Don’t be misled by badly flawed report on juvenile temporary detention center

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans recently released a report from Eugene Griffin that claimed to describe and assess conditions at Cook County’s Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC). The report made a number of sensational assertions about the JTDC, the character of its employees and the quality of its management — assertions that Griffin amplified in a Sun-Times opinion column.

A thorough review of Griffin’s report, however, shows that it is a deeply flawed document meant to advance a handful of ill-informed and irresponsible policy prescriptions.

Most of the report’s shortcomings stem from its misrepresentation of the role that temporary juvenile detention facilities play in the rehabilitation process. Griffin’s report elides or deliberately ignores important differences between facilities like the JTDC (which primarily serve young people who have not been tried or found guilty of a crime), and long-term treatment and/or incarceration programs for those who have been adjudicated and found guilty. In other words, Griffin’s report fails to recognize that temporary juvenile detention facilities are the start of the rehabilitation process, not the end.

This distinction is clearest when examining the the average length of stay for a young person at the JTDC. While Griffin’s report and his op-ed imply that most youth languish for years, in reality the majority of youth stay there for only a few weeks, and 40% for less than 72 hours.

Moreover, recent assessments by the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) cast doubt on a number of the more controversial allegations in Griffin’s report.

Take, for example, Griffin’s assertion that mental health services at the JTDC are “limited” and “underutilized”: According to IDJJ’s most recent inspection of the JTDC, conducted in August, “the volume of medical and mental health services available to youth is exceptional. The facility has 24-hour nursing coverage and excellent mental health resources.”

The IDJJ further found that “the breadth of mental health services available to youth at the JTDC far exceeds minimum standards and can be considered industry best practice.” As of its most recent survey, in April 2022, the JTDC was also in full compliance with all of the NCCHC’s applicable mental health standards.

While a larger public discussion about criminal justice reform and the state of mental health care in Cook County is much needed, Griffin’s report and the press coverage it has received have unfortunately muddled that conversation.

Instead of advocating for policies that would actually improve the lives of young people who have made mistakes or lost their way, Griffin’s report has besmirched the valuable work that the JTDC’s diligent and compassionate staff do every day.

Policymakers who care about young people, crime and behavioral health systems should not be misled or distracted by Griffin’s ill-informed policy prescriptions.

Roberta Lynch, executive director
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31
Union of JTDC employees

IRS will go after all tax cheats

Contrary to current multiple Republican attack ads against Democratic candidates, the extra money now allotted to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service will not be used to target the middle class. The new hires will be going after all taxpayers who cheat, whatever their class. Because Republicans have enabled IRS budget cuts over many years, this agency has inadequate staff and inadequate computer systems. Each extra tax dollar it receives will earn more than a dollar back.

Mary F. Warren, Wheaton