NCJ Number
244770
Date Published
2009
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This report summarizes staffing levels in the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice for 2099.
Abstract
This report provides information for State legislative leaders and the general public in Illinois on staffing levels in the State's Department of Juvenile Justice. The report found that since 2006, the number of authorized employees in the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) decreased from 1,258 in 2006 to 1,115 in 2008, in addition to the number of employees (7 percent) that were on some form of extended leave during the same time period. This has led to an overall decrease of 11.4 percent in the number of direct care staff that work at State correctional facilities. The report also found that the ratio of counselors per number of youth exceeded the national standards of 1 counselor per 14 youth causing problems and delays for youth attempting to successfully make the transition back to the community. The one area where IDJJ increased staffing levels was the number of authorized teachers available to work with youth. Despite the increase in these levels, the number of available teachers remained below the levels needed to ensure that all youth were enrolled in school full-time. Other areas that saw reductions during this time period were clerical support, leisure time activity specialists, chaplains, social workers, and psychologists. Data for this report were obtained from observations of teams of trained citizen volunteers who visited the eight secure facilities operated by the IDJJ since its inception in July 2006.