Report says better case management key to juvenile justice reform
Leaders in the Illinois Juvenile Justice community say a stronger case management system would better serve young offenders who remain incarcerated or who have been paroled.
The comments came in response to a report, released Tuesday and provided to Gov. Pat Quinn and state lawmakers, that dubbed the state’s youth prison system ineffective and inefficient.
“There’s great advantage in screening and assessment for kids’ needs,” Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission Director George Timberlake said. “That understanding, that diagnosis, developed as soon as the kid arrives, means there’s a continuity between what happens inside and outside.”
The Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission report, required by a 2009 state law, was based on an examination of the system, including observations of nearly 240 prisoner review board hearings which had never before been open to public review. The commission also analyzed the files of 386 young people whose parole was revoked in 2009 and 2010.
The report made across-the-board recommendations, claiming changes could save nearly $80,000 per imprisoned youth annually without sacrificing public safety.
One component included calls for better screening, case planning and tracking measures of young offenders.
Right now, according to the report, the state’s Department of Juvenile Justice has “no practicable case management system.” The report says information on youth educational history, assessment, treatment or release planning is largely inaccessible and kept in an antiquated format.
Furthermore, “none of the information accumulated during a youth incarceration, including mental health treatments, substance abuse programming, or education, is transmitted to parole agents.”
Such an ineffective system may be hindering the treatment of young offenders like Elgin teen Angel Facio, convicted in 2008 of stabbing his Elgin High teacher. Facio was later transferred to adult prison after convictions on felony charges of sexual assault of a minor.
An August Daily Herald series explored the significantly different mental health treatment regimen Facio — expected to be released in less than 10 years — received first in state youth centers and then in adult prison.
Experts say that a lack of a continuous plan may increase the likelihood he’ll attack again.
Illinois has more than 1,000 young people in custody in eight prisons, with an additional 1,600 on parole. The Department of Juvenile Justice’s operating budget for 2012 is nearly $124 million.
The commission, in its report, called for the development and implementation of a centralized case management system that can be used for planning and data-driven decision making.
“We realize that many of our families are multisystem families,” Juvenile Justice Department Director Arthur Bishop said.
“We’re talking about the sharing of appropriate reports and assessments. Going back to the data system to see how it can (be more effective). It’s a critical part of what we need to do.”