Criminal Justice Reform and Prevention
For over 20 years CPRD has been partnering with state and local juvenile (and criminal) justice agencies through impactful research, data collection/data analysis, evaluations, and the development and maintenance of data systems. These tools provide the juvenile justice agencies information to assist their decision making and to better understand this vulnerable youth population.
Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission
The majority of CPRD’s juvenile justice work has been in partnership with the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission. Some current and past projects with the IJJC include:
- the analysis of statewide juvenile transfer data, a qualitative analysis of Disproportionate Minority Contact in the Illinois Juvenile Justice System;
- development and maintenance of JMIS (an Illinois statewide juvenile detention data system), providing mandated and ad hoc data reporting and analysis using JMIS data;
- and technical assistance to local Juvenile Justice Councils to help them collect and understand their data for informed decision making.
Juvenile Transfer Data Submissions
The Center for Prevention Research & Development (CPRD) is assisting the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission with the implementation of Public Act 99-0258 with the collection and reporting of data on juveniles transferred to adult criminal court.
Statewide Deflection Initiative
The Statewide Deflection Initiative is a collaborative effort with the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery to create a third option for law enforcement – redirecting individuals with substance use or mental health struggles away from the system and toward community-based treatment and recovery services.
A co-responder program is a collaborative emergency response model that pairs law enforcement with trained behavioral health clinicians or social workers to respond to calls involving mental health crises or substance use struggles. These teams provide on-site clinical assessments and de-escalation expertise to ensure individuals receive specialized care rather than entering the criminal justice system.
In partnership with the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA), CPRD is evaluating one of four police co-responder pilot programs currently operating in Illinois. These models are designed to reduce harm, improve access to care, and strengthen equity in public safety and health outcomes.