DuPage County wants to keep sending youth detainees to Kane County

DuPage County has agreed to continue sending its youth detainees to the Kane County Juvenile Justice Center in St. Charles.

Four years ago, DuPage made a controversial decision to close its county youth home and enter into a multiyear deal with Kane County.

Officials say DuPage has paid Kane about $4.5 million over the past four years, but saved more than $10 million as a result of the arrangement.

"It's an astronomical savings for the county at a time of severe budget crisis," DuPage County Board member Robert Larsen said.

So on Tuesday night, county board members approved another four-year agreement with Kane. As part of the pact, Kane will provide at least 24 beds for youth detainees from DuPage. In return, DuPage will pay Kane $120 per child per day.

Despite 16 county board members voting to approve the deal with Kane, two members - Elizabeth Chaplin and Tony Michelassi - opposed it.

Chaplin, who recently visited the Kane facility, said she believes the staff at the center "have the kids' best interest at heart."

But she said she has concerns about the ride DuPage detainees must take to travel between the courthouse in Wheaton and St. Charles.

"The kids aren't in class because they're being transported back and forth to DuPage during the day," she said. "So they're missing out on a lot of educational time."

She also said there's an outdoor basketball court but "no real green space for the kids." In addition, she said the visiting hours are limited to two days.

Chaplin said she also was concerned about what happens when DuPage has more than 24 detainees and the Kane facility is full. In those instances, DuPage must send detainees to Will County.

"And Will County is even farther away for families to go to see their children," Chaplin said.

But John Lapinski, the court administrator for the county, said DuPage only had to send detainees to Will for "a week or two" last summer. He said it was the first time that happened in the four years since the arrangement with Kane started.

In the meantime, Larsen said DuPage could work with Kane officials to resolve any issues or concerns and revise the contract, if needed.

As for DuPage's former youth home, sections of the building are being used by the county's Office of Emergency Management and the sheriff's adult work release program. The rest of the building is vacant.