The reconstruction of the juvenile justice system may take longer than five years and probably won’t require learning woodworking, but there is much to celebrate and much to do. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has declared the state’s juvenile sex offender registry unconstitutional. The Illinois Supreme Court has called automatic transfer of juveniles to adult court constitutional but gravely out of step with science and has urged the legislature to revisit the issue. Many states have changed the way children in conflict with the law are treated, and many others are considering monumental changes in the courts, legislatures and executive branches. On the other hand, there is much to do nationally and in local jurisdictions.
The beginning of a new year is a good time to assess progress made on last year’s resolutions about kicking old habits and starting new ones. Advocates of policy change — both activists in the field and those in government policymaking positions — also can benefit from a resolution review, and here are some of the questions we’ll be asking in Illinois. I think the list typifies much of what could be said around the country. Please see if you agree.
[For more of this story, written by George Timberlake, go to http://jjie.org/op-ed-juvenile...ask-for-2015/108183/]
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