A recent Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission (IJJC) report recommends raising the felony age to 18 in Illinois.  

The report urged state policymakers to reclassify 17-year-olds as juveniles within the state’s legal system. While a 2010 General Assembly act changed the state’s 17-year-old misdemeanants to juvenile court jurisdictions, youth of the same age who commit felonies are automatically transferred toIllinois’ adult system.

“To promote a juvenile justice system focused on public safety, youth rehabilitation, fairness and fiscal responsibility,” the report reads, “Illinoisshould immediately adopt legislation expanding the age of juvenile court jurisdiction to include 17-year-olds charged with felonies.”

The IJJC suggested the state alter its policies and raise the adult court jurisdictional age to 18 for both misdemeanor and felony offenses.

“It’s a really well-researched, well-documented and well-substantiated report,” said Commission member and Children and Family Justice Center Director Julie Biehl. “It would be a positive effect to bring those young people who are charged with felonies back to juvenile court jurisdiction.”

“Few states circumscribe judicial discretion so tightly regarding offenders so young,” the report states. “No other state routinely gives more jurisdictional weight to a prosecutor’s initial filing decision than to an offender’s age.”

The report also takes into account that the addition of an additional 14,000 to 18,000 juvenile misdemeanor cases annually will be “absorbable” for the Illinois Juvenile Justice system, and that adding an estimated 4,000 juvenile felony offenses would not only be manageable, but promote “uniformity among system actors.”

“Illinoiscan achieve better long-term outcomes for 17-year-olds, public safety and the state economy by expanding juvenile jurisdiction,” the report reads. “Current legal and scientific trends are clear: by putting all felony-charged 17-year-olds in criminal court by default,Illinoisis becoming a national outlier, is ignoring research findings about adolescent development and behavior and is squandering the potential of many of its youth.”

“A legislative compromise led to the decision of the General Assembly to put 17-year-olds with misdemeanor charges in the juvenile system and those with felony charges in the adult criminal court,” said George W. Timberlake, who is Chair of the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission and retired chief judge of the Second Judicial Circuit. “Before the law changed in 2010, anyone over the age of 16 was subject to the adult system, which is far less rehabilitative and carries an adult criminal record. The compromise was better than leaving all 17-year-olds in the adult system, and now that the research demonstrates the system can manage the addition of 17-year-olds charged with felonies, it’s time to complete the reform.”

YOS could not agree more with the IJJC report! Our own Executive Director Rick Velazquez  serves as a gubernatorial appointee the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission.

To read the full article click here.

February can be a dreary month. With the gray skies and cold weather it can really get you down. MST-FIT has an amazing success story that we wanted to share with you to brighten your day.

Ben* was a youth living in the Chicago-land area with his mother, older sister and younger brother. Ben was skipping school, abusing illegal substances and staying out way too late. Ben was 15. Ben’s mother worked long hours and was not always home to supervise Ben. Ben would often get into fights with his younger brother that were verbally and physically abusive. Ben was also robbing individuals, on what he says, was almost a daily basis. It was only a matter of time before Ben was arrested and charged.

After his arrest and incarceration at the Department of Juvenile Justice, Ben met with Aarika Yager, MST-FIT Coach. Aarika began working with Ben 2 months prior to his release date, helping him learn how to better regulate his emotions and think more rationally.  Aarika and Ben’s mom also created a custom plan that would hold Ben accountable for his actions and featured effective consequences.

When Ben was released Aarika met with the family often to check on Ben’s progress and help him to succeed. Following the plan they created was hard work, but it paid off.  Ben was helping his neighbor to paint houses in his free time. It was a perfect after school activity for Ben because he could make a little money and also learn a valuable skill. Ben was also checking in with his mother before he went out and was coming home before his curfew. With the skills Ben learned from Aarika, he was able to better control his anger and Ben and his brother fought less often and the fights they did have were much calmer. Ben has also stopped using and abusing illegal substances!

“Ben has done a total 180,” says Aarika, “Usually we measure progress by reductions in negative behaviors, with Ben though, it’s a different story he’s completely stopped these behaviors, it’s truly incredible.”

Ben and his family have also been working with a wonderful AfterCare Specialist. This particular ACS has been a key component in Ben’s continued success. The ACS checks in with Ben weekly and helps Ben and his family stay on track with the plan they created with Aarika. “Having everyone on the same page is what really makes this program a success,” says Sarah Petzel, MST-FIT Supervisor.

Ben has also begun planning for his future. Ben wants to continue his education and finish high school and then attend college. Ben isn’t sure what he wants to do, but he’d really like to work with animals. He is currently investigating opportunities to volunteer with animal shelters in his community. Most importantly, Ben wants to have a family of his own one day. With all the changes Ben has made, we think that Ben will be a wonderful role model to his children one day.

For more information about MST-FIT and Ben’s story, click here

**Youth’s name and picture has been changed to protect his identity

It’s been cold this past week. The highs have been in the single digits, while the wind chill has dropped the temperature to below-zero. It’s a time to stay indoors, preferably under a large blanket. For many  of Chicago’s homeless this isn’t an option. It is during  these deep freezes that the city takes it “snapshot census” of people in shelters and on the streets.

WBEZ 91.5, one of the Chicago region’s premier public media services, has an eye-opening article on the Homeless Census in Chicago.

Link to the WBEZ Article

Written by Lewis Wallace, the article details how individuals are counted but also discusses the reasons why many homeless choose to sleep outdoors instead of going to local shelters.

The 2011 count found more than 6,500 people in shelters or on the street. The count isn’t comprehensive though and only looks at one night; estimates of homelessness range from 21,000 to over 100,000.

YOS knows only too well about the struggles faced by the homeless; in 2010, YOS’ Homeless Youth campaign fought to bring awareness to the public about the dangers faced by these youth. YOS continues to support the homeless youth in Chicago with multiple programs and services. We offer emergency homes for homeless youth and help them reconnect with their families whenever possible and safe. Counselors in our Street Outreach program seek out homeless youth living on the street and help them connect with laundry facilities, hygiene kits, shelter and counseling services. If you would like to find out more about these programs and services go to: http://www.yos.org/recruitment-campaign/about-the-campaign.html