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New department aims to put juveniles back on right track
by RYAN KEITH
http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/local/13183675.htm
SPRINGFIELD, Ill.
In his three years working at the state youth prison in Joliet,
Jonathan Brown has watched his job get tougher and tougher.
Budget cuts in the Department of Corrections have caused
manpower shortages and slashes in service and program,
Brown says. Also, instead of helping troubled youths get
back on the right path, supervisors are often just trying to
keep the peace.
"As you cut funding and as you cut staff, then security becomes
more of a priority," Brown said.
State officials and youth advocates hope a sweeping change
will turn that situation around quickly.
A measure Gov. Rod Blagojevich is expected to sign into law
would create a new state Department of Juvenile Justice,
following nearly 40 other states in moving the juveniles and
their facilities out from under the adult prison system.
Those involved in the juvenile system agree change is long overdue to reduce a high
rate of repeat offenders. They hope to use counseling, schooling and other programs
better to help rehabilitate those kids.
But they're split on whether the new department is the right answer for a
long-running, complex problem.
"I think many people see it as a step," said David Olson, a criminal justice
professor at Loyola University in Chicago. "It's a place to start in terms of
focusing services and attention."
On one side are the new department's proponents, which include youth advocates, law
enforcement groups and the Blagojevich administration. On the other side is the union
representing prison employees that fears the move is a waste of money.
According to state officials, nearly half of Illinois' juveniles offenders return to
the system within three years. Supporters of the change say separating juveniles from
adults will lower that number.
They say juveniles' needs are often an afterthought since there are only about 1,400
juvenile inmates compared to 44,000 adult offenders in state prisons.
Juveniles can be put back on the right life track much easier than adults, advocates
say, but it takes a different strategy. They need education, counseling, drug and
mental health treatment - all things lacking under the current setup.
After months of negotiations, state lawmakers agreed earlier this month that creating
the new department was the right move.
"It really was not just about increasing programs and services and emphasizing a
model that was more mission focused," said Kurt Friednauer, the state's juvenile
prison director. "It was the realization I think that to do that, it really needed to
be a clear mission and a separate agency."
The new department should be operating by next summer, officials say, and results
could come quickly. Even though there's no new state money provided, supporters hope
the new approach will reduce the number of juvenile inmates and free up existing
funds for improved programs and services. The Blagojevich administration says the
change will not increase state expenses.
Critics say the move is a missed opportunity for much greater reform.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and its allies
contend the switch only will create more government bureaucracy and won't provide the
extra money needed to improve the programs, services and staffing - the real keys for
improvement.
"It's ridiculous to think that changing our name is going to magically help these
kids," Brown said. "What we need is the funding."
The union also complains state officials chose the politically easier route rather
than investing more money. Over time, they'll realize it's a mistake.
"We've advocated for solutions to this problem time and again in the budget process,"
AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall said. "We know that the current model works when
appropriate investments are made."
Juvenile justice experts warn true change is much more involved than simply creating
a new department. Illinois will have to work hard to refocus its programs, services
and facilities to see real results, they say.
"You can change the name of the agency, you can make it independent, but structurally
if the system is set up to fail, it will fail," said Dan Macallair, executive
director of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
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I intend to last long enough to put out of business all *****-suckers
and other beneficiaries of the institutionalized slavery and genocide.
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"The army that will defeat terrorism doesn't wear uniforms, or drive
Humvees, or calls in air-strikes. It doesn't have a high command, or
high security, or a high budget. The army that can defeat terrorism
does battle quietly, clearing minefields and vaccinating children. It
undermines military dictatorships and military lobbyists. It subverts
sweatshops and special interests.Where people feel powerless, it
helps them organize for change, and where people are powerful, it
reminds them of their responsibility." ~~~~ Author Unknown ~~~~
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