Juvenile Justice Title II

Administered by: Bureau of Youth Intervention Services

The Juvenile Justice Program of the Department of Human Services is a grant program funded pursuant to the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (42 USC 5601 et. Seq.) (JJDP Act) through the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. In December 2018, passage of the Juvenile Justice Reform Act (JJRA) reauthorized and substantially amended the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (P.L. 115-385).

The Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission is a 25-member body established by Illinois statute whose members are appointed by the Governor to plan for and supervise the administration of the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act funds. The Department of Human Services serves as the state-level department responsible for administering the activities of the federal funds in partnership with the Commission.

The federal JJDP Act specifies four requirements for those receiving federal funds under the Act:

The deinstitutionalization of status offenders (DSO). Status offenses are acts that are law violations only for individuals of juvenile status, including, for example, running away, truancy, liquor law violations;
The separation of adults and juveniles in secure institutions (sight and sound separation);
Elimination of the practice of detaining or confining juveniles in adult jails or lock-ups for more than six hours; and
Reduction of the disproportionate number of juvenile members of minority groups who come into contact with the juvenile justice system (frequently referenced as racial and ethnic disparities or R.E.D. (formally known as disproportionate minority contact or DMC)).

The program supports state and local efforts to plan, establish, operate, coordinate, and evaluate projects directly or through grants and contracts with public and private agencies for the development of more effective education, training, research prevention, diversion, treatment, and rehabilitation programs in the area of juvenile delinquency and programs to improve the juvenile justice system. The Title II Program places a strong emphasis on the use of data and evidence in policy making and program development, and on the implementation of evidence-based practices. Projects funded under this program must address one of the following program areas:

Aftercare/Reentry - Programs to promote successful return to the community after incarceration
After-School Programs - Programs to provide a range of age-appropriate activities, including tutoring, mentoring and other educational and enrichment activities
Alternatives to Detention - Community-based alternatives to secure confinement
Child Abuse and Neglect Programs - Prevention based programs for victims of child abuse and neglect
Community-Based Programs and Services - Programs and services that work pre- and post-confinement
Compliance Monitoring - Programs to monitor state compliance with core requirements of the JJDP Act
Delinquency Prevention - Comprehensive juvenile justice and delinquency prevention programs that meet needs of youth through collaboration of local systems with which youth may appear
Racial and Ethnic Disparities (R.E.D.) - Reducing R.E.D. as a core requirement of the JJDP Act
Gender-Specific Services for Female Juvenile Offenders
Transportation/Jail Removal Grants - To maintain state compliance with core requirements of the JJDP Act
Juvenile Justice System Improvement - Programs and research to examine issues and improve juvenile justice system practices, policies or procedures
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Programs
Sex Offender Programs - Programs and research around best practices for juvenile sex offender treatment
Youth Advocacy - Activities focused on improving services, enhancing engagement and protecting rights of juvenile justice involved youth

Links

Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission