Union: Open DuPage youth home debate to public

Before any decisions are made about the future of DuPage County’s youth home, officials first should hear what residents have to say, according to the union that represents the facility’s employees.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is calling for “a well-advertised public hearing or a series of public hearings” to be held on a proposal to close the DuPage County Juvenile Detention Center and transfer detainees to a facility in Kane County.

“In an age where more and more citizens are demanding transparency from elected officials, we urge the (DuPage County) Board to open up the process to DuPage County residents as deliberations go forward on matters,” Florence S. Estes, a AFSCME Council 31 state representative, wrote in a letter to county board Chairman Dan Cronin.

The Sept. 1 letter was written a week after Cronin said he’s “determined” to convince board members that transferring detainees from DuPage’s youth home to the Kane County Juvenile Justice Center is “the right thing to do.”

Kane’s regional facility in St. Charles already houses youth detainees from other counties, including DeKalb, Kendall and McHenry. If the deal with DuPage is reached, it would give Kane the opportunity to move its adult work-release inmates to DuPage’s youth home building in Wheaton.

Still, Estes said closing DuPage’s youth home and using the space for adult work-release programs would result in the county laying off “dedicated officers.”

“The closure also raises vital concerns about the safety of DuPage County residents, the proper approach to the rehabilitation of DuPage County youth, troubling safety issues involved in transporting, as well as whether the closure is fiscally responsible,” Estes said.