The Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center in Benton, Illinois, was called a “facility in crisis” by state auditors last year. (Julia Rendleman for ProPublica)

The Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center abruptly closed on Dec. 31. The judge who ordered the closure said staffing shortages made it difficult to meet state standards for caring for youth in custody.

A 2022 state audit identified the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center in Benton, Illinois, as a “facility in crisis.” (Julia Rendleman for ProPublica)

State audits point to troubling conditions in juvenile detention centers, but no agency has strong enough oversight to bring about change.

(Thomas Hawk / Flickr)
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Illinois will close five large juvenile detention centers as part of a plan unveiled Friday by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in an effort to “transform” the current system, which Pritzker called “too punitive and too ineffective.”

(Chicago Tonight)
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One in 10 school resource officers stationed within Chicago Public Schools have had 10 or more misconduct complaints lodged against them, operating in a system with little oversight and no specialized training, a new study by the Shriver Center states.

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How can Chicago stem the surge of violence? Police, prosecutors, and judges offered ideas Thursday for dealing with troubled youth, some of whom offered ideas of their own. 

(Jobs For Felons Hub / Flickr)
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Four parents sued Cook County because their sons were held in juvenile detention for days without a hearing. Now that common practice is changing. Assessing the impact of that move.

17-year-old criminal offenders in Illinois will go to juvenile detention instead of jail beginning next year. We have the details about why that has some concerned. Read an article.

Out of the detention center and back into the community. We go inside Cook County’s new “tough love” approach to juvenile justice.