutional as applied to a 17-year-old youth, because it shocked the conscience and evolving standards of decency under the Illinois Constitution's proportionate penalties clause.
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Cook County Public Guardian Sues DCFS for Treatment of Mentally Ill Youth
Published On 12/18/2018
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) today was hit with a federal class action lawsuit for locking youth in psychiatric hospitals long past the time that their treatment required them to be confined. Upon being medically cleared for discharge, instead of going to an appropriate facility, the Defendants forced the children to remain in locked psychiatric wards, causing immense harm.
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Why IL Won't Ban the Box
Published On 12/17/2018
Next year, the Common Application used by hundreds of colleges and universities will stop asking potential students about their criminal histories. Despite legislative efforts in Illinois, most campuses in the state continue to ask the question.
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IL Prison Doctors Dispense Anti-Psychotic Medication to Youth for Common Behavioral Problems
Published On 12/12/2018
Illinois Prison Doctors Dispense Anti-Psychotic Medication to Youth for Common Behavioral Problems.
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IYC Harrisburg Report: Progress & Concerns Regarding Treatment of Youth Within Facility
Published On 12/12/2018
The John Howard Association has released its report on IYC Harrisburg, outlining both progress and serious concerns regarding the treatment of youth in the facility.
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IL Supreme to Appoint to New Committee on Juvenile Courts
Published On 11/15/2018
The Committee is tasked with reviewing and making recommendations on matters affecting juvenile law and juvenile courts, including child protection and delinquency systems. The Committee will review, analyze and examine the impact of legislation and case law as it relates to juvenile law and procedures and any aspect of the juvenile court process.
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How Long of a Sentence is too Long for Young Offenders?
Published On 11/14/2018
The Champaign News-Gazette has published an editorial on the Illinois Supreme Court’s procedural rejection of the as-applied challenge to a de facto life sentence for 18-year-old Darien Harris in People v. Harris, 2018 IL 121932
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Chicago Ban on Detaining Minors Under 13 Headed for Appeal
Published On 11/13/2018
The Cook County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed an ordinance in September prohibiting the placement of children under the age of 13 in the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center. In October, Juvenile Court Presiding Judge Michael Toomin, declined to follow the ordinance, finding that the Illinois Juvenile Court Act’s minimum age of detention – 10 years old – controls. The court stated that “none of the 15 Juvenile Court judges ‘subscribe to the notion that detention is an appropriate placement for young minors,’ ” but noted a lack of adequate placement alternatives for the youngest of children.
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Life without Parole for Children Ruled Unconstitutional
Published On 11/2/2018
The landmark decision makes Washington the 21st state (plus DC) to ban the sentence, meaning a majority of states now ban or do not use it

October 18, 2018, Washington, DC –– Today, the Washington State Supreme Court handed down a decision in State of Washington v. Brian Bassett, in which it ruled that sentencing children to life without the possibility of parole is unconstitutional, thereby banning this inhumane sentence in that state. (Read an amicus brief filed by the Juvenile Law Center with input from the CFSY here).

Washington is now the 21st state, plus the District of Columbia, to ban sentencing children to life without parole — in 2012, only five states banned the practice. For the first time in history, a majority of states ban or do not use life without parole for children. Included in that majority are “blue” and “red” states alike, such as Arkansas, Utah, Nevada, Massachusetts, North Dakota, and California. The United States Supreme Court has also ste
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