October 21, 2020 IJJC Meeting Agenda & Minutes

Audience

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

Date/Time

October 21, 2020, 10:30am to 12:00pm

Location

• Video Conference - Zoom Meeting 

Agenda

1. Welcome & Roll Call
2. Approval of July Meeting Minutes
3. Comments from the Chairman
4. Executive Director Report
   1. Financial Report
   2. DHS Administration Updates
5. Detention of Children Task Force Presentation
6. Committee and Work Group Status Updates
   1. Planning & Grants
      1. Three Year Plan & RED Data Collection Contract
   2. Racial & Ethnic Disparities
   3. Youth Engagement
   4. Deflection  & Diversion "JISC" Taskforce
   5. Detention Screening
7. Three Year Planning Process
8. Public Comment
9. Adjourn

Minutes

1. Welcome & Roll Call
   The meeting was called to order at 10:34am.
   Chairman Rick Velasquez introduced new commission members Judge Stephen Sawyer and Michelle Mbekeani-Wiley. Chairman Velasquez thanked Angela Rudolph for her service as a commissioner and invited Andrea Hall to do roll call.
   Commissioners: Marshan Allen, Julie Biehl, Jacqueline Bullard, Savannah Felix, Esther Franco-Payne, George Hill, Lisa Jacobs, Amanda Klonsky, Era Laudermilk, Michelle Mbekeani-Wiley, Patrick Nelson, Briana Payton, Judge Stephen Sawyer, Judge Ben Roe, Rick Velasquez and Dana Weiner; DHS Staff: Andrea Hall, Sosina Tesema, Katie DiPiero; ICOY Staff: Anahi Chacon, Katy Culleeny, Leslie Ress. Guests: Shawn Freeman, Peg Robertson.
2. Approval of July Meeting Minutes
   Lisa Jacobs moved approval of the minutes. Marshan Allen seconded the motion. No oppositions or abstentions. Motion passed.
   Roll Call Vote: Marshan Allen Yes; Julie Biehl Yes; Jacqueline Bullard Yes; Savannah Felix Yes; Esther Franco-Payne Yes; George Hill Yes; Lisa Jacobs Yes; Amanda Klonsky Yes; Era Laudermilk Yes; Michelle Mbekeani-Wiley Yes; Patrick Nelson Yes; Briana Payton Yes; Judge Stephen Sawyer Yes; Judge Ben Roe Yes; Rick Velasquez Yes; Dana Weiner Yes.
3. Comments from the Chairman
   Mr. Velasquez spoke on upcoming changes both in the state and the country and expressed hope for a clear path forward with the current economic conditions facing the state, and if not, the impact on children and families would be significant in coming years. Mr. Velasquez also spoke to some of the current Compliance areas in which Illinois is currently struggling, including jail removal, and sight and sound separation specifically in Marion County.
   In reference to the Commission's latest report, Mr. Velasquez thanked Ms. Jacobs for her support and hard work. As well as Jacqueline Bullard, Dana Weiner, and Julie Biehl for their initiative.
   Mr. Velasquez also spoke to some of the current core compliance areas in which Illinois is currently struggling, including jail removal, and sight and sound separation specifically in Marion County. Highlighting the fact that there is still a lot of work to do and that legality does not always protect or meet the needs of the juvenile. Additionally, Mr. Velasquez noted the challenges surrounding racial and ethnic disparities (R.E.D.) and announced Era Laudermilk and Shelley Davis as the new co-chairs for the R.E.D. committee. Mr. Velasquez also announced Briana Payton and Ja'Vaune Jackson as the new co-chairs for the Youth Engagement Committee.
   Mr. Velasquez amended the agenda to include an update on the juvenile sexual offender registry.
4. Executive Director Report
   1. Financial Report
      Ms. Hall welcomed in 7 new commissioners and informed the group that over 1 million dollars this fiscal year was distributed to 11 total grantees. Current spending is at 158,000, noting that DeKalb county has not expensed anything because their lead staff person was on extended leave, but that Ms. Hall will be following up with them later this month. Ms. Hall also announced that Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) was awarded a $1 million dollar grant from OJJDP to support rural communities specifically and that she will update Commissioners on the status of the grant as soon as there are next steps.
      Andrea Hall announced the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention OJJDP is giving the commission an extra 400,000 dollars from fiscal year 2020 for the upcoming fiscal year. There are potential projects for this funding but the spending timeline is still to be determined, further updates will be provided at later meetings.
   2. DHS Administrative Updates
      Ms. Hall reminded commissioners to take their mandated trainings and reminded them of upcoming three-year planning meetings.
      Ms. Hall explained the status of compliance violations and that the consequences for being out of compliance include a reduction of funding up to 20%.
      Mr. Velasquez explained that there are certain compliance areas that continue to be a problem and that a pattern can be seen over the years and asked commissioners to keep this issue in mind as they start the 3-year strategic planning process. Ms. Jacobs explained there is work to be done in 1. How we monitor and 2. How the data is collected, explaining further that this year presented its own unique challenges. Ms. Jacobs asked for commissioners interested in this area to help with the analysis of the data, to which Shawn Freeman agreed that the Center for Prevention Research & Development (CPRD) could possibly assist.
5. Detention of Children Task Force Presentation
   Ms. Jacobs gave a presentation on the data and updates from the Detention of Children Task force. Task Force members include Shawn Freeman, Wendy Nussbaum, Peg Robertson, the CPRD Literature Review Team, and Ms. Jacobs highlighted the persistent racial and ethnic disparities.
   Amanda Klonsky commended Lisa for a great report and asked how and if this information could be made public. Esther Franco-Payne asked Ms. Jacobs to please share the report, mentioning a connection with State Representative Gordon-Booth in Peoria as a possible pathway to a solution. Ms. Biehl, Ms. Bullard, and Ms. Laudermilk discussed uniquities and new stakeholders in Peoria County that could explain the disparities in the data and provide opportunity for discussion. Ms. Franco-Payne asked if Redeploy resources would be available for this population. George Hill provided historical context to Domestic Battery charges in Peoria, asking for Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and school involvement.
   Ms. Jacobs explained what would be needed for successful implementation and let commissioners know the current assumption is that the legislation will be reintroduced in the spring session.
6. Committee and Work Group Status Updates
   1. Planning & Grants
      1. Three Year Plan & R.E.D. Data Collection Contract
         Ms. Hall explained that the commission received a grant proposal from Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA), and that their help is needed to collect R.E.D. data from 102 counties. Mr. Velasquez explained preliminary negotiations are ongoing, and asked Commission to authorize the executive committee to approve funding not to exceed $40,000.
         Mr. Velasquez called for a Motion from the R.E.D. committee. Motion: Ms. Laudermilk motioned to approve a grant not to exceed $40,000 for ICJIA, for the purpose of collecting R.E.D. data. Jacque Bullard seconded the motion. No oppositions or abstentions. Motion passed. 
         Roll Call Vote: Marshan Allen Yes; Julie Biehl Yes; Jacqueline Bullard Yes; Savannah Felix Yes; Esther Franco-Payne Yes; George Hill Yes; Lisa Jacobs Yes; Amanda Klonsky Yes; Era Laudermilk Yes; Michelle Mbekeani-Wiley Yes; Patrick Nelson  Yes; Briana Payton Yes; Judge Stephen Sawyer Yes; Judge Ben Roe Yes; Rick Velasquez Yes; Dana Weiner Yes. 
   2. Racial & Ethnic Disparities
      Ms. Laudermilk informed the commission the committee would be inviting members, emphasizing the need for a diverse membership.
   3. Youth Engagement
      Briana Payton called for all interested commissioners to join the committee and that the committee would be working on building a framework for the youth engagement work and how it would interact with the Commission as a whole. Mr. Velasquez emphasized the importance of this group.
   4. Deflection & Diversion "JISC" Taskforce
      Ms. Biehl expressed concerns about the transparency and negative impacts of the Juvenile Intervention Support Center (JISC). The Commission's latest report, Preventing Youth Arrests through Deflection: Best Practices and Recommendations Report, provides an empirical approach to emphasize the need for a completely new model and a change in the way we think about youth who should be deflected.
   5. Detention Screening
      Ms. Jacobs explained that detention criteria tools are not uniform and who gets detained varies greatly from county to county. The Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC) is going to create a statewide detention screening based on racial equity, uniformity, and best practices. The AOIC wants to partner with the commission.
   6. Juvenile Sex Offender Registry
      Ms. Jacobs provided an update, referencing a 2014 report that stated the registry effects lives of young people and families and has no evidence of efficacy. Based on the National Summit on this topic, a small team of 8 people have been convened to plan how to move forward based on recommendations and scale back youth registered as sex offenders.
7. Three Year Planning Process
   Ms. Hall explained that the next sessions would be for further planning and finally a vote of approval on priority areas. Ms. Hall requested commissioners review relevant handouts, including the Stakeholder Q&A document.
8. Video Hearings
   Ms. Bullard stated that she was in the process of gathering materials about video hearings, that a task force is being convened and she should have more to report by the end of next month.
9. Public Comment
   No public comment.
10. Adjourn
    Mr. Velasquez called for a motion to adjourn. Ms. Jacobs moved to adjourn; Judge Ben Roe seconded the motion. No oppositions or abstentions. Motion Passed. Meeting Adjourned at 12:20pm.