States for Change

Illinois

As the birthplace of the juvenile court a century ago, Illinois is an ideal place to lay the groundwork for the juvenile justice system’s second century. A series of recent reforms and encouraging developments—including the reorganization of the state’s juvenile correctional agency, a small but significant roll-back in its transfer laws, and the expansion of fiscal incentives to encourage local governments to treat and rehabilitate young offenders in their communities—has created momentum. With support from the Models for Change initiative, Illinois seeks to capitalize on that momentum to make lasting improvements in the way it responds to young people accused of crime.

Models for Change in Illinois is focusing on bringing about change in three areas: (1) right-sizing the juvenile court’s jurisdiction, (2) expanding community-based alternatives to the confinement and formal processing of juveniles, and (3) addressing disproportionate minority contact with the juvenile justice system. While the work in all these areas is being carried out statewide, five local demonstration projects are currently working with Models for Change to expand their array of alternatives to confinement.

For a detailed overview of the work plan for the Illinois Models for Change initiative, click here. A current profile of the juvenile justice system in Illinois is available here.

The Models for Change work in Illinois is being coordinated by the Loyola University of Chicago School of Law’s Civitas ChildLaw Center.

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