A Grand Island-based organization is offering a diversion program cited in a new report as one of the most effective with at-risk youths.

The intervention program is Multi-Systemic Therapy, or MST, which the Mid-Plains Center has offered for more than 20 years. In The Sentencing Project's report, MST is identified as having contributed to the 75% decline in youth incarceration between 2000 and 2022.

Chase Francl, president and CEO of MidPlains, explained the approach is to involve all of the "systems" contributing to or affected by a youth's dysfunction.

"You can work with the child, great, but if he still has the same peers that are driving this, you need to be working with the family and help them," Francl asserted. "How do you set limits on this? Your child's sneaking out at night; let's look at what that does. Let's look at how it's impacting school performance. Let's be talking with the teachers."

Mid-Plains therapists work in Kearney, Grand Island, Hastings, York and Lincoln. Francl noted youths are typically involved with therapy for 12 weeks, and the program has decreased long-term rearrests by more than 70%.

Josh Rovner, director of youth justice for The Sentencing Project, said it is not surprising incarceration has some of the worst outcomes for young people who get into trouble.

"Among the things that matter most for young people to achieve is to have a positive peer group and to have the support of their parents and other caring adults in their lives," Rovner outlined. "Sending kids away from home into locked facilities provides neither of those things."

Francl added keeping the youth at home is a major goal for the majority of the young people and families they serve.

"Typically, where we get called is, 'This situation's on fire; this is our last chance at putting it out. Would you guys come in and see if you can salvage the situation?'" Francl observed. "If we can't be successful with this, this youth is getting placed out of the home, whether that's a group home, whether that's detention."

The Mid-Plains MST program has had more than 90% of youths remain at home while enrolled, and more than 97% have had no new arrests. Francl stressed although the majority of referrals come from the court system, court involvement is not a requirement. He added he has been told there would be enough youths to fill the program if they doubled their staff tomorrow.


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As it advocates for changes to the youth justice system in 2025, a Connecticut group says the state needs to do more to examine and address the root causes of crime.

The Connecticut Justice Alliance wants the state to enact several reforms - including raising the age a person can be arrested from 10 to 14, and getting young offenders out of adult facilities.

Studies show youth incarcerated in adult prisons face higher rates of suicide and disciplinary actions.

Christina Quaranta, executive director of the alliance, said young people face many long-term impacts of incarceration.

"Young people that have an interaction, and are incarcerated in the adult system, die sooner than those who have not," said Quaranta. "And that looks like what access to healthcare looks like inside of prison, and after. The fact the folks who have certain charges on their record aren't able to get certain jobs."

She said these consequences often fall hardest on minority youth.

A 2023 report shows despite making up less than half the state's youth population, Black and Hispanic youths account for 83% of those in juvenile detention.

Quaranta said the alliance will also work to ban chemical agents used on young people in Department of Corrections custody.

This year, Connecticut lawmakers approved budget increases for the state's juvenile detention centers.

Other bills were brought before the General Assembly to improve juvenile justice outcomes, though not all were successful.

Quaranta said lawmakers must do more to address the root causes of crime - and education is key.

"Ensuring that schools and places where education is happening are properly funded, and are staffed well, and with the correct type of people for the population of that city or town," said Quaranta. "That falls under them."

She added that the General Assembly should also continue funding programs that are successful at keeping kids out of trouble.

But she also said she expects some challenges to enacting these priorities - including funding constraints, long-standing racism, and actions from the incoming Trump administration.

Pending legislation could change the age of Illinois' juvenile offenders' detention time before their trial date.

Currently, juveniles as young as 10 can be incarcerated. After a decade of negotiations with lawmakers, House Bill 2347, if passed, would raise the age of placing kids in detention centers from age 10 to 13, excluding violent offenders. The measure has passed the House and is being reviewed by the Senate.

Elizabeth Clarke, founder and interim executive director of the Juvenile Justice Initiative, supports what she described as the "well-thought-out" legislation.

"It's a compromise. It's important to do," Clarke asserted. "Locking up children, especially young children, not only is traumatic to them, but it's more likely to result in repeat offending."

Department of Juvenile Justice inspections in 2023 found facilities in Vermilion, Kane, Lake and Peoria counties were compliant with minimal safety standards. The remaining 10 facilities did not meet standards, a condition Clarke compared to solitary confinement.

The bill could be passed in the veto/lame duck sessions. Clarke pointed out the bill is an "agreed to" compromise. She noted some alternatives exist and children can be held accountable as minors, requiring authoritative intervention, probation and other punishments. She remains optimistic the Senate will pass the bill.

"This would just move the state forward," Clarke contended. "It would help counties avoid lawsuits in the future. It would help us to begin to right size our juvenile detention system across Illinois."

The bill said children younger than 13 could be held accountable through a legal document called the Petition for Minor Requiring Authoritative Intervention. It would permit the court to order probation or alternatives without involving an arrest or detention. Options include crisis intervention, behavioral health care services, or placement with relatives.


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A class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of young people with disabilities serving time in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

The nonprofit legal advocacy group Equip for Equality suggested state legislation passed in 2006 has largely been ignored. It mandates young people ages 18-22 who are incarcerated take classes to earn a high school diploma.

Olga Pribyl, vice president of the special education clinic at Equip for Equality, said anyone in the age group who was, or currently is, eligible for special education services is affected.

"There's a number of individuals who entered the Illinois Department of Corrections who are within this age range, and who had previously been receiving special education services at their prior educational institution," Pribyl explained. "But once they entered The Department of Corrections, they didn't receive any education."

Pribyl described four years of negotiations on the issue as unsuccessful, which led to the lawsuit being filed against the Illinois Departments of Corrections and Juvenile Justice, and the Illinois State Board of Education.

The group worries young people with disabilities are not getting essential support or accommodation for their schooling while they are incarcerated. It said the consequences are far-reaching in terms of future schooling, vocational training and employment opportunities upon their release.

Pribyl argued getting a diploma can turn young lives around.

"When they exit the system, they're ready to be employed and can be participating members of the community and not go back into the system," Pribyl emphasized. "Statistics show that without an education, the rate of recidivism is a lot higher for these individuals."

Youth in custody can receive GED preparation. Pribyl added her group would like to see them receive high school credit-bearing courses instead. The Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission listed 446 juveniles in the state's 16 detention facilities as of this spring.