Governor signs off on drug courts for teens
Editor's note: This story originally ran on June 25, 2002 as part of the Daily Herald's "Hidden Scourge: Heroin in the Suburbs" series.
SPRINGFIELD - Drug courts for juveniles could be set up in counties across Illinois under a law approved Monday by Gov. George Ryan.
Supporters of the law say the courts may help addicted youth kick substance abuse habits, possibly reducing juvenile crime and saving the state millions of dollars by not having to put them in jail.
"We have seen a reduction in recidivism," said Karen Freeman-Wilson, chief executive officer of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. "We have seen juveniles that have gone on to college and have had a successful career."
Juvenile drug courts already exist in Will and Cook counties. At least 46 other states either have or are beginning juvenile drug courts.
State Sen. Kathleen Parker, a Northbrook Republican, and state Rep. Patricia Lindner, a Sugar Grove Republican, pushed the law through the General Assembly.
It allows chief judges in each county to set up such courts and stipulates eligibility requirements for the program. However, no funding for the courts is included.
For a case to go to drug court, the juvenile must admit to being addicted to drugs and not be charged with a violent crime. If eligible, they are required to complete months of intensive counseling and strict probation.
If the juveniles complete the program, the charges are dropped.
"It is not about being soft on crime, it is about what is the underlying problem," said Sharol Unger, supervisor of the Cook County drug court program. "Many of them (juveniles) would be incarcerated, some of them could be dead. Drug courts work, and we need more juvenile courts."
However, skeptics say the courts may violate constitutional rights, and juvenile offenders could receive different sentences depending on whether or not they are addicted to drugs.
"There has to be a system in place to protest their innocence in that case," said David Brodsky, a Lake County public defender. "If you are going to call it a court, it better live up to due process."
Requiring juveniles admit to being addicted to drugs in order to be eligible for the drug court without a trial could possibly violate due process rights, Brodsky said.
And he said two juveniles who face convictions for the same crime could get different sentences just because one is a drug addict. The addict could end up with a clean record through the drug courts, while the other goes to jail.
Nevertheless, a governor spokeswoman said the law is another way to battle juvenile drug abuse and crime.
"This legislation will give the courts a sensible alternative to addressing the treatment of drug-addicted teens in criminal cases," said Karen Fincutter, a Ryan spokeswoman.