Editorial Roundup: Illinois
Chicago Sun-Times. June 11, 2022.
Editorial: DCFS must end practice of housing wards of the state in juvenile jail
A WBEZ report found that the practice, once on the decline, is now ticking up again.
Since January, the evidence has been piling up that the long-troubled Illinois Department of Children and Family Services continues to struggle to find placements for children in its care.
On Jan. 6, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Patrick T. Murphy issued two contempt of court orders against DCFS Director Marc Smith and the agency for violating the rights of a 9-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy who were left in psychiatric facilities for months awaiting placements.
It was a move Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert had never seen in the more than 30 years he has worked in the office that represents abused and neglected children.
Last month, Murphy issued an 11th contempt of court order against Smith. These court orders have served as temporary fixes, putting pressure on DCFS to swiftly find suitable placements.
Now, a recent report by WBEZ's Patrick Smith found more evidence of the problem: DCFS continues to routinely house its wards in Cook County Juvenile Detention Center - the county's juvenile jail - because placements are not available.
Last year, 84 youths in the care of DCFS were left in juvenile detention well beyond their ordered release.
'œWhat DCFS is doing, not only is it a monumental and cruel civil rights violation for these children, it's a monumental waste of taxpayer money that could instead be used to expand placement capacity the kids actually need,'ť Golbert told us. 'œBut now we are not only seeing these placement problems stay in place, but get worse year after year.'ť
The placement shortage stems from a 2015 decision by the state to cut 500 residential beds in group homes and institutions and replace them with therapeutic foster care homes. The move was well-intentioned and would provide community-based support for youth - but it never fully succeeded.
WBEZ first reported on the practice of leaving wards of the state in juvenile jail in 2015. Since then, DCFS made some progress in fixing it. But the number of wards being housed in the jail is now slowly ticking back up.
It's a troubling trend - and one DCFS must reverse.
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Champaign News-Gazette. June 10, 2022.
Editorial: Eliminating state's DNA testing backlog good for everyone
Illinois has many serious problems, but at least one fewer than it had a few years ago.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently announced that state police have eliminated their backlog of untested DNA evidence from sexual-assault cases.
A state law passed in 2010 requires that DNA evidence be tested within a six-month period - if the state police had the resources to comply. Apparently, the agency never did, because Pritzker noted there was a backlog of roughly 2,000 cases when he took office.
This massive government failing was attributable to typical bureaucratic delay, lack of resources provided by the General Assembly and the longstanding budget battle waged between former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and former Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan.
The latter - a self-destructive showdown between two stubborn and powerful politicians - was especially unfortunate, causing problems in state government that extended far beyond the DNA issue.
Under Pritzker, the legislature provided the necessary personnel and testing resources to eliminate the backlog and perhaps take future steps that will ensure testing is completed well within the six-month requirement.
State Police Director Brendan Kelly said he considers eliminating the six-month backlog 'œthe first phase'ť of an overall effort to step up the quality and efficiency of scientific testing.
'œWe are going to be holding ourselves accountable to reaching the 90-day mark in the next phase as we get faster and faster in the years ahead,'ť he said.
It goes without saying that sexual assault is an extremely serious crime that requires a ferocious response from the criminal-justice system. With respect to DNA evidence, that means identifying the guilty and clearing those who are innocent.
DNA evidence has become something of a magic bullet in the criminal-justice system, a crucial ingredient in achieving a just result in all kinds of criminal cases. But that's not possible if this vital evidence is not analyzed in a proper and timely manner.
That's why this is such an important achievement, one in which the governor takes justifiable pride.
Frankly, it's sickening that the backlog ever grew to the extent that it did - 'œlegally and morally unacceptable,'ť as Pritzker said.
Everyone can hope that problem now is a thing of the past. But that will depend on elected officials continuing to provide the proper resources that ensures what must be done will be done.
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