Kane County Juvenile Justice Center: Model for the State
Kane County juvenile detention facility, known as the Juvenile Justice Center (JJC), recently underwent an annual operational review by the state and was recognized as the best run facility of its kind in Illinois. 
The Administrative Office of Illinois Courts (AOIC), which is responsibility for the statewide operations standard for all county run detention centers, labeled the Kane County JJC as a model detention site. In particular, the AOIC said the Kane County JJC excels in cognitive based behavior management and cognitive behavioral intervention programs. They also sited a robust education program and relationship with the Kane County Regional Office of Education.
“Our Kane County Regional Office of Education (Patricia Dal Santo, Superintendent) has been and continues to be a tremendous partner over the years, and is also recognized as a leader in their commitment to providing quality education to the detained youth, implementation of social emotional learning curriculum, and adoption of our cognitive behavioral management system," said Lisa Aust, Executive Director of the 16th Judicial Circuit Court Services. “Kane County JJC's Superintendent Mike Davis and the staff have done an outstanding job."
The review also singled out the Kane County JJC for incorporating focus groups that are facilitated by staff members at least two times per day, and seasoned residents with focus group experience were observed to be empowered to take the lead role in assisting staff with focus group. During the time of the review, the facility was near or at full staffing and met the required 1:8 and 1:16 staff to resident ratios. Additionally, the facility is neat, clean, and orderly and residents consistently reported feeling safe and respected.
The summary AOIC's is report is below.
Detention Review Summary of the Kane County Juvenile Justice Center On April 12-14, 2023, a review of the Kane County Juvenile Justice Center (JJC) was completed by a four-member team from the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts. While on site, the team completed a review of policy and procedures, resident files, interviews of residents and staff, and observations of daily activities and overall operations of the facility.
Throughout the site review process, AOIC staff identified several areas of strength within the Kane County JJC. In short, the Kane County JJC is one of the model detention sites in the state. Some of their highlighted strengths include a strong cognitive based behavior management program en-compassed with social emotional learning and core correctional practice, a robust education pro-gram and relationship with the local Regional Office of Education, and a dedicated PREA coordinator that ensures compliance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act. These areas of strength exceed AOIC Standards and set the standard for other facilities to strive for throughout the state.
The Kane County JJC also incorporates focus groups that are facilitated by staff members at least two times per day, and seasoned residents with focus group experience were observed to be empowered to take the lead role in assisting staff with focus group. During the time of the review, the facility was near or at full staffing and met the required 1:8 and 1:16 staff to resident ratios. Additionally, the facility is neat, clean, and orderly and residents consistently reported feeling safe and respected.
At the conclusion of the review, there were a few recommendations made to the Kane County JJC by the review team. The AOIC has identified the following actionable items for the Kane County JJC to implement:
• Update Resident Handbook
• Admissions Procedures
A follow-up visit was conducted to the Kane County JJC by one of the detention unit field coordinators on June 5, 2023. After the follow up visit, it was determined that all the actionable items listed above have been resolved, and the Kane County JJC is in full compliance with AOIC Juvenile Detention Standards. The following compliance table has been updated to reflect the effort since the original report.
Supreme Court of Illinois
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE ILLINOIS COURTS
