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About the Youth Crime Survey
The Council’s Board Chair, Matthew Smith, president of Survey Center, L.L.C. (a subsidiary of Leo J. Shapiro & Associates), a leading public opinion, research and marketing firm, spearheaded the project and worked with Metro Chicago Information Center (MCIC), a nonprofit research and data collection agency, to conduct and tabulate the survey.
The goal of the survey was fivefold:
| 1. | to obtain a better analysis of community needs and concerns regarding youth crime and what measures (policy) should be implemented to reduce youth violence; |
| 2. | assist the Council in developing future program work in juvenile justice; |
| 3. | develop an advocacy plan that advocates for juvenile justice policy that reflects the needs/values of the community; |
| 4. | identify and publicize neighborhood programs that are helping to reduce youth crime; and |
| 5. | provide public education to stakeholders, the media and others interested (or working) in youth crime and juvenile justice. |
The
Council released the survey results in the summer of 1999 to tie-in with
the commemoration of the 100th year anniversary of Cook County’s
Juvenile Court—the birthplace of the Juvenile Justice System.
The Council’s researchers surveyed 1,500 Chicagoans by phone. According to the Council’s survey, adults have mixed feelings when it comes to the treatment of juvenile offenders. They favor tough sentencing for violent teenagers, but they also want to balance it with a compassionate judicial system that provides alternatives to putting young people in jail.
In fact, the public isn’t enamored of police and legislative efforts to fight juvenile crime. They believe after-school activities, stronger families, better schools and jobs for teenagers are more effective in fighting juvenile delinquency.
Survey Says: Kids These Days Are Not as Bad as Advertised
At the same time, adults want to become more involved in juvenile crime prevention.
“Hopefully,
the Council’s survey will lead the way in developing youth crime
public policy that is community-driven and sustained by data and research,”
said Council President, Lucretia A. Bailey. “Survey respondents believe
the solutions for reducing youth crime are found in the community through
programs and not Pontiac, Joliet, 26th and California, or on Ogden and
Hamilton—location of Juvenile Court,” Bailey concluded.
The survey results received coverage from the following media outlets:
|
Chicago
Sun-Times (an exclusive story)
|
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Chicago
Defender
|
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The
Daily Southtown
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The
Reader
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The
PR News Wire
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WGN-TV
and Radio
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WBBM
Radio
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WMAQ
Radio
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WIRL
Radio in Springfield, IL
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