Since its inception, the vision of the Annie E. Casey Foundation juvenile justice system reform is for all youth involved in the juvenile justice system to have opportunities to develop into healthy, productive adults. While one of the JDAI eight core strategies is development of alternatives to secure detention, another strategy is rigorous facility inspections in order to achieve the objective of improved conditions and programming in secure detention facilities and to maintain safe and humane conditions of confinement for the youth for whom secure detention is appropriate. In February, 2005 the Youth Law Center developed a set of standards for JDAI sites, a detention facility inspection instrument and guidelines for planning, conducting and reporting on the facility self-inspection. Components of the self-inspection instrument include: classification (intake, population management, and classification decisions), health care services, access (mail, phone, and visitation) issues, programming (education, recreation, and positive behavior management), training and supervision of employees, facility environment, use of restraints and due process, and safety.

   In November of 2005, the Peoria Juvenile Detention Center was the first facility in Illinois to conduct the self-inspection using the Youth Law Center guidelines. A team of community members, professionals in corrections and probation, facility staff and IDHS staff spent three days in the facility observing operations of all shifts, reviewing policies and practices, interviewing facility staff and interviewing youth in the facility. Throughout the visit the staff of the facility was open and welcoming to the team and the inspection. The Center’s Director, Mark Brontke, has on several subsequent occasions expressed his belief that the self-inspection was an extremely worthwhile endeavor. The LaSalle County Juvenile Detention Center will be conducting the self-inspection in the month of June, 2006.

   On March 8-9, 2006, the St. Clair’s County JDAI initiative had a site assessment conducted on their local JDAI implementation plan. Team member composition included Bart Lubow, from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Cheryl Barrett and Peg Robertson, from the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, and Mary Kay Bachman, Region 5 Administrator with the Department of Human Services-Community Health and Prevention.

   This team met with Judge Radcliffe, 20^th Circuit Juvenile Court Judge, who is identified as a key leader of this project. Also interviewed in the morning of the first day were Probation and Court Services Director, Ron Schaefer and Deputy Director, Mike Buettner, Jim Beever, Superintendent of Detention, Ted Baugh, DMC Coordinator, and Katie Morin, Court Advocate. In the afternoon, the assessment team met with Phil Isbell, Assistant State’s Attorney and Vicky Vasaliff, Public Defender. On both days the team conducted interviews with various community stakeholders from local community-based organizations serving the juvenile justice population, which have DHS grants from CCBYS, UDIS, and Communities for Youth programs. 

   The site assessment’s purpose was to evaluate progress made towards the local JDAI action plan. Feedback was given at an exit interview on the progress made towards their goals of collaboration, data collection, objective admission policies and practices, alternative program designs, case processing expedition, condition of confinement and the goal of reducing the racial disparities. Kudos was given to St. Clair Co. Youth Coalition. This group of local providers has the youths’ best interest at heart.

 Future plans include follow up efforts of technical assistance. A written detailed report will be made available to this JDAI site outlining the full team’s assessment.