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Cook County must reform juvenile justice, national agency says Report urges demolition of temporary detention center and assails high rate of black detainees By Cynthia Dizikes, Chicago Tribune reporter March 9, 2012 Cook County should demolish its long-troubled juvenile temporary detention center and needs to address an array of problematic trends in how it detains youths, such as disproportionately high admission rates for African-Americans, according to a national criminal justice research agency report releaséd Thursday to the Tribune. The report, researched by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, was commissioned by the Cook County-based Jane Addams Juvenile Court Foundation on behalf of Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans, who may take over the facility at the end of 2012. Ttalso follows a push last year by Board President Ton: Preckwinkle to overhaul the juvenile justice system, including sending more youths to group homes instead of the detention center. “We were really hoping to move the conversation beyond a narrow look at the facilty to how do we effectively intervene when young people get in trouble with the law.” said Sheila Merry, executive director for the Jane Addams Juvenile Court Foundation. Although the report noted that many improvements had been made recently at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center — including a significant reduction in the number of youths detained — it stressed that offcils should do more,
The county should reduce its total capacity by redirecting youths to community-based alternatives, especially juveniles charged with lesser crimes, the report suggested. The report recommended separating juveniles based on the seriousness of their offense, as well as their sex, age, and mental health needs and replacing the current facility with two or more smaller centers placed in the community. New faciities, however, could cost tens of millions of dollars. Most "striking," according to the report, was the determination that in Cook County, African-American youths are detained at 46 times the rate of white youths. That i the greatest discrepancy encountered anywhere in the country by the researchers, who recommended that the county conduct a thorough study of the issue. For decades, the detention center was blasted as a depot where children were locked up in violent, unsanitary, overcrowded conditions. A federal judge appointed renowned juvenile justice expert Earl Dunlap to temporarily take over the facilty in 2007. Since then, Dunlap has been lauded for transforming patronage-based hiring system, bringing in more professional staff and working to reduce the number of children detained. Still, Dunlap said Thursday that he agreed with the report’s recommendations for population reduction and new facilties. But he cautioned that the center would need more money to achieve some of these goals and said reform is needd in other juvenile justice-related agencies, as well as the community. *Do we have an inappropriate population in the JTDC? Yes. Can the number of kids in the JTDC be reduced? Yes.” Dunlap said. “But before we start closing things down, the stakeholders in Cook County need to step. up and take responsibility and realize that they have a very serious problem that goes beyond the JTDC.* South Chicago ABC Zine Distro Publisher & Distributor P.O. Box 721 Homewood, IL 60430
The county should reduce its total capacity by redirecting youths to community-based alternatives, especially juveniles charged with lesser crimes, the report suggested. The report recommended separating juveniles based on the seriousness of their offense, as well as their sex, age, and mental health needs and replacing the current facilty with two or more smaller centers placed in the community. New faciliies, however, could cost tens of millions of dollars. Most "striking,” according to the report, was the determination that in Cook County, African-American youths are detained at 46 times the rate of white youths. That s the greatest discrepancy encountered anywhere in the country by the researchers, who recommended that the county conduct a thorough study of the issue. For decades, the detention center was blasted as a depot where children were locked up in violent, unsanitary, overcrowded conditions. A federal judge appointed renoned juvenile justice expert Earl Dunlap to temporarily take over the facility in 2007. Since then, Duniap has been lauded for transforming a patronage-based hiring system, bringing in more professional staff and working to reduce the number of children detained. still Dunlap said Thursday that he agreed with the report’s recommendations for population reduction and new faciltes. But he cautioned that the center would need more money to achieve some of these goals and said reform is needed in other juvenile justice-related agencies, as well as the community. “Do we have an inappropriate population in the JTDC? Yes. Can the number of kids in the JTDC be reduced? Yes,” Dunlap said. "But before we start closing things down, the stakeholders in Cook County need to step. up and take responsibility and realize that they have a very serious problem that goes beyond the JTDC." South ABC Zine Distro Publisher & Distributor P.O. Box 721 Homewood, IL 60430
Cook County must reform juvenile justice, national agency says Report urges demolition of temporary detention center and assails high rate of black detainees By Cynthia Dizikes, Chicago Tribune reporter March 9, 2012 Cook County should demolish its long-troubled juvenile temporary detention center and needs to address an array of problematic trends in how it detains youths, such as disproportionately high admission rates for African-Americans, according to a national criminal justice research agency report released Thursday to the Tribune. The report, researched by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, was commissioned by the Cook County-based Jane Addams Juvenile Court Foundation on behalf of Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans, Wwho may take over the facilty at the end of 2012 Italso follows a push last year by Board President Toni Preckwinide to overhaul the juvenile justice system, including sending more youths to group homes instead of the detention center “We were really hoping to move the conversation beyond a narrow look at the facility to how do we effectively intervene when young people get in trouble with the law.” said Sheila Merry, executive director for the Jane ‘Addams Juvenile Court Foundation. Although the report noted that many improvements had been made recently at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center — including a significant reduction in-the number of youths detained — it stressed that officials should do more.
Cook County must reform juvenile justice,
national agency says

Report urges demolition of temporary
detention center and assails high rate of
black detainees

By Cynthia Dizikes, Chicago Tribune reporter
March 9, 2012

Cook County should demolish its long-troubled juvenile temporary
detention center and needs to address an array of problematic trends in
how it detains youths, such as disproportionately high admission rates for
African-Americans, according to a national criminal justice research
agency report releaséd Thursday to the Tribune.

The report, researched by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency,

was commissioned by the Cook County-based Jane Addams Juvenile
Court Foundation on behalf of Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans,
who may take over the facility at the end of 2012.

Ttalso follows a push last year by Board President Ton: Preckwinkle to
overhaul the juvenile justice system, including sending more youths to
group homes instead of the detention center.

“We were really hoping to move the conversation beyond a narrow look at
the facilty to how do we effectively intervene when young people get in
trouble with the law.” said Sheila Merry, executive director for the Jane
Addams Juvenile Court Foundation.

Although the report noted that many improvements had been made
recently at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center —
including a significant reduction in the number of youths detained — it
stressed that offcils should do more,
The county should reduce its total capacity by redirecting youths to
community-based alternatives, especially juveniles charged with lesser
crimes, the report suggested. The report recommended separating
juveniles based on the seriousness of their offense, as well as their sex,
age, and mental health needs and replacing the current facility with two or
more smaller centers placed in the community. New faciities, however,
could cost tens of millions of dollars.

Most "striking," according to the report, was the determination that in
Cook County, African-American youths are detained at 46 times the rate
of white youths. That i the greatest discrepancy encountered anywhere in
the country by the researchers, who recommended that the county
conduct a thorough study of the issue.

For decades, the detention center was blasted as a depot where children
were locked up in violent, unsanitary, overcrowded conditions. A federal
judge appointed renowned juvenile justice expert Earl Dunlap to
temporarily take over the facilty in 2007. Since then, Dunlap has been
lauded for transforming patronage-based hiring system, bringing in
more professional staff and working to reduce the number of children
detained.

Still, Dunlap said Thursday that he agreed with the report’s
recommendations for population reduction and new facilties. But he
cautioned that the center would need more money to achieve some of
these goals and said reform is needd in other juvenile justice-related
agencies, as well as the community.

*Do we have an inappropriate population in the JTDC? Yes. Can the
number of kids in the JTDC be reduced? Yes.” Dunlap said. “But before we
start closing things down, the stakeholders in Cook County need to step.
up and take responsibility and realize that they have a very serious
problem that goes beyond the JTDC.*

South Chicago
ABC Zine Distro
Publisher & Distributor
P.O. Box 721
Homewood, IL 60430
The county should reduce its total capacity by redirecting youths to
community-based alternatives, especially juveniles charged with lesser
crimes, the report suggested. The report recommended separating
juveniles based on the seriousness of their offense, as well as their sex,
age, and mental health needs and replacing the current facilty with two or
more smaller centers placed in the community. New faciliies, however,
could cost tens of millions of dollars.

Most "striking,” according to the report, was the determination that in
Cook County, African-American youths are detained at 46 times the rate
of white youths. That s the greatest discrepancy encountered anywhere in
the country by the researchers, who recommended that the county
conduct a thorough study of the issue.

For decades, the detention center was blasted as a depot where children
were locked up in violent, unsanitary, overcrowded conditions. A federal
judge appointed renoned juvenile justice expert Earl Dunlap to
temporarily take over the facility in 2007. Since then, Duniap has been
lauded for transforming a patronage-based hiring system, bringing in
more professional staff and working to reduce the number of children
detained.

still Dunlap said Thursday that he agreed with the report’s
recommendations for population reduction and new faciltes. But he
cautioned that the center would need more money to achieve some of
these goals and said reform is needed in other juvenile justice-related
agencies, as well as the community.

“Do we have an inappropriate population in the JTDC? Yes. Can the
number of kids in the JTDC be reduced? Yes,” Dunlap said. "But before we
start closing things down, the stakeholders in Cook County need to step.
up and take responsibility and realize that they have a very serious
problem that goes beyond the JTDC."

South

ABC Zine Distro
Publisher & Distributor

P.O. Box 721
Homewood, IL 60430
Cook County must reform juvenile justice,
national agency says

Report urges demolition of temporary
detention center and assails high rate of
black detainees

By Cynthia Dizikes, Chicago Tribune reporter
March 9, 2012

Cook County should demolish its long-troubled juvenile temporary
detention center and needs to address an array of problematic trends in
how it detains youths, such as disproportionately high admission rates for
African-Americans, according to a national criminal justice research
agency report released Thursday to the Tribune.

The report, researched by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency,
was commissioned by the Cook County-based Jane Addams Juvenile
Court Foundation on behalf of Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans,
Wwho may take over the facilty at the end of 2012

Italso follows a push last year by Board President Toni Preckwinide to
overhaul the juvenile justice system, including sending more youths to
group homes instead of the detention center

“We were really hoping to move the conversation beyond a narrow look at
the facility to how do we effectively intervene when young people get in
trouble with the law.” said Sheila Merry, executive director for the Jane
‘Addams Juvenile Court Foundation.

Although the report noted that many improvements had been made
recently at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center —
including a significant reduction in-the number of youths detained — it
stressed that officials should do more.