Audit reports show juvenile detention centers across the state are overusing room confinement and providing insufficient mental health services to youths in custody, among other issues.
Juvenile Justice

Cook County’s former top public defender ‘misused confidential information,’ report says
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The Cook County inspector general accused former public defender Amy Campanelli of inappropriately sharing data on her office’s youth clients to benefit a nonprofit organization where she later took a job.
Juvenile Justice

Teens at Cook County juvenile jail face excessive force, extreme isolation, and other civil rights abuses, watchdog finds
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Interviews, site visits, and records reviewed by a legal advocacy group reveal abusive behavior by staff against mostly Black teens with learning disabilities, according to a new report. Jail officials deny the claims.
News

Cook County juvenile jail using ‘semantics’ to hide many hours youths are isolated: report
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Most youths at the jail ‘are locked in their cells for most of the day, every day,’ possibly resulting in long-term damage to their mental health, according to a committee convened last year by Chief Judge Tim Evans.
News

Morton students and alumni speak out against ‘gang contracts’ at school board meeting
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At least one school board member in west suburban Cicero said she would encourage the superintendent to end the controversial use of ‘gang contracts’ in response to our recent investigation.
Know your rights

Know your rights: What to do if you’re a student facing school discipline
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A Chicago civil rights attorney offers advice for students facing school discipline and their parents.