July 22, 2020 IJJC Meeting Agenda & Minutes

Audience

Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission Members and Staff. The public is welcome to attend.

Date/Time

July 22, 2020, 10:30am to 12:00pm

Location

Agenda

  1. Call to Order
  2. Roll Call
  3. Special Guest
    Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton
  4. Approval of April Meeting Minutes
  5. Financial Report
  6. Summary of FY20 work
  7. Committee and Work Group Report Out
  8. Update on Three Year Plan Process
  9. Public Comment
  10. Adjourn

Minutes

  1. Call to Order
    The meeting was called to order at 10:34am.
  2. Roll Call
    Rodney Ahitow, Marshawn Allen, Julie Biehl, Jacqueline Bullard, Shelley Davis, Savanah Felix, Esther Franco-Payne, George Hill, Arnetra Jackson, Ja'Vaune Jackson, Lisa Jacobs, Amanda Klonsky, Era Laudermilk, Patrick Nelson, Briana Payton, Honorable Ben Roe, Angela Rudolph, Rick Velasquez, Dana Weiner.
    Staff & Guests: Kevin Beck, Chelsea Biggs, Hannah Bonner, Katy Culleeny, Samantha Edwards, Shawn Freeman, Drea Hall, Emily Harwell, Leslie Ress, Milan Rivas, Quinn Rallins, Peg Roberston, Wendy Nussbaum, Dick Walsh.
  3. Special Guest: Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton
    Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton spoke to the group about justice reform efforts in the Governor's office and the Justice Equity Opportunity Initiative lead by Quinn Rallins. Lt. Governor Stratton discussed the need to address root causes of crime and violence and the Restore, Reinvest, Renew (R3) program.  Commissioner Lisa Jacobs facilitated a Question and Answer session with the Lt. Governor. The Lt. Governor discussed the various ways the Commission can facilitate and engage in juvenile justice reform efforts, including highlighting best practices using research and data, listening to young people, and helping with prevention, alternative approaches, and reinvestment efforts.
  4. Approval of April Meeting Minutes
    Motion: Savannah Felix moved to approve the minutes from April 22, 2020. Jacqueline Bullard seconded the motion. Motion Passed, April minutes approved.
  5. Financial Reports
    1. FY20
      Andrea Hall presented to the board. Current spending for FY20 is $820,000 out of $1.1 million allocated for the grant but grantees have not yet submitted their final expenses.
      Some grantees could not spend all their allocated funds because of COVID-19 and utilizing alternative funding streams. Any money not spent from FY20 will be available to the commission for the next few years. The board can discuss how the money will be used and exactly how much is left at upcoming meetings.
    2. FY21 
      $1 Million has been allocated for FY21. There are 11 grantees this fiscal year, all but one (DuPage County) has reapplied. Briana Payton asked if there were year-end summary reports that spoke to what sites have done in the past year. Ms. Hall let Ms. Payton and the board know that yes, such reports are required by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and that grantees are currently in the process of submitting their fourth quarter and annual reports.
  6. Summary of FY20 Work
    1. Juvenile Justice Youth Serving Program (JJYSP) and Juvenile Justice Councils (JJC)
      Ms. Hall shared a summary of efforts by the St. Clair County Council and DuPage County in response to COVID-19. The council in St. Clair, and their coordinator Tamara Vaughn-Walker, stay well-advised of the evolving needs of the community, working to improve mental health support for local youth and ensuring youth in detention have access to telehealth. DuPage County hosted a training webinar on vicarious trauma and credited the Commission for their funding in a press release about the training. DuPage county is also in the process of creating a published manuscript on Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TFCBT) and will highlight the role of the commission when published. 
      Commissioners discussed possible ways in which they would like to stay up to date on the efforts of funded sites. Commissioners expressed a desire for more meaningful engagement and understanding of program goals. The commission did not come to a formal decision.
    2. Juvenile Justice Training, Technical Assistance and Support (JJTTAS)
      Katy Culleeny shared a summary of ICOY's work from the past year. Work included technical assistance and training to grantees, including topical webinars and monthly calls with council coordinators. ICOY facilitated coordination of the racial and ethnic disparities (RED) work and communications operations, including two published newsletters at the end of the 3rd and 4th quarter. ICOY supported Winnebago County stakeholders with creating an RED reduction plan and their work to become a funded site by FY22. ICOY hosted calls between sites and DHS at the onset of COVID-19 to facilitate open communication and understanding of program changes. ICOY also houses the Compliance Monitor, Dick Walsh, who continues to monitor compliance across Illinois in accordance with requirements from the Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention. 
      Mr. Walsh shared with Commissioners that Illinois is currently out of compliance in the Jail Removal category with 236 violations and is therefore at risk of losing funding. Mr. Walsh explained that there are often clerical errors that he can address via technical assistance to jails and lockups, but in this case that may not be possible. 
      Commissioners discussed the difficulties of making sure facilities across Illinois comply with OJJDP requirements when they are not getting funding from the Commission. Mr. Walsh explained his role in facilitating compliance. 
      Commission Chair Rick Velasquez asked Commissioners if there was interest in creating a committee to discuss detention and compliance issues. It was agreed the topic would be discussed at the next executive committee meeting and any Commissioners interested in further discussion should reach out to Mr. Velasquez.
    3. Juvenile Justice System Improvement (JJSI) 
      Shawn Freeman from the Center for Prevention and Research Development (CPRD) presented on data reports completed in recent years. These data reports include a young children and detention data profile, 2018 Illinois juvenile detention data report, a 2017-2018 data summary comparison report, a transfer data report: trial and sentencing of youth as adults, and monthly detention data reports. Mr. Freeman also discussed the results of their domestic battery survey, which surveyed 2000 Illinois residents about their attitudes towards juvenile domestic battery and whether they hold a rehabilitative or punitive attitude towards the youth. CPRD predicts a more punitive response to juvenile domestic battery based on the results of this survey.
  7. Committee and Work Group Report Out
    1. Planning and Grants (P&G)
      No updates.
    2. Racial and Ethnic Disparities (RED)
      Chairman Velasquez announced Commissioners Era Laudermilk and Shelley Davis would be co-chairing the committee. The RED committee is a standing committee so they will also be joining the executive committee.
    3. Video Conferencing
      Jackie Bullard led the conversation and informed the commissioners that the work group would be looking into how the use of video conferencing in courts during COVID-19 impacts practitioners, youth, and families. The group will utilize a race equity lens and recommend best practices.
    4. Youth Council
      No updates.
    5. Under 13 Detention Task Force
      Ms. Jacobs informed the commissioners that the task force would likely be reconvening in late August.
    6. Youth Engagement Committee
      Ms. Hall announced that Briana Payton and Ja'Vaune Jackson would be co-chairing this committee.
  8. Update on Three Year Plan Process
    Ms. Hall let Commissioners know the next webinar will be in August and will involve seeking external collaborators.
  9. Public Comment
    There was no public comment.
  10. Adjourn
    Motion: Ms. Jacobs moved to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Laudermilk seconded the motion. Motion Passed.