HR0138 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0138 LRB099 06093 MST 26148 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Research has found that non-violent youth are less likely to become further involved in criminal behavior if they remain in their home communities and if appropriate services are available that address underlying needs such as mental illness, substance abuse, learning disabilities, unstable living arrangements, and dysfunctional parenting; it has also been demonstrated that it is less expensive than a sentence to the Department of Juvenile Justice; and

WHEREAS, Redeploy Illinois is designed to provide services to youth between the ages of 13 and 18 who are at high risk of being committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice; a fiscal incentive is provided to counties to provide services to youth within their home communities by building a continuum of care for youth who are in the juvenile justice system; counties link youth to a wide array of needed services and supports within the home community, as indicated through an individualized needs assessment; services are provided in the least restrictive manner possible, and can include case management, court advocacy, education assistance, individual/family/group counseling, and crisis intervention; and

WHEREAS, The average annual cost to serve a youth in the Redeploy program in 2013 was approximately 6% of the annual cost to house a youth in the Department of Juvenile Justice; in 2013, the average per capita cost to house a youth at the Department of Juvenile Justice was a reported $111,000; in 2013, 352 youth received full Redeploy Illinois program services with an appropriation of $2,385,100; this equates to an annual Redeploy program cost per youth of $6,776; in 2012, 238 fewer youth were committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice because of the Redeploy Illinois program, saving Illinois taxpayers nearly $11.7 million in unnecessary incarceration costs for 2012; the Redeploy Illinois program reduced overall Department of Juvenile Justice commitments in the 4 pilot sites by nearly 50% (599 fewer youth) over the 5 years relative to the 3-year baseline average; research found that court evaluation commitments to the Department of Juvenile Justice in these sites were reduced by 87% over the 5 years relative to the 3-year baseline average; in the first 8 years of the program, participating counties sent 1,036 juveniles to the Department of Juvenile Justice; this was a steep decline from the projected 2,268 youth that were likely to have been sent based on the previous 3-year commitment trend; it represents a 54% reduction in Department of Juvenile Justice commitments over the life of the program; through 2012, the Redeploy program diverted 1,232 youth saving the State a conservative $60,000,000 in unnecessary incarceration costs; each funded Redeploy Illinois program site is required by statute and contract to reduce its commitments to the Department of Juvenile Justice by a minimum of 25% compared to their baseline; in 2012, compared to the 3-year baseline, the 8 Redeploy Illinois program sites in operation combined to reduce eligible Department of Juvenile Justice commitments in their counties by 64%; and

WHEREAS, Based on its success, the Redeploy Illinois program was expanded from 4 sites to 8 in January 2009; serving nearly 25% of all Illinois counties, the Redeploy sites continued to effectively reduce the incarceration of hundreds of youth while also holding the line on the use of local detention; many counties in Illinois lack the resources to effectively serve delinquent youth locally; a lack of local programs and services plays a significant role in the court's decision to commit a youth to a correctional facility; and

WHEREAS, The funds provided to the Redeploy sites fills the gaps in their continuum of services, allowing them to cost-effectively serve youth in their home communities and reduce the system's reliance on corrections; this progressive effort to build on the work done in other states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania, which successfully reduced juvenile incarceration rates through similarly structured programs, is paying off; 2010 cost benefit analysis indicated that on average, the 8 Redeploy sites reduced their commitments in 2010 by 53% from their baselines; according to the per capita cost of incarcerating one juvenile in Department of Juvenile Justice, this decrease in commitments translates to a $9,038,927 cost avoidance for the State; youth are being successfully treated in their own communities and kept from the devastation of incarceration, saving the State money, reducing the number of crime victims, and creating safer communities across Illinois; and

WHEREAS, P.A. 98-0060 provides that in a county with a population exceeding 2,000,000, the Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board may authorize the Department of Human Services to enter into an agreement with that county to reduce the number of commitments of juvenile offenders, except that the agreement may encompass a clearly identifiable geographical subdivision of that county; the geographical subdivision may include, but is not limited to, a police district or group of police districts, a geographical area making up a court calendar or group of court calendars, a municipal district or group of municipal districts, or a municipality or group of municipalities; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the Department of Human Services and Cook County to enter into all Redeploy Illinois agreements allowable pursuant to P.A. 98-0060; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board, the Cook County Board President, the Director of the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the General Assembly.