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Survey finds support for juvenile justice reform

Posted December 10, 2007 10:00 pm

Adriana Colindres

More money should be spent on counseling and education for juvenile offenders, with fewer dollars going toward their incarceration, according to a majority of Illinoisans participating in a survey to be released today (Tuesday).

The findings in the Illinois survey, as well as a similar national survey, indicate public support for a less-punitive juvenile justice system, said the head of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The foundation paid for the surveys, which are part of its $120 million "Models for Change" initiative to overhaul juvenile justice systems.

"Momentum is gathering across the nation to replace the harsh, ineffective measures enacted over the past two decades with programs that address the welfare of young people while preserving safe communities," MacArthur president Jonathan Fanton said in a news release. "The public understands that youth in trouble with the law are not lost, and that working with them to solve problems is a better approach than just locking them up."

The Illinois survey found, for instance, that more than eight of 10 people favor reallocating money presently spent on putting youth offenders behind bars and directing more of it to fund counseling, educational and job-training programs for those youths. The poll also found that Illinoisans believe the juvenile justice system does not fairly treat youths who are low-income, black or Hispanic.

The results "might surprise some people and shows a change in attitude from simply throwing the book at kids," said Jim Bray, a spokesman for the Justice Policy Institute, which worked with the MacArthur Foundation on the survey.

State Sen. John Cullerton, D-Chicago, hopes to boost legislative support for diversion programs intended to rehabilitate juvenile offenders. He is sponsoring a bill that would change existing state law by prosecuting 17-year-olds accused of committing misdemeanor offenses as juveniles, not as adults.

The new survey, he said, "provides cover for those legislators who are concerned their constituents don't think they are tough enough on crime."

But others raised questions about the findings.

"I guess it doesn't surprise me that as a general proposition that people believe that young people can mature out of some immature behavior," said Rep. Chapin Rose, a Mahomet Republican and former prosecutor.

He said he favors a case-by-case approach that considers youth offenders' conduct and whether there is "a legitimate potential for steering them in the right direction."

"Half of these polls you see on anything, whether they're on juvenile justice or presidential primaries, you can get whatever answer you want by designing the question to elicit a particular response," added Rose, who has not yet examined the MacArthur survey.

"Certainly, we would like to rehabilitate juveniles and lead them into becoming productive citizens," said Menard County State's Attorney Ken Baumgarten, who has not reviewed the MacArthur findings. He added that he does not believe the current juvenile justice system is broken.

Further information about the MacArthur surveys will be available online at www.macfound.org.

Andy Kravetz of GateHouse News Service contributed to this report. Adriana Colindres can be reached at (217) 782-6292 or adriana.colindres@sj-r.com.

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