A federal class-action lawsuit settled last week requires Illinois to improve conditions for incarcerated youth, but the state agency overseeing the facilities says many reforms are already in place. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois and the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice settled a lawsuit demanding improvements to safety, services and treatment for […]
juvenile justice
Posted inNews
Plenty of room at the inn
Sangamon County is considering options for its juvenile detention center that remains largely empty a dozen years after it opened. Possibilities include closing the center or remodeling space so that adult inmates can share the building that opened in 2000 at a cost of $13.7 million. “Everything is on the table,” said Mike Torchia, director […]
Posted inNews
Kids in prison
What do you do when you catch a criminal? Conventional wisdom says you lock them up and hope prison scares them straight. But what if that doesn’t work, and what if that criminal is only 13 years old? That’s what Illinois lawmakers thought they were providing four years ago when they established the Illinois Department […]
