January 12, 2022 Executive Committee Meeting

Audience

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

Date/Time

January 12, 2022  10:30am

Location

Video Conference 

Agenda

  1. Welcome and Roll Call
  2. Updates from Executive Director & Chairman
  3. Site Visits
  4. Committee Updates
  5. Finalize Agenda for January 19, 2022 Full Commission Meeting
  6. New business
  7. Public Comment
  8. Adjourn

Minutes

  1. Welcome and Roll Call
    Chairman Rick Velasquez called the meeting to order at 10:30am and invited Executive Director Andrea Hall to call roll.
    Roll Call: Lisa Jacobs (left at 11 a.m.), Michelle Mbekiani, Tamela Meehan, Briana Payton, Rick Velasquez.
    Staff: Maribel Gonzalez, Andrea Hall, Esther Kaplan.
  2. Approval of Minutes
    Rick Velasquez proposed an agenda amendment, asking that committees share their updates first, followed by Executive Director updates. He requested the Planning & Grants committee to share first. This agenda amendment was approved by voice vote.
    Motion: Rick Velasquez called for a motion to approve the minutes from October 6, 2021 and July 7, 2021. Lisa Jacobs moved approval. Briana Payton seconded the motion. No abstentions. No opposition. Motion carried.
  3. Committee Updates
    Rick Velasquez invited Vice Chair Lisa Jacobs to share Planning & Grants updates. The committee did not meet in January. The site visit schedule needs reviewed to ensure Commissioners complete at least one site visit. The committee wants to review the Commission's funding strategies surrounding the size and number of grants awarded and how to make the most significant impact. The committee is cognizant of the fact that the Commission's compliance status will affect both the amount of funding received and how that funding can be used.
    Rick Velasquez invited Andrea Hall to share IL Racial Justice & Equity Committee updates. The committee recently changed its name to IL Racial Justice & Equity Committee to more effectively lift the communities that they want to advocate for. The entire committee last met in October, with the quantitative and qualitative groups meeting individually in November and December. The quantitative group has been focusing on data collection and looking at 2019 data. The qualitative group is working on compiling best practices at each of the five decision points ahead of the three-year mark and potentially piloting their implementation at the local level. The group hopes to conduct a Racial Equity Impact Analysis which will be broken down by the five decision points to ensure compliance. The group also wants to prioritize asset mapping, which includes education and interviews surrounding existing best practices at the local level in Illinois or other states. Lastly, the quantitative group wants to utilize the one-pagers as a tool of identifying places for best practice and opportunities for pilot. The committee's new Co-Chair is Julia Schick, with Michelle Mbekiani as the other Co-Chair. The next full committee meeting is January 26, 2022.
    Rick Velasquez invited Tamela Meehan and Briana Payton to share updates from the Youth Engagement Committee. Tamela Meehan shared that the Youth Advisory Board (YAB) has been selected and is currently meeting and building a community. Briana Payton shared that a handful of youth will be invited to next week's Full Commission meeting. The Committee wants to foster an intentional space for youth and commissioners to interact. Committee co-chairs are invited to reach out to the Youth Engagement Committee with ideas on how youth can be involved in their work. Rick Velasquez suggested that youth contribute to a discussion on the impact of non-compliance, young people to being held for long periods of time, and overpoliced communities. Briana Payton agreed that these could work as routes to youth involvement in the Commission and reminded Commissioners that not all youth on the YAB are directly impacted by the Juvenile Justice system. Andrea Hall expressed interest in youth involvement in the IL Racial Justice & Equity Committee and will follow up after the meeting. The agenda for the next Full Commission meeting will be adjusted to include an introduction of the YAB facilitator, Joshua Brooks of Adler University.
    Rick Velasquez invited Andrea Hall to share updates from the newly formed Compliance Committee. Andrea Hall shared that there are about 10 people on the Committee from different areas of Juvenile Justice, including law enforcement, Commissioners and the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC). The Committee will be looking at the Compliance Manual which needs to be revised for federal FY21. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) provided a template of the law, which the manual must reflect. The next meeting will be in February.
  4. Updates from E.D & Chairman
    Rick Velasquez invited Andrea Hall to give background information on a grant request that the Commission has been considering for several years. The Illinois Juvenile Officers Association (IJOA) and Illinois DARE Officers Association have requested $5,500 to put towards their annual conference. At the conference, the Commission will have the opportunity to sit on a panel discussion. IJOA intends to spend money on sessions for new law updates, juveniles with autism and developmental disabilities, de-escalation techniques for juveniles, trauma-informed care, and preventing targeted violence in school attacks. $4,500 will go towards instructor and speaker fees, $250 will go towards lanyards and name tags, and $750 will go towards postage and printing of brochures and handouts.
    Motion: Rick Velasquez called for a motion to approve a grant of $5,500 for IJOA's conference. The money will be funneled through an existing fund that is already available with ICOY. Tamela Meehan moved approval of the grant. Lisa Jacobs seconded the motion. No opposition. No abstentions. Motion carried.
    1. Site Visits
      Rick Velasquez invited Andrea Hall and Maribel Gonzalez to share updates about site visits. Maribel Gonzalez shared that all site visits for the month of January have been moved to virtual due to the current COVID surge. ICOY is responsible for taking notes and the Commission is responsible for the report that determines next steps and feedback. Each site visit is allotted two to three hours and it is expected that one to two Commissioners are present at each. There are currently thirteen Commissioners who have solidified their dates of attendance. Before each meeting, Commissioners will receive an overview of the grantee and a worksheet with space for notes and questions. Andrea Hall will investigate whether conditions of grants and Executive Summaries can be pulled from applications to help guide Commissioners' questions. Maribel Gonzalez will send Rick Velasquez and Lisa Jacobs the dates of site visits that do not yet have Commissioners signed up. Lisa Jacobs shared that the Commission must be looking for whether grantees need guidance for the remainder of the fiscal year, as well as whether grants should be renewed. She expressed the importance of thinking about what the Commission can learn from grants that can inform funding strategies and policy work.
  5. Agenda Setting for 1/19 Full Commission Meeting
    The agenda for the Full Commission Meeting on 1/19/2022 was finalized and Andrea Hall will be emailing a copy to Commissioners later in the afternoon.
  6. New business
    Rick Velasquez invited Commissioners and Staff to share any additional updates. Maribel Gonzalez shared that ICOY is currently looking to hire a replacement for the Redeploy Program Manager position.
  7. Public Comment
    There was no public comment.
  8. Adjourn
    Rick Velasquez moved to adjourn the meeting at 11:45 a.m.