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* Tribune…
In residential treatment centers across Illinois, children are assaulted, sexually abused and running away by the thousands — yet state officials fail to act on reports of harm and continue sending waves of youths to the most troubled and violent facilities, a Tribune investigation found.
At a cost to taxpayers of well over $200 million per year, the residential centers promise round-the-clock supervision and therapy to state wards with histories of abuse and neglect, as well as other disadvantaged youths with mental health and behavioral problems. On any given day, about 1,400 wards live in the centers, although far more cycle through each year.
In the best cases, the facilities rebuild and even save young lives. But the Tribune found that many underprivileged youths — most of them African-American — are shuttled for years from one grim institution to another before emerging more damaged than when they went in.
* Just one example…
At Indian Oaks, which specializes in treating children who have endured sexual trauma, the Tribune identified 17 reports of sexual assault or abuse during a 21/2-year period starting in September 2011. Facility reports to DCFS and police dismissed nearly half of those incidents as consensual, even when alleged victims were not old enough to consent or had cognitive impairments.
* And…
The state’s beleaguered child welfare agency, which has had four directors in the past year and seen its budget sliced by more than 10 percent since 2009, is more than a year behind in analyzing facility performance records that show how many days kids go on the run from each center, or are sent to jail or psychiatric hospitals.
Go read the whole thing, but prepare to be thoroughly disgusted.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 10:14 am
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Disgusting.
Frist question - historical trend of headcount back to before ERI?
Comment by Anyone Remember Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 10:24 am
First - so disgusting couldn’t type correctly.
Comment by Anyone Remember Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 10:25 am
This is the result of the state closing state pyschiatric units for adolescents–anyone remember ISPI? and, the result of moving violent youth out of DJJ and into thse private agencies who don’t have the expertise, resources and oversight to deal with these troubled kids.
Comment by anon Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 10:32 am
If my memory is correct, when Blago came to power, there was a scandal brewing about DCFS’ use of residential care for its wards and problems about the care of children at some of those facilities. Blago and his supporters made a big deal of it, loudly ousted Jess McDonald, the agency’s award-winning director and his aides, and generally excoriated the Republicans.
Plus ca change. But let’s think a little before we put even more money into more residential care. The state’s juvenile justice authority has been successful in reducing its institutional population and serving kids in the community, albeit with a big push from advocacy organizations. Maybe these agencies can learn from each other.
Comment by Cassandra Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 10:38 am
I admire David Jackson so much.
Comment by Soccermom Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 10:38 am
This is Exhibit A in the case for strengthening, not weakening, FOIA in Illinois. Getting all these records to prove up this story would have been impossible just a few years ago. And now the legislature wants to weaken the law that allows us to, finally, know such important things as this? Shame.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 10:44 am
… is like Mike Frerichs stressing the importance of humility.
Comment by Anarditka Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 10:47 am
Really sad, Bring back Jess McDonald
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 10:51 am
With all due respect, it would be great if we would not have to pay for a digital subscription to be able to access this article/report. Yeah, I know I’m cheap - I prefer frugal.
Comment by illini Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 10:58 am
Where are the states attorneys when police are blowing off sexual assaults as “consensual” when the children have not reached age of consent or are cognitively impaired?
Comment by Wordslinger Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 11:12 am
these torture chambers need to be closed
Comment by bill ryan Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 11:24 am
Wordslinger good point but to explain how DCFS
is not required to call the cops, notify the
school or other organization or even act in the best interests of the child is beyond my captivity.
When the state of Illinois eliminated the death
penalty they also stopped the practice of paying
county state’s attorneys for capital trials. This left a hundred million dollar hole in local budgets and many used funds from places like the
the Dupage Children’s Center to make up the short
fall. Follow the money here.
Comment by Illinoisvoter Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 11:35 am
This is so utterly sad. Disgusting is a word to describe the system. Sad to tears is the way to describe the outcome. It’s truly beyond comprehension.
Comment by A guy... Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 12:23 pm
May Rauner push facility closures and fight the Democrats who resist him.
Comment by Dan Bureaucrat Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 12:28 pm
Illinoisvoter, I’m not following how the elimination of the death penalty prevents states attorneys from prosecuting sexual assaults in their jurisdictions.
Presumably, the police reports that somehow found these attacks to be “consensual” are still reviewed. Coppers don’t have the last word on prosecution.
Comment by Wordslinger Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 12:28 pm
This is a failure of epic proportions that lies directly at the feet of the agency’s top watchdog, Inspector General Denise Kane. Instead of focusing on the safety of DCFS wards, she goes after the low hanging fruit at the agency. Why was she not out front and center on this? Why is she not quoted in the Tribune article? She has been IG for over 16 years and has nothing to show for it except political investigations that have nothing to do with the safety of children. She is the J Edgar Hoover of IG’s and she needs to go! It is unprecedented for an IG to serve so long and is bad public policy. Quinn is going and so should she!
Comment by "a friend of a friend" Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 12:34 pm
I do not know Denise Kane. But anybody who was charged with making sure this agency protected the children in its care – and who failed to notice these horrific actions over years and years – should be fired immediately.
Comment by Soccermom Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 12:50 pm
Yes, DCFS is responsible for oversight and monitoring of these facilities, but we shouldn’t let the facilities themselves off the hook.
These facilities, both profit and non-profit,are given state money to provide a service.They need to be held accountable, and if they can’t fulfill their responsibilities, we need to look at other ways of caring for these vulnerable youth.
If these were state operated facilities, there would be calls to privatize. But these are privately operated facilities. Perhaps the state should run them directly, so there can be more accountability and transparency
Comment by Truthteller Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 1:29 pm
Wordslinger yes there are two different issues presented here. First DCFS is what an old English major would call a dangling participle. Investigations like those of Attorney Disciplnary
matters begin with their staff and or contracted
employees of the local prosecutor’s office. People without arrest responiblities and with no requirement to notify either law enforcement or
the institutions at which the abuse occurred. Mandated reporters have called three times on your kids history teacher and neither you or the school have any idea. Next is a budget issue.
County prosecutors had a big hole to dig out from when the state stopped paying for capital trials. They are still going to be required to prosecute
the same people, just not get paid for it. Children’s sexual abuse is a great source for grants and who is really going to look too close
at the books for such a worthy cause. Bring in a couple of retired officers and what you know there is a extra two million from the grants and you don’t have to lay off any Assistant SA’s.
The point is simple. None of this this is in the best interests of the children who have all ready been taken advantage of or their communities.
Comment by Illinoisvoter Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 1:33 pm
I am glad that all of the posters here will be contacting a child welfare agency, becoming licensed as a foster home, and taking one of these youth into there care………
Comment by Proud Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 1:38 pm
IV, still not following.
The Trib said there were cases where police were made aware of sex occurring between adult staffers and children under the age of consent, yet police somehow deemed it “consensual.” Seems in such instances a states attorney reviewing police reports should take a personal interest in their work.
Comment by Wordslinger Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 1:45 pm
While these are horrific stories the Tribune doesn’t even wade into the problem. The politicos don’t want to fund programs for children and families. You reap what you sow. Rauner is likely to come in, put his own person at the head of DCFS (5th head in a little over a year) and proceed to cut programs and wipe out funding. There are fewer resources for community support today than there was 10 years ago. Likely few of you who post here want to pay more to staff at these facilities, pay therapists more, or support alternatives to residential care. I can’t wait to see how bad it becomes when slash and burn is sworn into office. If you gave these programs good resources to discharge children into, or deflect children into, you would have far fewer problems.
Comment by thinkaboutit Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 1:53 pm
thinkaboutit,
This isn’t a money problem. It’s a competence problem. And a criminal problem. Money has nothing whatsoever to do with this.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 1:59 pm
@Wordslinger -
I think the excerpt is a bit confusing. As I read the story, they are talking about teens who are under the age of legal consent (17) having sex with each other. A staff person engaging in a sexual relationship with a child would be automatic allegation of child sexual abuse leading to the staff person’s dismissal and loss of license, and I would expect criminal charges to boot.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 2:05 pm
YDD is correct.
Under Illinois law, any sexual contact with a youth under 17 is prohibited, even if it’s with another youth, and even if it’s consensual.
I’m not super-thrilled that 15 year olds have consensual sexual contact with each other, but I don’t think it’s behavior that should be authomatically prosecuted as a sex crime.
– MrJM
Comment by MrJM Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 2:26 pm
There wasn’t sufficient funding to do the job properly before their budget was cut. Rauner may cut it again and blame the private agencies when the problem festers.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 2:27 pm
To be clear, MrJM, I am merely saying we shouldn’t assume that the relationship was nefarious.
Nor should we assume it is nefarious because it involved children who had previously been abused or neglected.
We shouldn’t discount the idea that the relationship was unhealthy, either.
We investigate the facts.
Likewise, you can’t make assumptions about whether the relationship was abuse based on the fact that it involves teens of the same gender.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 4:15 pm
I believe Kane came in under Jim Edgar. Has probably been there over twenty years.She and her crew have gotten far too comfortable.Not a healthy thing in Illinois government.
Comment by South side Wednesday, Dec 3, 14 @ 8:49 pm