Judge: 'Disastrous' to close DuPage youth home

Finding a new home for DuPage County's juvenile offenders would be "disastrous" for the kids and the county, a judge warned Tuesday.

Judge Stan Austin became the second DuPage judge in a month to publicly oppose a proposal to close the DuPage County Juvenile Detention Center. Austin told members of the county board's judicial and public safety committee that he agrees with Judge Robert Anderson's position that DuPage's youth home provides "a model program" that should continue.

"The alternatives of closing it down and shipping the kids to other counties, I think, are disastrous for the kids and, ultimately, for the county," said Austin, who handles juvenile cases.

Austin's comments came a month after Anderson said he was "baffled" that DuPage officials are considering a plan to transfer detainees to Kane County. Talks between the two counties are ongoing and no final decisions have been made.

Supporters of the outsourcing idea say DuPage's youth home has been underused in recent years. The center, built in the mid-1990s to house 90 youths, has an average daily population of about 24.

Officials estimate DuPage could save about $400,000 a year by shuttering its youth home and sending detainees to a facility in St. Charles.

"Consolidating services between our youth home and Kane County would allow us to pool our resources together and work more efficiently at a reduced cost for taxpayers," DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin said.

If DuPage board members decide to keep the youth home open, they would need more money to pay for it. The Wheaton facility is facing a projected $400,000 shortfall in its operating budget for 2012.

Austin said he believes the $400,000 would be a "worthwhile" investment. He urged county board members to find that money in the county's budget and keep the youth home open.

He agreed with Anderson, who argued that the various programs offered at the DuPage youth home provide the best options to rehabilitate juvenile offenders.

"If they do not get the opportunity to receive the benefits of the programs that we have ... they are going to be the ones that adversely affect the safety here in our county," Austin said.

However, county board member Robert Larsen said he hasn't seen any data that shows Kane's facility isn't up to par with the DuPage youth home. He says both facilities offer very similar programs.

Cronin. who has toured both youth homes, agrees. "Regardless of the location, the youth will receive the counseling and support that they need as they work their way back into society," he said.

Meanwhile, supporters say the outsourcing proposal would save DuPage money that could be used to help pay for other youth programs. Officials have said the youth center's population numbers fell because efforts to deter juvenile crime, including neighborhood resource centers, are working.

"We are a victim of our own success," Cronin said. "The county's juvenile justice team has done an outstanding job in providing diversion programs, which have lowered the need for incarceration."