HR0859 LRB094 18477 RLC 53801 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The Cook County Temporary Juvenile Detention
3 Center is under the control of the Cook County Board President;
4 and
 
5     WHEREAS, The Cook County Temporary Juvenile Detention
6 Center ("Detention Center") provides temporary secure housing
7 for youth from the age of 10 through 16 years, who are awaiting
8 adjudication of their cases by the Juvenile Division of the
9 Cook County Courts; and
 
10     WHEREAS, The Detention Center also provides care for youths
11 who have been transferred from Juvenile Court jurisdiction to
12 Criminal Court; and
 
13     WHEREAS, The Detention Center is supposed to provides the
14 children with a safe, secure, and caring environment; and
 
15     WHEREAS, There have been numerous newspaper articles
16 alleging problems at the Detention Center; and
 
17     WHEREAS, The newspaper articles allege the existence of
18 "fight rooms" at the Detention Center, where the juveniles are
19 placed in the rooms by Detention Center guards to fight out
20 their differences; and
 
21     WHEREAS, The newspaper articles document the appointment
22 of administrators with little or no experience or professional
23 qualifications in running a juvenile detention center; and
 
24     WHEREAS, The newspaper articles allege the hiring of
25 unqualified and inexperienced juvenile counselors; and
 
26     WHEREAS, The newspaper articles allege that the juveniles
27 are not provided adequate health care while present at the

 

 

HR0859 - 2 - LRB094 18477 RLC 53801 r

1 Detention Center; therefore, be it
 
2     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
3 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
4 an immediate hearing be conducted by the Judiciary II-Criminal
5 Law Committee, in order to hear testimony about these
6 allegations.