Newsletter of the Chicago Council On Urban Affairs
March 2001

Urban Council and Youth As Resources
Launch Community Convention on Youth Crime

Moderator Cliff Kelley challenged the panel members to address reports of racial disparity in the juvenile justice system.

The Chicago Council on Urban Affairs and Youth As Resources sponsored an all day Community Convention on youth crime and reform of the Juvenile Court in the Grand Boulevard community in September, 2000 at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The Grand Boulevard event is the first of four similar programs to be held throughout neighborhoods in Chicago during 2000-2002 as part of the Council’s juvenile justice initiative.

Close to 150 people attended the south side Community Convention, which was hosted by radio talk show veteran, Cliff Kelley, from WVON-AM radio. A group of local juvenile justice experts served as panelists and outlined the entire juvenile justice system from arrest procedures to sentencing guidelines. Youth members from Youth As

Panel Member and Presenter Betsy Clarke talked about the history of the Juvenile Court in Illinois and the nation.

Resources (YAR) also participated in the panel discussion. YAR, a special project of the Chicago Area Project, is a seven-year-old youth-driven initiative that provides young people with the opportunity to create, manage, and implement community service, school-based learning, and violence prevention programs.

The first step in preparation for the Community Convention involved developing a modified version of the Council’s original citywide survey (Youth Crime in Chicago: Attitudes, Perceptions, and Public Policy) to document and assess the concerns about youth crime in Grand Boulevard.

After the small group discussions, Community Convention participants gave their recommendations about how to develop community-driven solutions to reduce youth crime and reform the Juvenile Court.

The Council, with the assistance of its research partner Metro Chicago Information Center (MCIC) surveyed, by phone and door-to-door, a random group of residents in the community about their perceptions about youth crime and the Juvenile Court. Survey respondents were then invited to attend a Community Convention on youth crime to discuss the results of the survey and help develop a neighborhood agenda to reduce youth crime and reform the juvenile justice system. Each participant was given a $50 stipend to attend the half-day event.

Council Program Chair Freddy Calixto states that the purpose of the Convention is to develop community-driven solutions to reduce youth crime and develop improved juvenile justice public policy.

Grand Boulevard residents participated in small group, breakout sessions to analyze the panel discussion and develop a list of community recommendations.

“At the Council, we believe the solutions for reducing youth crime and reforming the Court can (and should) be found in the community,” said Calixto. “As advocates for change, we need to listen to the voices, concerns, and advice from community residents, including youth.”

According to the results from the survey and the Community Convention, residents in Grand Boulevard want more after-school programs for youth to help reduce youth crime; extended school hours; the development of a “Bill of Rights” for parents who have children in the Juvenile Court and need to know their rights and options; more accountability from the Juvenile Court, including the formation of an assessment committee to evaluate the performance of judges; term limits for juvenile judges; and sensitivity training for police who harass youth of color.

Woody Carter, director of research for Metro Chicago Information Center (MCIC), described how the Grand Boulevard survey data was collected and analyzed.

And, while the majority of those surveyed favor stricter punishment for youth who commit violent crime, they also support the original mission of the Juvenile Court to act as a “kind and just parent,” demonstrating love, compassion and discipline when interacting with youth offenders.

Grand Boulevard residents were also concerned about institutional racism within the juvenile justice system, citing several examples of how Black youth are treated unfairly and sentenced more harshly than White kids who commit the same crime. For this very reason, they recommended Juvenile Court judges be reviewed periodically to assess their sentencing habits and trends for evidence of racial disparity. They also called for aggressive monitoring of the Chicago Police Department to ensure fair and just treatment of minority youth.

Pictured from left to right: Council Vice Chair Craig Gilmore, Council President Lu Bailey, and Community Convention Moderator Cliff Kelley.

The Council will use the results from the Community Convention to develop a citywide agenda that advocates for community-driven solutions to reduce youth crime and reform the Juvenile Court.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation provided the lead support for the Community Convention. State Farm Insurance Companies also helped to sponsor and underwrite the event.

The next Community Convention will take place in Humboldt Park during the Spring of 2001. The Council will partner with the Near Northwest Neighborhood Network for this event. After the

Octavia Jones, a member of Youth As Resources, talked about the importance of encouraging youth to succeed and take an active role in civic affairs.

Humboldt Park Convention, the Council will prepare a mid-term report on its findings and policy recommendations before moving on to the next two communities—Rogers Park and Austin.

For more information about the Grand Boulevard Community Convention, the upcoming Humboldt Park Convention, or to order a copy of the Grand Boulevard Convention video ($10), please call 312-782-3511 or email us at ccua@ccua.org.

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