Juvenile prisons not cost effective

Gov. Pat Quinn’s plan to close some state facilities to address budget shortfalls will put pressure on legislators to find new money to avoid the cuts, but one of the cuts — the closing of a juvenile prison — should be embraced by legislators as cost effective and in the best interests of our youth and safe communities. Obviously, it’s important that state employees be able to transfer to other facilities or receive help finding other employment. But because the juvenile prison population is rapidly decreasing and per bed costs rapidly escalating, closing a juvenile facility makes sense.

Illinois now has the opportunity to join a host of states that are rapidly shifting reliance from expensive — and ineffective — juvenile prisons to more effective community treatment. In stark contrast to Gov. Quinn’s proposed closing of an adult prison in an already overcrowded adult prison system, the state’s juvenile prisons are far under capacity and an inefficient drain on the state treasury.

If each of the eight facilities ran quality programming with successful results, there might be justification for continuing their operation. The facts, however, are dismally opposite. Reports document a juvenile prison system that is ineffective, with over half the youth returning to juvenile prisons within three years.

Most facilities struggle to maintain minimal educational programming, let alone adequate mental health treatment, recreation or vocational classes. Illinois has a nationally acclaimed reinvestment program — Redeploy Illinois — that has successfully decreased juvenile prison commitments across the state. Instead of closing just one juvenile prison, the governor and General Assembly should downsize the juvenile prison system further and shift some of the savings to community programs, like Redeploy Illinois, that hold troubled youth accountable for their actions, help change the direction of their lives and make our communities safer.

Elizabeth Clarke

President

Juvenile Justice Initiative

Evanston