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Why do minorities jam juvenile system? The first day of the ISBA Midyear Meeting in December will be devoted to an exploration of the question of why the majority of youths in the juvenile justice system are black or Hispanic. President Bob Downs has committed the organized bar during his tenure to a focus on critical issues that he believes “present a clear danger to our security and liberty.” Among those issues is “the fact that our youth are becoming increasingly criminalized and marginalized,” he said. The president appointed a Special Committee on Overrepresentation of Minorities in the Criminal Justice System, chaired by Jorge L. Montes, to study the situation and make recommendations. Downs will expand on his concerns at the opening of a seminar, “Kids in a Jam: Why Is the Juvenile Justice System Jammed with African Americans and Latinos, and What Can Lawyers Do About It?” that will begin with a 12 noon buffet luncheon Thursday, Dec. 8, in the Sheraton Chicago Hotel. Attendance at the seminar is free for Midyear Meeting registrants, but reservations must be made in advance by calling Vicki Runkel at (800) 252-8908. At 12:40 p.m., author Steve Bogira will describe what he learned about young minority defendants at the Cook County Criminal Division courthouse while he compiled material for his provocative book, “Courtroom 302: A Year Behind the Scenes in an American Criminal Courthouse.” Reaction to Bogira's presentation will be provided by former public defender Randolph N. Stone, a clinical professor at the University of Chicago Law School. The seminar moderator, Judge Thomas More Donnelly, will field questions for panelists throughout the program. At 1:30 p.m., the topic will be “How Did We Get Here?” The speaker, Prof. Cecil Hunt of The John Marshall Law School, will review the foundational societal, economic and historical reasons why a greater number of minority juveniles are involved in the criminal system. “The Illinois Experience” with disproportionate minority contact will be discussed at 2:20 p.m. by a panel that includes Associate Judge Michael W. Stuttley of the Cook County Juvenile Justice Division. Other speakers are Alonzo DeCarlo, an associate professor of psychology at Chicago State University; Phillip Stevenson of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, and Jeffrey Butts of the University of Chicago's Chapin Hall Center for Children. At 3:20 p.m., a panel will cite the accomplishments of “Lawyers Who Have Made a Difference.” Observations will be given by Monica Llorente, director of the Children's Law Pro Bono Project at the Northwestern University School of Law, and judicial panelists. “Where Are the Lawyers?” is the topic of a 4:10 p.m. presentation on ways that ISBA members can get involved in seeking solutions to the problems discussed. Concluding remarks will be given by President Downs at 4:50 p.m. as he invites seminar participants to a reception. The seminar is co-sponsored by the Cook County Bar, Hispanic Lawyers, Puerto Rican Bar and American Bar Associations, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority and the Illinois Juvenile Justice Initiative. |