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| Our Opinion: Act on juvenile justice proposals |
| By sj-r.com - The State Journal-Register |
| Published: 01/04/2012 |
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Beginning this week, Illinois law requires judges hearing cases involving minors to use incarceration only as the sentence of last resort. Under House Bill 83, which became law this year, judges must ensure that “reasonable efforts have been made to prevent or eliminate the need for the minor to be removed from the home” or that imprisonment in the Department of Juvenile Justice is “in the best interest of the minor, the minor’s family, and the public.” This isn’t a revolutionary step in itself. More than anything, it codifies what most judges already do in these cases. It requires that they consider in their sentencing decisions factors like the defendant’s age, criminal background, mental health needs and whether services available in state prison would meet the young offender’s needs. What makes this especially significant is the timing of its arrival, which comes one month after the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission issued a scathing report about the state of Illinois’ juvenile justice system. Released Dec. 13, the commission’s Youth Reentry Improvement Report says the system too often fails those in its charge by providing inadequate preparation for life outside of prison then swiftly puts parolees back behind bars through parole hearings that have little regard for the minor’s rights of due process. Because juvenile parolees seldom get the social services and education help they need, they are at great risk of violating their parole, the report says. Read More. |
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