April 21, 2023 Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board Meeting

Audience

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

Date/Time

• Friday, April 21, 2023
• 9:30am to 11:30am

Location

• Chicago: 401 S. Clinton, 7th Floor Executive Video Conference Room
• Springfield: 100 South Grand Avenue East, 3rd Floor Executive Conference Room
• Call in number: (312) 626-6799 Meeting ID: 810 1283 0597

Agenda

1. Call to order/Roll call/Approval of Minutes of February 17th, 2023 Meeting
2. IL Department of Human Services Updates
3. Illinois Collaboration on Youth FY23 Expenditures Update
4. Approval of FY24 Redeploy Illinois Program Applications
5. RIOB Evaluation Work Group Update
6. Orbis Project Update
7. Redeploy Focus Update
8. Spring All Sites Meeting Report
9. RIOB June Planning Meeting
10. Adjourn

Upcoming meetings/events:

• Executive Committee Meeting (if necessary): Friday, May 19th, 2023
• Data Work Group Meeting: Tuesday, June 6th, 2023
• Full Board Meeting: Friday, June 16th, 2023

Meeting Minutes

1. Call to order/Roll call/Approval of Minutes of February 17th, 2023 Meeting
   Due to the absence of Secretary Grace Hou, Anne Studzinski, Vice-Chair, called the meeting to order at 9:35 am. Kristen Marshall called the roll.
   Staff: Karrie Rueter, Kristen Marshall, Erica Hughes, Susie Schoenrock, Judge Colleen Sheehan
   Guests: Mary Ann Dyer
   Ms. Marshall announced that a quorum was present.
   Motion: Ms. Studzinski asked for a motion to approve the February meeting minutes. John Rekowski moved approval of the minutes. Elizabeth Clarke seconded the motion. Ms. Studzinski asked Ms. Marshall to take the roll for a vote on the approval of the minutes.
   No opposition. Motion carried.
2. Approval of FY 24 Redeploy Illinois Program Applications
   Ms. Studzinski provided context that Redeploy applications had been submitted in April, rather than at the June meeting, due to a new contracting process that the state implemented. Ms. Reuter, Ms. Marshall, and Ms. Hughes moved the application deadline up so that the youth service programs could receive their contract approvals as soon as possible to continue programming. She referred the board members to a chart laying out the fiscal year 2024 (FY24) spending plan. Because of their roles in Cook and Winnebago Counties, Andrea Lubelfeld, Miquel Lewis, Tracy Senica, and John Johnson recused themselves from the discussion to avoid any conflicts of interest.
   Ms. Studzinski asked Karrie Reuter to provide an overview of the spending plan. Ms. Reuter informed the board that the FY24 program budget requests exceeded the funds available. She pointed out that Cook and Peoria Counties had requested amounts higher than the board had previously approved for the start of their programs. Additionally, Winnebago County, Macon County, and the 4th Judicial Circuit requested large budget increases. Rick Velasquez requested more information on the increases for Cook and Peoria Counties. Erica Hughes explained that Cook County requested additional funding to add Equip for Equality to their program to provide educational advocacy for youth. Peoria County's increase was due to a service subcontractor having a higher cost than anticipated and a request to purchase drug testing equipment. Mr. Velasquez responded that the board would likely not approve drug testing equipment and that he was apprehensive about increasing those sites' budgets prior to the programs' implementation. Ms. Studzinski pointed out that the board could revisit those requests after the programs had been operational for six months, if funds were available.
   Ms. Reuter proposed a three-step process to bring projected funding for FY24 program sites in line with available funds.
   -Reduce the Peoria and Cook County sites to the budget amount approved by the board.
   -Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) staff review each program budget and discuss reduction of costs within those budgets with the Redeploy program sites.
   -Should there be a need, and only in that scenario, the board could apply a percentage cut across the programs, including Cook and Peoria Counties.
   Ms. Reuter added that the final amounts for the Orbis contract and the Redeploy evaluation are yet to be determined, which could reduce the over-all projected FY24 costs.
   Mr. Rekowski asked for clarifications on the third step of the plan where each Redeploy site's budget would be reduced. Ms. Studzinski said that all sites would receive the funding they received in FY23, at a minimum. Any overall reduction would come from requests for additional funds in FY24 and would not include programs that requested less than the previous year. Moving forward, staff will begin planning expenses for the upcoming fiscal year in December to anticipate needs before the budget process starts.
   Motion: Ms. Studzinski asked for a motion approving the budget reduction process using the three-phased approach. Mr. Velasquez moved approval of the process adding that staff provide a report back for the board to ratify the action at the June meeting. Ms. Clarke seconded the motion. No opposition. Motion carried.
   Ms. Studzinski turned the discussion to the FY24 Redeploy program applications, beginning with Cook County. Ms. Lubelfeld, Ms. Senica, and Mr. Lewis recused themselves from the discussion to avoid any conflicts of interest.
   Ms. Clarke noted that part of the Cook County application spoke about youth who are ordered to respite care, group homes, and foster homes and that the board and staff would need to monitor this to ensure that youth are being kept in their communities. Ms. Hughes confirmed that Cook County plans to begin serving youth May 1st and will follow up with Mark Werner, Cook County Juvenile Probation and Court Services to confirm when youth begin entering the program. Mr. Velasquez asked how commitments will be verified, as the Cook County program will operate in only four court calendars. Ms. Hughes acknowledged the importance of this data and started by talking to the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) on this issue. Ms. Rueter stated there is a possibility that the judges could sign off on the commitment numbers.
   Motion: Ms. Studzinski called for a motion to approve the Cook County program application. Ms. Clarke moved approval and Judge Brandon seconded the motion.
   No opposition. Motion carried.
   Ms. Studzinski moved the focus to the remaining program applications and asked for comments or questions on the applications as follows.
   1. 13th Judicial Circuit - No questions or comments were raised.
   2. Winnebago/Boone County - Ms. Studzinski informed the members that Boone County would be joining the Winnebago Redeploy program. No questions or comments were raised. (Note: Mr. Johnson had left the meeting.)
   3. Lake County - Ms. Lubelfeld commented that Lake County's section on helping incarcerated youth was not addressed robustly. Ms. Studzinski suggested that staff monitor Lake County for that, as well as any other weaknesses that board members found in any of the program proposals.
   4. 1st Judicial Circuit - No questions or comments were raised.
   5. 2nd Judicial Circuit - Mr. Velasquez was concerned about the detention practices in this jurisdiction. He explained that the 2nd Judicial Circuit detention center has been identified by IDJJ as having issues with its practices, specifically staffing challenges and a lack of submitting detention data since the previous year. Heidi Mueller agreed and pointed out that IDJJ staff expressed similar concerns when conducting site visits at the detention center. Ms. Clarke stated that this is an issue across the state. A discussion followed about how the Redeploy program could support IDJJ and the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission in assuring that detention is used appropriately, that detention centers are properly staffed, and conditions of confinement are supportive to youth. There was general agreement to start by engaging with sites to review detention practices in their service areas. This could start with sites gathering data on the youth from the site that have been detained and where they were detained. Consideration could be given to including such a review in future applications for funding.
   6. 4th Judicial Circuit - No comments or questions were raised.
   7. Macon County - Mr. Velasquez asked for information on the day reporting center being proposed for FY24. Ms. Hughes informed the members that Macon County is interested in expanding the hours of services for youth. The center will provide a place for youth to do homework, tutoring, recreational opportunities, and community service. Old King's Community Orchard will be expanding their staff to cover these additional hours of service.
   8. Madison County - No questions or concerns were raised.
   9. St. Clair County - Mr. Velasquez provided information that this is a county with a detention center of concern. The detention center has continued to use Covid lockdown practices, including keeping youth in isolation. Ms. Studzinski pointed out that not all youth in the St. Clair County Detention Center come from Redeploy Counties.
   10. Peoria County - Ms. Clarke pointed out that Peoria County had applied for substance use testing and which she was strongly opposed for any site.
   11. Sangamon County - No questions or concerns were raised.
       Motion: Ms. Studzinski asked for a motion to approve the remaining Redeploy program applications. Ms. Clarke made the motion and Delrice Adams seconded it.
       No opposition. Motion carried.
3. IL Department of Human Services Updates
   Due to the absence of Secretary Hou, there was no update.
4. Illinois Collaboration on Youth FY23 Expenditures Update
   Ms. Studzinski called on Susie Schoenrock for an update on expenditures from the Illinois Collaboration on Youth (ICOY). Ms. Schoenrock referred to a handout the board received on the current expenditures and explained that ICOY was in the process of budget revisions to address any line items over or under budget.
5. RIOB Evaluation Work Group Update
   Ms. Studzinski called on Tracy Senica to provide an update for the Evaluation Work Group. Ms. Senica informed the members that the work group met on April 4, 2023. The work group discussed the Juvenile Risk Assessment (JRA) and Youth Assessment and Screening Instrument (YASI) and found that most program sites use both assessments and do not find an issue in using two assessments. The work group is interested in learning if families and youth experience challenges by taking two assessments. The work group identified the main goals of the evaluation as follows:
   -Identify if youth achieve the goals they want to achieve while in the Redeploy program.
   -Identify if youth are better off than when they entered the program.
   -Learn about youth's justice system involvement after Redeploy.
   -Learn if youth are involved in activities that they find satisfying or productive after Redeploy.
   -Overall, discover if the Redeploy program is contributing to better outcomes for youth.
   Ms. Senica stated that IDHS staff are creating evaluation questions that will be shared with the board. The board can expect a proposal for the evaluation in the June meeting. Ms. Reuter added that the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority will be asked to conduct this evaluation.
   Ms. Mueller informed the members that an intern from her program, Tyree, was in attendance. Tyree asked how the board would know if sites followed through with monitoring detention practices and provided an example of how the board would know how long youth are kept in their rooms while in detention. Ms. Studzinski responded that the board can monitor the situation, learn about youths' experiences, and raise the issue with other departments and organizations. This could include the Administrative Office of the Illinois Court, which writes detention standards, the IDJJ which completes evaluations on the detention facilities, and the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission, as they issue reports on juvenile justice practices.
6. Orbis Project Update
   Ms. Studzinski asked Ms. Marshall to provide an update on Orbis. Orbis staff are working to gather feedback from youth on the YASI assessment tool. Youth have been asked their perspective on the content of the assessment, interviewing techniques, and the services provided from the assessment. Orbis has scheduled a focus group with youth from the Final 5 Campaign, a group of youth dedicated to the closure of the final five youth prisons in Illinois, to gather their input. Ms. Marshall stated that Orbis intends to have the YASI redesign ready to test by the middle of May and will complete testing by June. Redeploy sites will begin testing the new YASI in early FY24. Ms. Mueller stated that IDJJ has worked with Orbis on an assessment validation study about the YASI. As a result, Orbis altered areas to focus on strengths and eliminated static factors. With these changes, IDJJ found the tool to be more relevant to youths' needs and eliminated racial biases.
   Ms. Lubelfeld asked if there were confidentiality agreements between the courts and service providers and if the YASI collects identifiable information. Ms. Reuter responded that the YASI does not collect identifiable information and that parents currently sign releases for information to be stored in eCornerstone and consent to services.
7. Redeploy Focus Update
   Ms. Studzinski announced that Ms. Hughes, Ms. Schoenrock, and Judge Colleen Sheehan had made a panel presentation on both the Redeploy and Redeploy Focused programs at the Illinois Probation and Court Services Association conference. Ms. Hughes stated the presentation focused on the types of services and resources that the Redeploy program can provide probation departments. Mary Ann Dyer noted that she also presented at the conference and spoke with representatives from McHenry County who expressed interest in the Redeploy and Redeploy Focused program. She will send Ms. Hughes their contact information.
   Mr. Velasquez asked how judges are made aware of the programs. Judge Sheehan pointed out that some judges find bench cards a handy resource. She suggested that a bench card on the Redeploy and Focused programs could be a first step in reaching judges. Judge Sheehan agreed to create a bench card and write an article on the Focused program for the Illinois Judges Association newsletter, The Gavel. She noted that the Illinois Judges Association meets twice a year, she is in contact with them and could provide information on the program at their meetings. Ms. Studzinski mentioned that Mr. Rekowski previously wrote an article for the Illinois State Bar Association on the Redeploy program and asked if he would write a follow-up on the Focused program. Mr. Rekowski agreed to write this article.
   Ms. Studzinski stated that the Data Work Group determined that data will be collected on youth in the Focused program and Orbis will design a process to gather this information.
8. Spring All Sites Meeting Report
   Ms. Studzinski invited Ms. Hughes to report on the spring All Sites Meeting. Ms. Hughes reported that the focus of the meeting had been plans for fully implementing the service matrix in the coming year. She noted that sites continue to find success with the addition of client care coordinators. They are also working with clients to phase-in specific services and continue to find ways to honor successful completion of program elements with youth and their families. She noted that the feedback from the meeting had been positive.
9. RIOB June Planning Meeting
   Ms. Studzinski called on Ms. Marshall to provide information on the RIOB Planning Meeting. Ms. Marshall reminded the members that a planning meeting had been announced in the February meeting to address Redeploy sites with zero commitments and commitment reduction requirements. She proposed this meeting be held on Thursday, June 15th from 9:30-12:00 pm. Ms. Studzinski asked that staff send a poll on availability to board members following the meeting.
10. Adjourn
    John Rekowski moved that the meeting adjourn. Mr. Velasquez seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned at 11:30 am.