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Cook County juvenile detention center given high marks

Two state agencies with authority over Illinois juvenile detention center operations have given the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center exemplary reviews in separate reports issued in recent weeks, officials said.

The Administrative Office of Illinois Courts Division of Probation Services, which reviews detention center operations, determined that the Chicago facility meets or exceeds each of its 32 detention standards.

An earlier inspection by the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice found that the facility was compliant with its standards, with no areas of noncompliance.

“We intend to continue to improve trauma-informed programming and connection to services for the young people in our care,” Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans said in a news release. “Our efforts continue with our commitment to ‘reimagine youth detention’ with smaller, trauma-informed facilities and to increase the number of youth diverted from detention.”

The AOIC noted that the facility has made several operational improvements, including the elimination of routine strip-searches and of fixed-room time as a disciplinary measure. The review also identified areas of strength, including a “robust” relationship with Chicago Public Schools and an accredited medical and mental health program.

The center has a 498-bed capacity, but at the time of the review had 215 juveniles in detention. The average length of stay for youth in 2023 was 32 days.

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