NCJ Number
84590
Date Published
1982
Length
11 pages
Annotation
The numbers of juveniles incarcerated in Cook County, Ill., is increasing, while the level of juvenile crime remains the same. These increased penalties are costly to taxpayers and are not enhancing public safety.
Abstract
In the past year, the Cook County Juvenile Court has increased its commitments to the Illinois Department of Corrections by 119 percent, at a cost to Illinois taxpayers of at least $11.4 million. In addition, the number of youths held in detention at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center has increased by 33 percent since 1980. It costs the county $83 per day for each juvenile held in the center. These increased sanctions are unrelated to the number of juvenile arrests for serious crimes. Using data from the Chicago Police Department, the John Howard Association predicts that the number of Cook County youths arrested for felonies in 1981 will actually drop. The 1980 juvenile felony arrests were 8.5 percent less than those of 1976, and reported serious crimes, have decreased by 10.8 percent in the first three quarters of 1981. The county's decision to impose stricter sanctions on juvenile offenders has resulted only in greater costs to the taxpayer. Graphs illustrate arrest trends between 1975 and 1981.