NCJ Number
88859
Date Published
1981
Length
96 pages
Annotation
The task force recommends that Illinois reorient youth services to be delivered by local agencies, with the State providing the support needed, and a companion recommendation endorses narrowing juvenile court jurisdiction over status offenders.
Abstract
The current system for dealing with troubled youth does not include incentives for communities to address their own problems, develop alternative service resources, and maintain adolescents in their own homes and communities. State funded programs and agencies which currently provide youth services are organized and funded categorically, which tends to produce duplicative administrative structures, a lack of comprehensive planning, and a lack of uniform information to monitor progress and compare organizational activities. The report offers two primary recommendations for change. One recommendation advocates a restructuring of service delivery for youth such that local communities carry primary responsibility for the provision of services to youth, while the State becomes responsible for standard setting, monitoring, technical assistance, and funding. Inasmuch as this proposal involves a significant change from the present system, a testing and transition period is urged. A second recommendation advances a clarification of the juvenile court's jurisdiction over status offenders. The task force hopes that a refining of court responsibility for such offenders will produce more alternative services for these youth through community agencies. The report also provides recommendations for short-term reform within the present system. The appendix provides data and information on the profiles of the adolescent population in Illinois and State services to youth.