February 21, 2020 Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board Meeting

Audience

Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board Members and Staff. The public is welcome to attend.

Date/Time

Friday, February 21, 2020

9:30am to 11:30am

Location

This meeting will be conducted via video conference with Chicago & Springfield Locations as follows:

• Chicago: 401 Clinton Building, 7th Floor Executive video conference room
• Springfield: 100 South Grand Avenue East, 3rd Floor Executive Conference Room

Agenda

1. Call to order/Roll call
2. DHS/Board Member Updates
3. Approval of Minutes
   1. 12/13/19 RIOB Meeting
   2. 1/24/20 Executive Committee Meeting 
4. Executive Committee decisions
   1. 20th Circuit plan revision and funding request
   2. Macon County plan revision and funding request
   3. Recommendation regarding Board Governance
5. Membership Workgroup Update
   1. Board Member Recommendations
6. Data Workgroup Update
   1. Data Report Recommendations
7. FY20 Program and Expenditures Updates
   1. RIOB member participation in All Sites meeting
   2. Redeploy Program expenditures and commitments/number served
   3. ICOY Expenditures
   4. ICJIA evaluation update and expenditure update
8. Funding notice updates
   1. New Redeploy sites - Sangamon County and Lake County applications received
      1. Planning Grant workgroup
   2. Redeploy Detention Pilot Program - No applications received
   3. Assessment funding notice
9. Adjourn

Upcoming meetings/events:

• Executive Committee Meeting: Friday, March 20th, 2020
• All Sites Meeting: Wednesday and Thursday, March 18th & March 19th, 2020
• Full Board Meeting: Friday, April 17th, 2020

MINUTES

1. Call to order/Roll call
   Karrie Rueter, Chair, welcomed the Board members to the meeting and the roll was taken.
   Board Members: Betsy Clarke, Janet Ahern, Anne Studzinski, Peter Parry, Honorable Judge Timberlake, Karrie Rueter, Rick Velasquez, Omar Jamil, Jason Stamps
   Staff/Guests: Tim Verry, Chelsea Biggs, Leslie Ress, Kadima Palles, Kristen Marshall, Erica Hughes, Honorable Judge Sawyer, Lily Gleicher, Garien Gatewood.
2. DHS Board Member Updates - official letter was received from the Chief Judge of the Supreme Court designating the following individuals to the RIOB as recommended by the RIOB:
   Dan Hunt, Assistant Director - Probation Services, representative of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts
   - Carla Barns, Public Defender from McClean County as representative of the Defense Bar
   - Avik Das, Director of Cook County Probation as representative of Probation
   - Judge Walter Steve Brandon St. Clair, 20th judicial circuit as representative of Judiciary
   At the last Executive Committee meeting, it was discussed that Judge Sheehan recently retired and may be a good consultant for the Board in place of Judge Payne. After conversations with Ms. Rueter, Judge Sheehan stated she is in fact interested. The Board discussed that Judge Sheehan could be hired under the ICOY contract as Judge Payne was Mr. Velasquez asked whether Judge Sheehan was the only retired judge in the candidate pool, or if there are other candidates to consider. Staff indicated that Judge Sheehan was recommended to staff by a Board member. At this time there have not been any further recommendations nor interest expressed by others. Ms. Clarke advised that she gives her support based on Judge Sheehan's implementation of restorative justice. Additionally, it was discussed that past judges have worked with Redeploy specifically, but Judge Sheehan brings a different point of view. Ms. Ahern advised that Judge Sheehan should be regarded as an urban resource, not solely a Cook County resource, since there are many other urban areas in Illinois outside of Chicago.
   The Board discussed the need to have two judicial consultants again. It was mentioned that since three-year-intensive site visits are coming up, it would be beneficial having two judges at different ends of the state to break up the work. It was also discussed that with the addition of new providers / planning grants, as well as expansion to reduce detention, an increased presence would be necessary.
   Ms. Rueter shared that Ms. Biggs, Program Director, at ICOY is reposting the Juvenile Justice Manager position to get a larger and more diverse candidate pool. The job description was updated and there will be more targeted outreach.
   The next two-day Planning Meeting scheduled to take place April 23rd and 24th, may not work for many Board members due to scheduling conflicts, so further planning discussion is needed.
   Mr. Verry, Director of the Division of Family and Community Services, who served as the representative for Secretary Hou at the meeting, shared that Secretary Hou will be joining the Board as chairperson of the Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board. There has been a request by Secretary Hou to move meeting times to 1:30pm-3:30pm but meeting days would remain the same. Ms. Rueter, who has been an incredible leader for the Redeploy program for the past 15 years, will remain active managing the work of the program and participating in meetings as IDHS staff support.
3. Approval of Minutes 
   1. 12/13/19 RIOB Meeting
      Motion: Ms. Ahern made a motion to approve the Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board's minutes from December 13th, 2019. Judge Timberlake seconded the motion.
      Decision: Motion passed
   2. 1/24/20 Executive Committee Meeting
      Motion: Mr. Perry made a motion to approve the Redeploy Executive Committee's minutes from January 24th, 2020. Ms. Studzinski seconded the motion.
      Decision: Motion passed
4. Executive Committee decisions
   Ms. Studzinski provided an overview of the decisions made by the Executive Committee.
   1. 20th Circuit plan revision and funding request ($70,019)
      Ms. Studzinski stated that revisions were made in response to the feedback from the meeting on December 13th, so the increase was approved, and Ms. Studzinski suggested that the conversation on gun offenses should be continued.
      Macon County plan revision and funding request ($42,540)
   2. Ms. Studzinski summarized the conversation with Macon County on January 24th was the first opportunity to speak with Ralf Pansch who's overseeing the project, and to hear about the reporting center they are developing at Old King Orchard, a social service agency. With much technical assistance to help with clarification, the proposed funding increase was approved.
      Motion: Mr. Velasquez made a motion to ratify the decisions of the Redeploy Executive Committee on the matters of Macon County and 20th Circuit funding increases. Ms. Ahern seconded the motion.
      Decision: Motion passed
   3. With the Executive Committee's recommendation regarding the review and reconsideration of Board governance, Board members discussed the best way to go about forming a working group to review and analyze governance structure and policies, and to strengthen documentation. Ms. Studzinski mentioned that it is a particularly good time since the Redeploy Program is starting to take great steps of expansion after 15 years, and that looking at the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission's template could be useful.
      The Executive Committee decided to start with a working group to oversee by-laws and membership and build out to a standing committee to lead later if necessary.
      -Ms. Rueter, Mr. Velasquez, Judge Timberlake, and Ms. Studzinski said they would join the governance work group.
      -The Board felt others not in attendance such as Paula Wolff or Judge Sawyer may want to join. DHS would follow up to identify those who would like to be involved.
      Motion: Mr. Velasquez made a motion to create a working group to look at governance structure and polices. Ms. Studzinski seconded the motion.
      Decision: Motion passed
5. Membership Workgroup Update
   1. Board Member Recommendations
      There are nine positions that the Secretary appoints to the Redeploy Oversight Board and four of those positions are currently vacant. The Board discussed the importance of filling those vacancies with qualified candidates with more diverse backgrounds including people with lived experience, women, and people from the business and philanthropic sectors. It was shared that Ms. Hughes, Ms. Marshall, Mr. Gatewood, Mr. Velasquez, and Judge Timberlake had a phone conversation about Redeploy membership requirements and current vacancies. An attachment was shared will list of recommended candidates and short bios.
      The Board discussed the three youth candidate: Marshawn Allen, Denzel Burke, and Wendell Robinson. After much discussion, it was decided that Mr. Burke was the leading choice. Mr. Velasquez noted that although it will be difficult to engage a young person, the value they will add to the Board is well worth the effort. And with Mr. Burke's access to youth currently in the Department of Juvenile Justice as a member of their youth advisory board will bring an important voice to the table.
      For the state's attorney recommendations, Ms. Marshall shared that a letter was sent by DHS to the IL State's Attorneys Association. DHS will follow-up if a response is not provided. Mr. Gatewood advised that there is a new president of the association and any future recommendation letters will need to be sent to him.
      Ms. Rueter stated that required appointments are in place except the Illinois State Board of Education. She states that a letter was sent to ISBE to fill the position. If ISBE does not provide a candidate, we could provide them with a recommendation. Karrie indicated that Marci Johnson, State CTE Director at ISBE, may be a good candidate.
      The Board then discussed the two university representative candidates: Keyria Rodgers from Milliken University and Megan Alderden from DePaul University. The board was in favor of Ms. Rogers, but Mr. Stamps noted his experience with Megan at ICJIA showed him her commitment to the work and her willingness to be a part of meetings.
      On the topic of a philanthropic addition to the Board, Mr. Velasquez suggested the MacArthur Foundation and Woods Foundation for their strong history of justice work in Illinois.
      Through much discussion, it was decided that before submitting recommendations to the Secretary, the working group needs to reconvene again to diversify their recommendations and finalize recommendations before sending to the Secretary, and Mr. Gatewood and Ms. Marshall agreed to talk further about youth candidates.
      Motion: Judge Timberlake made a motion to include Ms. Rogers as a potential university representative Board member to be recommended to the Secretary. Discussion followed about creating a fuller package of candidates to send to the Secretary.
      Decision: No decision was entered. The Motion was withdrawn by Judge Timberlake. 
6. Data Workgroup Update
   Ms. Marshall started off the data report recommendation discussion with the Board by reporting that a consensus was reached about not asking sites for more than they are already reporting, and the importance of sharing all data with sites that is shared with the Board.
   Ms. Hughes continued the discussion by advising on three matters that should be focused on a semi-regular basis: spending and costs, DJJ reduction, and youth success. After further discussion, the question was raised whether the Board prefers one data report that compares sites, or standalone data reports for each site. The Board agreed there are benefits to both templates and mentioned that a state-wide comparison template could also be a useful option. Ms. Hughes will have templates ready for the Redeploy All Sites Meeting in March.
   Ms. Studzinski advised on ways they can best use data to be encouraging rather than discouraging. Board Members and staff discussed the value of adding in more descriptive information about the youths represented in this data, and Mr. Stamps stressed the importance that all reporting done under the Open Meetings Act (OMA) be transparent and easily explainable because it is likely accessible under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The next data work group will be held on Tuesday March 3rd, where further discussions on these matters will be held.
7. FY20 Program and Expenditures Updates
   Ms. Hughes lead the discussion on RIOB member participation for the All Sites meeting scheduled on March 18th and 19th in Bloomington. As seen in the draft agenda for the All Sites meeting, there is to be a panel discussion on the first day of the workshop followed by table discussions. The overall goal of the All Sites meeting is for programs to design their work for next year. We would like to create and opportunity for the Board to meet with providers and discuss how to best shape program plans for the next fiscal year.
   DHS will compile a lists of questions from the providers before the panel so Board members can prepare. Ms. Rueter advised that a conference call of panel member from the Board would be helpful in crafting questions to ask providers prior to the All Sites Meeting. At least one person will be in attendance from each Redeploy site and there will likely be an array of key stakeholders and staff present from each site. Additionally, two new planning grant sites will be invited to the workshop.
   Ms. Rueter, Mr. Velasquez, Mr. Parry, Ms. Ahern, Mr. Stamps, and Judge Timberlake said they will be in attendance on or both days.
   ICJIA Evaluation Update and Expenditure Update
   Guest of the Board, Lily Gleicher, Ph.D., lead the update on the ICJIA evaluations and expenditures. Dr. Gleicher explained that data is currently being coded for audit and analysis, but that due to the inability of IT at IDHS to pull the data from eCornerstone, the data was hand-entered by three ICJIA researchers on approximately 900 youth consisting of about 300 variables. Dr. Gleicher reported the following numbers regarding Redeploy enrollment information and explained that there would be more to report next month:
   --54% of youth identified as white/Caucasian
   --68% of youth in the program were referred by probation officers
   --29% of youth were referred by judges
   --84% identified as males
   --84% were living at home upon redeploy enrollment
   --50% of youth were referred to Redeploy as their original sentence
   --98% of youth had no GED or diploma
   --39% of youth were enrolled in traditional school and were attending at enrollment
   --17% of youth in program were enrolled in alternative education classes (non-GED) and were attending at enrollment
   The data entered included the period during the budget impasse, so there are specific jurisdictions in which all or some cases were never officially closed or closed without any assessments or case plans; therefore, these youth do not have enough information to include them in an evaluation. Additionally, the new juvenile expungement laws prevent the Criminal History Record Information (CHRI) system from picking up prior arrests or post-Redeploy arrests, though the current extent is unknown. However, information can be gleaned from assessment information depending on its accuracy.
   In response to questions from the Board, some additional data issues were identified. There are some current questions with how services are identified and decided in the case plans-this is still being audited. Dr. Gleicher discussed that data varies depending on the person who enters it, and more so, the sites themselves are drastically different in how they use Redeploy, which affects how assessment tools and services are. In addition, these data collection issues do not always provide a complete picture, specifically regarding offense and post-disposition information as well as difficulty deciphering what the data means at intake and discharge and whether this information is accurate.
   Additionally, Dr. Gleicher reported that, in some Redeploy jurisdictions, youth are being assessed three times by different variations of the same tool (YASI and the JRA, also known as the OYAS), which is cause for a lot of frustration on the probation side, in particular, and results in unnecessary overassessment of youth. In discussing weaknesses in the system, Mr. Velasquez asked whether data could be shared with providers to help target improvements despite the quality of the data. Dr. Gleicher indicated that if the data quality is not there, then the data is not useful to the sites; however, data quality can be improved, and recommendations will be included in the final report.
   Ms. Rueter asked that Dr. Gleicher be at the next data work group meeting to discuss issues at length to identify and obtain missing data and better piece together the picture of what success looks like in the Redeploy Program.
8. Funding Notice Updates
   Ms. Clarke is troubled that there was not an application for the Redeploy Detention Pilot Program. Mr. Velasquez asked if the notice could be an open solicitation without a deadline. Ms. Rueter advised that the Board can re-post it and keep it open as non-competitive, since there is enough funding, but said there needs to be a vote for whether the application be released again this fiscal year or next fiscal year.
   Judge Timberlake advised the Board to ask those at the All Sites meeting for their input. Ms. Rueter shared that she was asked to present at Illinois Probation and Court Services Association Spring Conference on April 23rd. She plans to present with St. Clair County representatives about CCBYS and Redeploy. She can discuss the detention pilot there as well. Mr. Gatewood shared that he was invited to the same conference to speak explicitly about the detention pilot. Following discussion, the Board agreed that additional promotion needed to take place before making the decision to repost the funding notice.
9. Adjourn
   Motion: Ms. Studzinski made a motion to adjourn at 11:43am. Mr. Velasquez seconded the motion.
   Decision: Motion passed.
   Upcoming meetings/events:
   --Executive Committee Meeting: Friday, March 20th, 2020
   --All Sites Meeting: Wednesday and Thursday, March 18th & March 19th, 2020
   --Full Board Meeting: Friday, April 17th, 2020