September 13, 2016 JDAI Committee Meeting

Audience

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

Date/Time

September 13, 2016
10:30a.m. to 11:30a.m.

Location

• 401 S Clinton
  7th Floor Secretary's Conference Room
  Chicago, IL
• 823 E Monroe
  Springfield, IL
• Call In:  888-494-4032
  Code:  5329547331#

Agenda

1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Approval of Minutes
4. Chair's Comments
5. Detention/Detention Alternatives
   1. Data Reports
6. JDAI Site MOUs and Uniform Detention Risk Screening Instrument Assessment
7. Work Plan for Statewide Expansion
8. Next Meeting
   November 1, 2016
9. New Business
10. Adjourn

Minutes

1. Call to Order
   Meeting was called to order at 10:34am.
2. Roll Call
   Chairman Rick Velasquez, Jacqueline Bullard, Rodney Ahitow
   Guests: Stephanie Vetter, Susan Witkin, Tamela Meehan, Melissa Parise Spooner and Kristen Garfield-Gentile
   Staff: Julie Stremlau, Karima Douglas and Angelica Jimenez.
3. Approval of Minutes
   Commissioner Bullard motioned to approve the minutes from August 18, 2016. Chairman Velasquez seconded the motion. Minutes approved.
4. Chair's Comments
   Chairman Velasquez provided a recap on the Juvenile Justice Initiative's summit in Springfield on August 24. Public defenders comprised approximately half the audience. The remaining participants included private agencies, probation staff, court personnel and staff from the Administrative Office of the Illinois Court (AOIC). He explained it was a very informative summit and brought together some key stakeholders. Susan Witkin did an excellent job of presenting the JMIS report and the new data systems. She showed the value the data can be in utility planning. This data is very rarely seen by members of the court services. They were advised the report is available on the IJJC website, and many of the summit participants were very glad to know the information is accessible online. IJJC Vice Chairperson Jacobs and Peg Robertson also represented the Commission at the Summit. There was discussion concerning risk assessments. Jason Steele from AOIC pointed out that the risk assessments being used have not be re-evaluated or updated thus the value of them is in question. The public defenders had no idea about the risk assessments. States attorneys, probation departments and detention centers personnel were familiar with them, however. Public defenders are not actively involved in Juvenile Justice Councils (JJC), and the committee members agreed that they should be included and recruited to participate on local JJCs. Commissioner Bullard added that in her experience public defenders are marginalized. It is complicated; they don't feel heard and choose to not attend these summits for those reasons. They do not feel as if they have a "spot" at the table. Chairman Velasquez concluded his comments highlighting the federal lawsuit against Cook County Chief Judge Tim Evans, juvenile jail Superintendent Leonard Dixon and the county that alleges the county is violating the constitution by keeping juveniles locked up for more than 48 hours without seeing a judge. We will be sure to monitor this federal lawsuit. This topic was a major issue discussed at the Summit. Ogle County is a good example of where this is not a problem. Ogle County has on-call judges, and hearings are held within 24 hours normally.
5. Detention/Detention Alternatives
   1. Data Reports -This matter was discussed at length during the August meeting. No updates noted.
6. JDAI Site MOUs and Uniform Detention Risk Screening Instrument Assessment
   Following up from the August 18 meeting, Angelica Jimenez and Karima Douglas shared a draft MOU with the committee members that outlines the sites' role and responsibilities in implementing and sustaining JDAI. Angelica shared that during the preliminary discussions between the JDAI Coordinators, Susan Witkin and Stephanie Vetter, many sites expressed a desire to better understand how they can be aligned with the JDAI principles, the expectations of JDAI sites and how their efforts can be supported. Some sites indicated that did not have formal MOUs. The group reviewed and discussed the draft MOU. Stephanie noted that it is also important to bring all the necessary players to the table, especially if Illinois is interested in supporting JDAI and scaling the initiative. Most of the items outlined in the draft MOU contained the expectations of the individual sites. Angelica and Karima stated that during the pending discussions with the sites, they will explain how they and the Casey Foundation will provide support. Committee members went through each item and made suggestions. Overall, the members recommended softening some of the language contained in the draft. Angelica and Karima will make edits based on the feedback provided by the committee members, and they will circulate a revised draft in advance of the next JDAI Committee meeting.
7. Work Plan for Statewide Expansion
   No updates noted.
8. Next Meeting
   November 1, 2016. Chairman Velasquez suggested that the committee convene before November to have an opportunity to review the changes to the draft MOU. Angelica will send out a Doodle poll to determine members' availability in October.
9. New Business
   None Noted.
10. Adjourn
    Chairman Velasquez motioned to adjourn. Commissioner Bullard seconded the motion. Meeting adjourned at 11:32am.