Redeploy Illinois decreases juveniles in justice system by 51%

Purpose of Redeploy Illinois: The purpose of Redeploy Illinois [(P.A. 93-0641) December 2003] is to create financial incentives to keep youth in the local community rather than commit them to the Department of Juvenile Justice.  According to the current statute, each site is required to reduce juvenile commitments of non-violent offenders to the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) by 25% in one year.  The program excludes murder and Class X forcible felonies. On April 7, 2009, Governor Quinn signed in to law Senate Bill 1013 (P.A. 95-1050) which will enable counties with fewer than an average of 10 commitments over the previous 3 years to access a pool of funding to enter in to an agreement to provide services to juveniles to avoid commitment to the Department of Juvenile Justice. Redeploy Illinois Sites: The original four Redeploy sites include: Second Judicial District (includes 12 counties in Southern Illinois:  Crawford, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jefferson, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, Wayne, and White), Macon County, Peoria County, and St. Clair County. The following five sites were added in FY2009:  Kankakee County, Lee County, Madison County, McLean County and the 4^th Circuit (includes Christian, Clinton, Fayette, Marion and Montgomery Counties). Return on Investment: The reduction of commitments since the implementation of the program has exceeded the target.  While the counties are required to reduce  commitments to DJJ by 25%, they actually decreased by 51 percent, serving hundreds of youth safely in the community instead of incarceration. According to the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, it costs $85,000 for a 12-month commitment to DJJ.   The latest Redeploy Annual Report notes that the “per capita cost for treating a youth locally under Redeploy Illinois ranges from $3,000 to $10,000.” Historical Funding for Redeploy Illinois: Redeploy received an appropriation through the Department of Human Services of $2 million in FY2005, $1.5 million in FY2006, $2.295 million FY2007, $2.295 million in FY2008, $3.229 million in FY2009, and $2.816 million in FY2010.  Governor Quinn has recommended $ 2.5 million in FY2011. How to Expand the Success: 13 Counties sent 76% of the youth to state juvenile prison (DJJ) Doubling the Redeploy Illinois funding would expand Redeploy to all of these 13 counties and could reduce incarceration by nearly 40%. Additional funding would also permit adequate funding for the “pool” of dollars created in the new law which will enable smaller counties that might have an infrequent youth in need of services to receive support.  This investment would shift the resources from incarceration to a more effective treatment for youth. COST COMPARISON:

• $85,000 - The latest reported per capita cost to incarcerate one juvenile in the Department of Juvenile Justice.
• Less than $10,000 - The range of costs to serve youth in their community through  Redeploy.