Illinois State Bar Association President Mark D. Hassakis met with leaders from the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) on Friday, Feb. 4, to find ways that ISBA can help the Department with its mission of preserving public safety by reducing recidivism. On hand for the meeting were (left to right): Justin Slaughter, IDJJ Director of Programs, Beth Compton, IDJJ Chief Counsel, Arthur Bishop, IDJJ Director, ISBA President Hassakis and Ashley Cross, IDJJ Chief of Staff.
Illinois State Bar Association President Mark D. Hassakis continued his push to improve the state’s juvenile justice programs by meeting with leaders of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice on Friday, Feb. 4, at the Thompson Center in Chicago. The meeting covered a wide-range of issues the Department faces and focused on ways ISBA can help IDJJ move forward by “laying a brick everyday,” the guiding philosophy of new IDJJ Director Arthur Bishop.
Three areas were identified where IDJJ is making improvements. The first is its continued withdrawal from the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), where it resided until four years ago. However, IDJJ still operates under IDOC’s administrative policies. The second is passing legislation beneficial to its core mission. This can be seen in the push to update legislation on juvenile expungements. The third is a renewed emphasis on aftercare that has seen the hiring of six IDJJ aftercare specialists – the first of their kind. All of these directives are being helped with support from Gov. Quinn’s office.
President Hassakis has visited IDJJ facilities in Chicago and Joliet will continue his tour of IDJJ’s Illinois Youth Centers with upcoming visits to Murphysboro and Harrisburg.
