Executive Summary
“Young people engaged with trustworthy adults and peers in the pursuit of meaningful activities and the acquisition of new skills are more likely to build the developmental assets needed for a positive adulthood.” Jeffrey M. Butts, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
In FY24, Juvenile Redeploy Illinois (JRI) Program sites continued to improve their model and provide services using a holistic, positive youth development approach designed to build on strengths, address challenges, and support young people and their families in reaching their goals. Services and resources were provided to 655 young people and their families using the JRI Core Service Area Matrix as a guide to success planning.
The JRI Program experienced continued growth in FY24. JRI Program sites saw increases in the number of young people referred and decreases in the number of young people committed to IDJJ. The JRI Program service area expanded to include Champaign County, Peoria County, and half of Cook County.
Intensive FY24 site visits were conducted by RIOB members and DHS staff which provided a deep dive into each JRI Program site. The FY24 Site Visits indicated judicial support for the JRI Program is higher than ever before. The new GOALS (Goals, Outcomes, and Long-Term Success) assessment tool was finalized, JRI Program staff were trained, and the tool was implemented July 1st, 2024.
An evaluation from the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) was launched to make sure JRI Program changes are appropriate and beneficial to young participants and their families. Discussions in FY24 about finding more ways to incorporate young people’s voices led to the creation of a Client Satisfaction Survey. The Illinois Collaboration on Youth (ICOY) made extensive changes to their CBAT-O process to account for the uniqueness of the JRI Programs.