NEEDS OF THE LOCAL JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM

     The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) compiled and summarized information collected by juvenile justice council members on needs, issues, and strengths of the juvenile justice system.  Additional information was added by ICJIA to produce a profile of Ford County (see Appendix A). 

Ford County Juvenile Justice System

· Few minors were arrested for serious crimes by the two largest law enforcement agencies in Ford County from 1996 to 1999. A majority of juvenile arrests made by the Gibson City Department of Law Enforcement were for status offenses, in particular, curfew violations, runaways, and underage drinking. 

· Juvenile probation caseloads in Ford County slightly exceeded those in the other 73 Illinois rural counties. Reported technical probation violations increased dramatically from 1995 to 1999, however few minors were reported as having committed new offenses while on probation. 
 

· Reported pre and post adjudicatory juvenile detention has increased in Ford County from 1997 to 1999. These increases were not matched by commensurate increases in the other 73 Illinois rural counties. 

Juvenile Risk Factors in Ford County

· Instances of child abuse and neglect in Ford County remained fairly stable throughout the 1990’s. Rates of child abuse and neglect in Ford County approximately matched rates in the other 73 Illinois rural counties.

· Instances of child sexual abuse in Ford County fluctuated greatly throughout the 1990’s, but were at decade-low levels in 1999. 

· There was a 63.1% decrease from 1996 to 1999 in the number of minors age 0 to 18 in Ford County in families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

· For each year from 1993 to 1999, smaller percentages of the total number of births in Ford County compared to the other 73 Illinois rural counties were by mothers age 19 and under. 

· The number of high school dropouts in Ford County and the percentage of high school students that dropped out tended to rise slightly throughout the 1990’s.  However, there were fewer dropouts during the 1999-2000 school year than during any school year in the 1990’s. No more than 4.6% of the Ford County high school population dropped out during any year in the 1990’s. There were smaller percentages of dropouts in Ford County than in the other 73 Illinois rural counties during every year in the 1990’s. 

· The Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (OASA) received data on 81 minors in Ford County who were admitted to OASA funded facilities.  Marijuana and hashish were the drugs that most frequently precipitated the admittance.  A majority of the minors who were admitted to OASA funded facilities had been arrested at least once (65.4%), and, many of the minors were referred to the OASA funded facility through the court system (37.0%). 

· 35 minors were referred to the Children’s Home and Aid Society of Illinois from 1997 to 1999.  Many of the minors were referred by either a law enforcement agency or by the probation department (collectively 68.6%).  Family conflict was the most frequent reason for the referral.  Eleven of the minors were placed in limited custody, per MRAI provisions in the Juvenile Court Act.  However, none of these minors subsequently had an MRAI petition filed against him or her in juvenile court.  Nine of the minors (25.7%) had previously been adjudicated delinquent. 

The following are some of the potentially more noteworthy results of the Search Institute survey: 

· Fairly low percentages of the respondents reported that they have positive family communications (21%) or that their parents are involved in their schooling (24%). 

· Fairly low percentages of the respondents reported that the community values youth (16%) or that the community uses youth as a resource (19%).  More male students reported that the community values youth (22% vs. 12% of females). 

· Only 26% of the respondents reported that it is against their values to drink alcohol or have sex while they are a teenager. 

· Over half of the respondents (55%) reported that they are motivated to do as good as they can in school and that they are engaged in school (62%).  More female students responded positively to these questions. 

· A majority (69%) of the respondents reported having attended one or more parties in the last year where other minors were drinking.  Over half of the respondents (52%) reported having used alcohol once or more in the last 30 days and 38% reported that they had gotten drunk once or more in the last two weeks (47% males vs. 30% females). 

· Almost a third of respondents (30%) reported that they have driven after drinking or ridden with a drinking driver three or more times in the last 12 months.

· Approximately a third (34%) of respondents reported having smoked cigarettes once or more in the last month (about the same percentage of males and females).

·  Approximately a quarter (27%) of respondents reported having used marijuana once or more in the last 12 months (32% male vs. 23% female). 

· 41% of the respondents reported having had sexual intercourse at least once (45% male vs. 38% female). 

· More male students (55%) than female students (35%) reported having a good sense of self-esteem. 

· About a quarter of the female respondents (24%) reported having attempted suicide one or more times.  Over a third of females respondents (36%) reported that they are frequently depressed and/or having attempted suicide. 

· Over a third of male respondents (37%) reported having been involved in three or more incidents of shoplifting, trouble with police, or vandalism in the last 12 months.