Juvenile Justice in Champaign County: A Wicked Possibility (Part 1)

The first of two sessions on juvenile justice in Champaign County. Social worker Sam Smith framed juvenile justice as a "wicked problem" with many stakeholders and no single solution, then gave each panelist five minutes on their mission, obstacles and one hoped-for change. Drea Hall of the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission presented state compliance work and racial disparity data on arrest, detention and adult transfer; Karen Simms of the Trauma & Resilience Initiative argued that juvenile justice is a symptom; Maurice Hayes of the Anti-Violence Collective spoke from experience of incarceration; and Michael Williams, Champaign County probation director, described caseloads and service engagement. Audience discussion followed.