Originally published on April 7, 2021 2:45 pm
A prison watchdog group in Illinois is calling on the state to take a bigger role in scrutinizing Illinois’ 16 pre-trial juvenile detention centers.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker last summer called for getting rid of Illinois’ five state-run juvenile facilities and instead focusing on community-based rehabilitation and treatment services.
But the county-run pre-trial detention centers will remain, and a recent report from the John Howard Association says they need better oversight.
John Howard Association executive director Jennifer Vollen-Katz says the standards used to inspect the county-run juvenile detention facilities are merely perfunctory.
“They don't really get to the treatment and well-being of the kids," Vollen-Katz said. "It's much more focused on sort of the physical structure and meeting kind of correctional criteria, and we think that the standards need to really focus on treatment and well-being of the individual for who are detained.”