Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority Fall 2002

PUBLICATIONS 3 RESEARCH 4 GRANTS 6 TECHNOLOGY 7

Implementing the

strategic plan for

criminal justice

Priority issues help to guidethe use of limited resources

In 1999, the Illinois Criminal JusticeInformation Authority began to de-velop a strategic criminal justice

plan for Illinois as a means of identify-ing priorities and maximizing the use oflimited resources. The intention was tohave a plan that would help guide thework of the 100 staff members of theAuthority and set priorities for the allo-cation of the more than $60 million infederal grant funds that the Authorityadministers each year. This was not aplan that was destined to sit on a shelf,and it hasn’t.

The Authority brought together abroad array of criminal justice and so-cial service professionals from acrossthe state to develop the plan, and askedthem to identify issues confronting thejustice system and set goals and objec-tives. Nearly 150 criminal justiceprofessionals and community serviceleaders actively participated in a two-day planning assembly in June 2000.The work of that assembly was furtherrefined through the efforts of six advi-sory committees and Authority staff,and finally consolidated into theCriminal Justice Plan for the State of

Illinois, which was unanimouslyadopted by the members of the Author-ity in June 2001.

➤➤➤➤➤ Information Systems

➤➤➤➤➤ Collaboration

➤➤➤➤➤ Services

➤➤➤➤➤ Utilization of Resources

➤➤➤➤➤ Accountability

Criminal Justice Plan forthe State of Illinois

(Continued on page 2)

Illinois Criminal Justice Information AuthorityPage 2

IllinoisCriminal JusticeInformation Authority

Created in 1983, the Illinois Criminal Justice Infor-mation Authority is a state agency dedicated toimproving the administration of criminal justice.Most of the work of the Authority falls into threemajor divisions: Research and Analysis; InformationSystems and Technology: and Federal and StateGrants Administration.

The Authority is governed by a 20-member boardcomprised of state and local leaders from the crimi-nal justice system and members of the public.

Copyright © 2002 Illinois Criminal Justice Informa-tion Authority. All rights reserved. Intended for freedistribution only. Permission to copy and redistrib-ute parts or all of this publication can be obtainedfrom the Office of Public Information.

Printed by authority of the State of Illinois, Novem-ber 2002. Printing order number 03–132; 6,500copies.

Candice M. KaneExecutive Director

George H. RyanGovernor

Vol. 21, No. 3

Editor

Daniel Dighton E-mail: ddighton@icjia.state.il.us

The Compiler, Fall 2002

Visit the Authority online at: www.icjia.state.il.us

Assistant Editor

Cristin Monti Evans E-mail: cevans@icjia.state.il.us

Produced quarterly by the Office of Public Information

Write to: The Compiler, ICJIA, 120 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 1016, Chicago, IL 60606.Telephone: 312-793-8550, TDD: 312-793-4170, Fax: 312-793-8422

Members

Peter B. Bensinger, chairmanPresident, Bensinger, DuPont& Associates

Albert A. ApaFormer director, Illinois PoliceTraining Board

Dorothy BrownClerk of the Circuit Courtof Cook County

Timothy F. BukowskiSheriff, Kankakee County

Richard A. DevineState’s Attorney, Cook County

Barbara EngelVictim Advocate

Norbert GoettenDirector, Office of the State’s Attorney’sAppellate Prosecutor

Theodore A. GottfriedDirector, Office of the StateAppellate Defender

Terry G. HillardSuperintendent, ChicagoPolice Department

Maureen A. JoshClerk of the Circuit Courtof DeKalb County

Thomas J. JurkaninExecutive Director, Illinois Law EnforcementTraining and Standards Board

John J. MillnerChief, Elmhurst Police Department

Sam NolenDirector, Illinois State Police

John C. PilandState’s Attorney, Champaign County

Jim RyanAttorney General of Illinois

Michael SheahanSheriff, Cook County

Donald N. Snyder Jr.Director, Illinois Departmentof Corrections

John Z. ToscasAttorney

Michael WallerState’s Attorney, Lake County

Since that time, Authority staff and ourpartner agencies have worked to ad-dress the strategic issues raised in theplan and to commit resources neces-sary for accomplishing the numerousgoals and objectives. They have donethis through coordinated planning andcollaboration with a broad array ofagencies; implementation of specificprojects and evaluations to measureprogram effectiveness; and ongoing re-search and assessment of criminaljustice issues and needs in Illinois.

The Authority is uniquely positioned todevelop and spearhead implementationof a strategic plan for criminal justice inIllinois. The Authority’s central missionis to improve the administration ofcriminal justice in the state. With aboard of 20 leaders representing vari-ous criminal justice agencies and publicinterests, the Authority’s structure iscollaborative in nature. The member-ship includes top executives of allmajor criminal justice agencies in thestate, as well as heads of local agenciesand members of the public. Projectsundertaken by the Authority are almostalways conducted in conjunction withother state or local agencies.

The organization of the Authority staffalso benefits the strategic planning ef-fort. Indeed, most of the staff isdedicated to carrying out the mission ofthe Authority through three distinctfunctions: information systems, federaland state grants, and research andanalysis. The expertise of Authoritystaff in each of these areas contributessignificantly to carrying out the strate-gic plan, whether it is promoting theintegration of justice information sys-tems, administering federal grants andmonitoring the effectiveness of specificprograms, or gathering criminal justicedata and conducting research to guidethe use of resources.

This issue of The Compiler takes a lookat the Criminal Justice Plan and high-lights some of the major initiatives theAuthority and our partners have under-taken to achieve the plan’s goals andobjectives. Some of the initiatives werealready under way before the plan wasadopted, while others were launched inresponse to specific needs or gaps inservice identified in the plan. The prior-ity issues identified in the plan pointedto critical needs in five overarching ar-eas: information systems, collaboration,services, utilization of resources, andaccountability. Implementation of theplan — the goals and objectives — hasbeen structured around those five ar-eas, although different projects andinitiatives may relate to more than oneof the five overarching needs.

Information systems

Integrated justice information

One of the most critical issues identi-fied in the Criminal Justice Plan is theneed for sharing criminal justice infor-mation. An integrated justice informationsystem would establish standards al-lowing state and local agencies toelectronically exchange information re-garding criminal histories and thecriminal justice system status of offend-ers. This network for sharing informationwould reduce the amount of time spentredundantly entering data at differentstages of the criminal justice process,and ensure that vital information onadult and juvenile offenders is accurateand current.

An integrated information systemwould be of tremendous help to policedepartments, prosecutors’ offices,courts, and jails — allowing them towork more efficiently and effectively. Itwould benefit policymakers as they allo-cate resources by fostering moreeffective gathering and utilization of

THE COMPILER FALL 2002 Page 3

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critical information on offenders, inci-dents, and victims.

For the past several years the Authorityhas worked with the Illinois State Po-lice and other agencies on thedevelopment of the Illinois IntegratedJustice Information System (IIJIS). InDecember 2001, the governor signed anexecutive order creating an IIJIS gov-erning board, consisting ofrepresentatives from local, county, andstate criminal justice agencies, andchaired by the Authority’s executive di-rector.

The board spent the past year develop-ing a strategic plan for creating anintegrated justice information system inIllinois. The plan will be completed inDecember and become the guidingdocument for building such a system.

The next step for the board is to securethe passage of legislation creating apermanent IIJIS governing board to en-sure continued oversight of theintegration implementation process.The new board’s initial tasks will be tocontinue promoting integrated justiceinformation systems throughout thestate, completing a needs assessment,identifying data exchange standards,and developing operational require-ments for an electronic informationexchange network.

System upgrades

Through several new and ongoingprojects, the Authority is working withother agencies and organizations to im-prove the state’s communicationsinfrastructure for criminal justice andbuild an enhanced reporting system,which will capture more informationabout incidents, crime victims, and of-fenders.

The Authority currently operates infor-mation systems that support lawenforcement agencies and allow the ex-change of information betweenagencies, and between agencies andtheir officers in the field. Upgrades tothese systems are enhancing and facili-tating the exchange of information

among law enforcement agenciesthroughout the state.

The Police Information ManagementSystem (PIMS) is a records manage-ment system that provides sharedinformation to more than 50 participat-ing agencies. In the coming months thesystem is set to be completely over-hauled and updated to expand itscapabilities for information sharing andmake it compatible with the NationalIncident-Based Reporting System.

Another system developed and oper-ated by the Authority is the Area-wideLaw Enforcement Radio Terminal Sys-tem (ALERTS), a mobile data system inpolice squad cars that provides officerswith instant access to vital information.Working with the Illinois State Policeand the Illinois Department of CentralManagement Services, the Authority re-cently completed an upgrade toALERTS making it compatible with asimilar system in use, the Illinois Wire-less Information Network (IWIN). Theupgrade allows officers on the differentsystems to exchange informationthrough e-mail.

Enhanced data collection

In the past couple of years the Author-ity also has developed an informationsystem for victim service providers.InfoNet is a web-based data collectionsystem developed in partnership withthe Illinois Coalition Against DomesticViolence and the Illinois CoalitionAgainst Sexual Assault. Among otherfunctions, InfoNet helps these agenciesand their members track basic informa-tion about clients served and variousservices that are provided. It is provingto be an extremely valuable tool forcase management and the targeting ofresources.

As a result of its success, the use ofInfoNet has been expanding. The Au-thority is collaborating with the Children’sAdvocacy Centers of Illinois to identifydata collection and reporting require-ments for child advocacy centers. Also,

New publicationsfrom the Authority“Understanding and addressingfemale delinquency in Illinois”Recently, practitioners, policymakersand researchers have taken notice ofthe sizable increase in the number offemale delinquents entering the juve-nile justice system. However, becausegirls account for a small percentage ofjuvenile arrests — 27 percent of alljuvenile arrests nationwide in 1999 —and because their offenses are oftenconsidered less serious than those com-mitted by boys, female delinquents areoften overlooked. This 12-page ResearchBulletin summarizes information about fe-male delinquents in Illinois, includingarrests of female delinquents, thenumber and characteristics of femaleson probation and in detention, andinformation on females in IllinoisYouth Centers operated by the IllinoisDepartment of Corrections.

“An analysis of gang membersand non-gang membersdischarged from probation”This four-page On Good Authority ana-lyzes data from the 2000 IllinoisProbation Outcome Study to comparegang members and non-gang memberssentenced to probation. This reportsummarizes the differences in gangprobationer demographics and socio-economic conditions, convictionoffenses, substance abuse and criminalhistories, as well as probation condi-tions and outcomes.

Based on information reported by pro-bation officers in Illinois, an estimated6 percent of adults discharged fromprobation in 2000 were identified asgang members — nearly 5,000 of themore than 88,000 probationers dis-charged that year.

“Advances in technology helpboost the quality of criminalhistory reporting”This four-page Trends and Issues Up-date focuses on the recent andemerging technologies that are en-hancing electronic criminal historyreporting.

(Continued on back page )

The Authority’s central mission is

to improve the administration of

criminal justice in the state.

Illinois Criminal Justice Information AuthorityPage 4

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the Illinois Department of Human Ser-vices has adopted InfoNet as the datacollection and reporting tool for domes-tic violence programs the departmentfunds.

Additional initiatives related to infor-mation systems include Authorityparticipation with Illinois State Policein the federally funded National Incident-Based Reporting System implementationprogram, which will explore method-ologies for collecting incident-leveldata. Also, the Authority is using Anti-Drug Abuse Act (ADAA) funds in aproject with the Administrative Officeof the Illinois Courts to develop a state-wide case-based reporting system foradults and juveniles on probation.

The Authority also is working with theChicago Police Department to evaluatethe department’s Citizens and Law En-forcement Analysis and Reporting(CLEAR) project. CLEAR is a majorinitiative to integrate information sys-tems and processes within the policedepartment.

CollaborationWhile most projects undertaken by theAuthority are collaborative efforts,some are specifically designed to bringtogether various groups or agencieswith an interest in criminal justice. Nu-merous initiatives are designed tofoster communication and coordinationbetween criminal justice personnel andvictim service providers, and collabora-tion is encouraged as part of theAuthority’s federal grant process.

To bridge gaps in services and establisha multidisciplinary response to victimsof domestic violence and sexual as-sault, the Authority dedicated fundsallocated under the Violence AgainstWomen Act (VAWA) to implementmodel domestic violence protocols andsexual assault response guidelines.Eleven domestic violence protocol andtwo sexual assault guideline implemen-tation sites were established to bringcriminal justice agencies and victim ser-vice providers together, and torestructure the criminal justice system’sresponse to crimes of violence againstwomen.

The Authority requires that organiza-tions receiving funds under the Victimsof Crime Act (VOCA) demonstrate col-laborative efforts with public and

private agencies in their communities.All VOCA grantees have networkingagreements with other area agenciesand organizations that work with orencounter crime victims. These rela-tionships help maximize the use ofresources, avoid duplication of ser-vices, augment referrals, facilitatevictims’ experiences with the criminaljustice system, and improve communityresponse to crime victims.

Sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE)pilot programs have been launched infour counties around the state and areanother example of collaborative ef-forts on behalf of victims of crime.Implementation of these programs wasmade possible through a combinationof VOCA and state funds. Through theprograms, specially trained sexual as-sault nurse or physician examinersprovide health assessments and collectforensic evidence from victims in theemergency room at each site. Theseexaminers also testify regarding vic-tims’ injuries at criminal prosecutions.

Strong demand for nurse examinertraining led to a collaborative effort tostandardize the curriculum for theSANE program. Staff from the Author-ity, Illinois Department of PublicHealth, Illinois Department of HumanServices, Illinois Sate Police, and Illi-nois Coalition Against Sexual Assault,along with representatives of the af-fected medical associations, formed acommittee to develop state standardsfor a SANE curriculum for hospitals inIllinois interested in the program.

The Authority is regularly involved incollaborative research projects. Re-cently, these have included a study withthe Administrative Office of the IllinoisCourts on probation outcomes; auditsof criminal history records informationin conjunction with the Illinois StatePolice and the Cook County Clerk ofthe Circuit Court’s Office; and a study ofdisproportionate minority representa-tion in the juvenile justice system inCook County involving multiple agen-cies.

A unique and nationally recognizedstudy of domestic violence led by theAuthority involved collaboration withnumerous partners. Among those whotook part were the Cook County Medi-cal Examiners Office, the ChicagoDepartment of Health, the Mayor’s Of-fice on Domestic Violence, the Chicago

ResearchJRSA AwardsThe Authority was presented withthree awards Oct. 3 in Boston at theannual U.S. Department of Justice, Bu-reau of Justice Statistics/ Justice Researchand Statistics (JRSA) national confer-ence. They included:

� Phillip Hoke Award for Excellencein Analysis, which recognizes out-standing efforts to apply empiricalanalysis to criminal justice policy-mak-ing in the states, for the report, “AnImplementation Evaluation of the Ju-venile Justice Reform Provisions of1998.”

� Technical Excellence Award, whichrecognizes an Internet website as anoutstanding effort in utilizing thiselectronic media for information dis-semination, for the Authority’swebsite.

� Certificate of Recognition forTechnical Innovation, which recog-nizes outstanding examples ofleadership in applying new technolo-gies and analysis methods to theinformation needs of the justice com-munity, for the Authority’s web-basedCJ DataNet.

JRSA is a national nonprofit organiza-tion of state criminal justice planningand research agency directors, re-searchers, and practitioners throughoutgovernment, academia, and criminaljustice organizations. JRSA conductsmultistate research on statewide andsystem-wide problems such as domes-tic violence data collection andconvenience store crime, and practicessuch as community policing.

Short-term research projectsR&A staff are currently engaged in anumber of short-term studies on spe-cific criminal justice issues. The DUITrends and Issues project is intendedto describe significant statistical trendsand issues related to driving whileunder the influence of drugs or alco-hol. The Drug Arrest Trends in Illinoisproject is intended to describe trendsrelated to drug arrests and substanceabuse treatment in the State. A projecton Promising Approaches for Delin-quent Girls is designed to provide areview of effective programs for deal-ing with female juvenile delinquents.The Electronic Reporting of CriminalHistory Information project is an effortto produce a public education andtraining piece for law enforcement

THE COMPILER FALL 2002 Page 5

Research continuedPolice Department, the Erie FamilyHealth Center, and Cook County Hospi-tal. Known as the Chicago Women’sHealth Risk Study, the project identifiedfactors that place women who areabused by an intimate partner in dangerof life-threatening injury or death.

The Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 1998encouraged the creation of county orregional juvenile justice councils as ameans of coordinating juvenile justiceefforts and maximizing resources. InJuly 2001, the Authority published anddisseminated the Juvenile Justice

Council Guidebook and Evaluation

Manual as a resource for existing coun-cils and jurisdictions interested in creatinga council. The guidebook addresses juve-nile justice plan development, grantwriting, and interagency agreements.

The Authority also is working with thestate Office of Alcohol and SubstanceAbuse and other federal, state and localagencies and organizations to establisha Substance Abuse Monitoring Net-work. This collaborative effort isdesigned to facilitate the exchange andanalysis of information regarding thenature and extent of drug use, drugabuse, and drug markets in Illinois. Thisresearch is intended to better informand shape state drug control policy.

ServicesThe need for more services for crimevictims and adult and juvenile offendersreceived considerable attention in theCriminal Justice Plan. The plan ac-knowledges that offenders often havemultiple service needs, such as mentalhealth problems and substance abuseissues, which must be dealt with if theyare to become law-abiding citizens. Theplan also addresses the many needs ofvictims of crime and of children ex-posed to violence. In addition, the planrecognizes the need for early interven-tion and the identification of riskfactors that may lead children to crimi-nal activity, and the importance ofaddressing the special needs of juvenileoffenders.

Through its various grant programs, theAuthority has made a determined effortto support victim and offender servicesat the state and local levels. Also,through numerous research projectsthe Authority uses its resources to iden-tify service needs and analyze theeffectiveness of existing programs.

Victim services

With the adoption of the Criminal Jus-

tice Plan, the Authority has emphasizedthe need to support existing servicesand bring resources to underserved orneglected geographic areas and popula-tion groups, such as rural parts of thestate, children, and non-English speak-ing victims.

For victims of domestic violence whoare trying to leave an abusive environ-ment, the Authority has provided VAWAand VOCA funds for 10 transitionalhousing programs. These programs fre-quently serve women who have limitededucation and few job skills, and conse-quently have no means of supportingthemselves financially. Transitionalhousing therefore is critical to theirability to leave a dangerous situationand begin to establish their indepen-dence.

Using federal grant funds, the Authorityhas been able to enhance the servicesbeing brought to children and the eld-erly. Working with the Illinois CoalitionAgainst Domestic Violence, the IllinoisCoalition Against Sexual Assault, andthe Children’s Advocacy Centers of Illi-nois, the Authority has helped expandservices to child witnesses of domesticviolence, elderly victims of domesticabuse, and child victims of sexual as-sault and abuse.

Using ADAA funds, the Authority hasprovided forensic interview training tochild advocacy center service providerswho work with abused children. Theforensic interview approach is designedto keep interview sessions to an abso-lute minimum and reduce the potentialfor trauma to children, which repeateddisclosures might cause.

Offender services

In the area of services for offenders, theAuthority has directed significant re-sources toward enhancing services tosupport the reintegration of offendersinto the community. Working with theIllinois Department of Corrections, theAuthority has designated funds for sev-eral substance abuse programs foroffenders in prisons and after their re-lease. The Authority also fundsnumerous treatment programs for of-fenders using federal ResidentialSubstance Abuse Treatment funds. (Seethe Summer 2002 issue of The Compiler

agencies dealing with mandated re-porting of information to the IllinoisState Police’s criminal history system.Written reports on these projects willbe forthcoming this winter.

EvaluationsR&A continues their evaluation pro-gram and research agenda with theissuance of two new requests for pro-posals. Proposals for an implementationand impact evaluation of the JacksonCounty School-Based Probation Pro-gram have been requested. In thisprogram, minors who are sentencedto juvenile probation in JacksonCounty are assigned two probationofficers: a school-based officer and atraditional line officer.

The second request is for an evalua-tion of the Moral Reconation Therapy(MRT) component in the Franklin/Jefferson County Evening ReportingCenter Program. This program focuseson at-risk minors who spend weekdayevenings at the center receiving treat-ment and participating in groupactivities, including MRT, a cognitive-behavioral treatment approach thatconstitutes a core component of theevening reporting center program.

The parameters for an evaluation ofIllinois’ Returning Home Program areunder development and a request forproposals will be made in 2003.

A number of evaluation final reportswill also be available in early 2003. Amulti-year, multi-phase evaluation ofthe Chicago Police Department com-munity policing program (CAPS) isnearing completion by NorthwesternUniversity, with a complete reportavailable in January. Northwesternwill continue their assessment of CAPSwith a final evaluation scheduled totake place next year.

Northwestern, along with the Univer-sity of Illinois at Chicago, will alsosubmit a final evaluation report onthe Chicago Police Department’s Citi-zen and Law Enforcement Analysisand Reporting (CLEAR) program.CLEAR is a major initiative to inte-grate information systems andprocesses within the department andrepresents an evolution of communitypolicing efforts by incorporating tech-nological advances, increasedaccountability measures and commu-nity participation. The evaluationreport on CLEAR will be available inJanuary.

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Illinois Criminal Justice Information AuthorityPage 6

GrantsAuthority sets sights on newprogram fundingAuthority staff recently applied forfunding from the Paul Coverdell Na-tional Forensic Science ImprovementAct program. Administered by the Na-tional Institute of Justice, the programis designed to help forensic laborato-ries improve the quality, timeliness,and credibility of services for criminaljustice purposes. The program makes$5 million available nationally, with$141,689 available to Illinois. If theapplication is accepted, the award willbe shared by the Illinois State PoliceForensic Sciences Command, DuPageCounty Crime Laboratory, and North-ern Illinois Police Crime Laboratory. Aresponse to the application is ex-pected in February 2003.

Federal financial guidelinesavailable onlineGrantees can keep up to date onguidelines governing federal grantsadministered through the Authoritywith the ICJIA Federal Financial Guide,available online at: www.icjia.state.il.us.Featuring commonly used forms, spe-cial requirements, and a user-friendlyPowerPoint presentation highlightingcritical points, the guide is theAuthority’s rulebook for the adminis-tration of federal grant programs. Itincludes accounting standards, allow-able costs, and procedures for grantadministration, and is based on thefederal laws and regulations, the Of-fice of Justice Programs’ FinancialGuidelines, applicable federal Officeof Management and Budget circulars,state laws, and Authority policies.

VOCA law enforcement andprosecution proposal requestIn September, the Authority issued arequest for proposals for victim ser-vices projects to be implementedthrough local law enforcement andprosecution agencies. Nearly $1.5 mil-lion in Victim of Crime Act (VOCA)funds is available for this programover a two-year funding period.Projects implemented through this so-licitation will enhance the response ofthe criminal justice system to crimevictims. Authority staff and othercriminal justice and victim service pro-fessionals are scoring the 20 proposalsreceived by the submission deadline.Funding recommendations will bepresented to the Authority BudgetCommittee in January 2003.

for a more detailed look at ex-offenderreentry programs and initiatives in Illi-nois.)

Through the Probation Outcome Study,the Authority looked at the impact pro-bation programs have had on offenders.This research will support the identifi-cation of needs and help guide programdevelopment.

Several initiatives have been launchedto assist in the legal defense of indigentpeople facing criminal prosecution. TheAuthority recently launched a new andinnovative program to bring much-needed resources to public defendersin the state’s most rural counties. Manyof these counties do not have full-timepublic defenders. Instead, local attor-neys are appointed by judges torepresent indigent defendants. Not sur-prisingly, resources for investigativeservices, expert witnesses, and evi-dence analysis are meager ornonexistent.

To address these deficiencies, the Au-thority launched the Rural DefenseProject. Through an ADAA grant, eli-gible county public defenders apply tothe Office of the State Appellate De-fender for investigator, expert witness,and forensic services. The appellate de-fender enters into subcontracts withvendors to provide these services on acase-by-case basis. Based on the re-sponse so far, it is anticipated that therewill be significant demand for servicesunder this program, which began July 1.

Funds also have been designated forprograms supporting public defendersin more populated counties, and theAuthority recently sponsored statewideforensic evidence training for publicdefenders.

Juvenile offenders

The Authority also has committedfunds for some new and innovative pro-bation projects to provide intensiveservices for juveniles at risk of deten-tion or those returning to theircommunities from detention. Juvenilesreturning to homes in Chicago’s NorthLawndale community, one of the mosteconomically depressed and crime-rid-den areas of the state, receive intensivemulti-systemic therapy through highlytrained clinical social workers. Multi-systemic therapy emphasizes a holisticapproach to services. By working withthe juvenile, his or her family, school,

and community support structures, itseeks to bring about positive change inthe juvenile and his or her environment.

Another recent initiative supported bythe Authority is the implementation ofjuvenile reporting centers in severalcounties. These centers provide ser-vices and emphasize positive socialactivities for juveniles at risk of deten-tion. Three of these projects will be thesubject of an independent evaluationscheduled to begin in early 2003.

Utilization of resourcesMaking the best use of available re-sources is an essential part ofimproving the criminal justice system inIllinois. The Authority is committed tomaximizing available resources by sup-porting programs that have beenproven to be effective, and by con-stantly evaluating and assessingexisting programs. Accurate and timelyassessment of clients will ensure inter-ventions are appropriate and effective.Adoption of state-of-the-art assess-ments and implementation of bestpractices across all criminal justiceagencies will ensure that servicesmatch needs.

The Authority regularly conducts evalu-ations of funded programs to determinetheir efficacy. These evaluations areusually conducted by independent, out-side contractors. Reports from theseevaluations are published by the Au-thority and made available to theprogram participants as well as the gen-eral public. Typically, an Authority staffmember also will write a summary ofthe evaluation report, and these sum-maries are printed and widelydistributed, either by regular mail orthrough the Authority’s website. Recentevaluation reports include: “An ImpactEvaluation of the Juvenile ProbationProjects in Christian, Peoria andWinnebago Counties,” and “A Processand Impact Evaluation of the Special-ized Domestic Violence ProbationProjects in Peoria, Sangamon andTazewell Counties.”

The Authority also strives to providethe latest information on criminal justicepractices by acting as a clearinghousefor information from the federal gov-ernment and other sources. Most of theinformation from the clearinghouse isavailable on, or can be obtainedthrough, the Authority’s website.

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TechnologyIIJIS strategic planning initiatedThe Illinois Integrated Justice Infor-mation System (IIJIS) board met Sept.19 and Oct. 30 to review drafts of theIIJIS Strategic Plan. The plan includesan endorsement letter for integra-tion from the board, an executivesummary, and mission, vision, andvalues statements. The body of thereport contains discussion of severalchallenges involved with justice inte-gration. Goals, objectives, outcomes,and performance measures associ-ated with each challenge also areincluded. The plan concludes withproposed legislation to create a newIIJIS Governing Board that can assumeresponsibilities regarding integrationimplementation.

ALERTS newsThe Authority collaborated with othergovernment agencies and Motorolato test and implement Datatac2 onthe Area-wide Law Enforcement Ra-dio Terminal System (ALERTS)network, the Authority’s in-car com-puter terminal system for police.Datatac2 is Motorola’s latest mobiledata radio network system. Anotherrecent effort allows e-mail messagingbetween ALERTS and users on thestate’s other mobile data terminalsystem, the Illinois Wireless Informa-tion Network (IWIN).

PIMS under renovationUsers of the Authority’s Police Infor-mation Management System (PIMS)met Oct. 18 in Chicago for the an-nouncement of a vendor to developa replacement for PIMS. Megg Asso-ciates Inc., of Salt Lake City, willdesign the new system. At the meet-ing, users selected PIMSNet as thename of PIMS’ successor. Since themeeting, the Authority has beenworking with Megg Associates to es-tablish a project plan and time framefor transition to PIMSNet.

Staff members also continue to workwith local agencies to implement areporting enhancement to PIMS. Amethod for converting all PIMS datahas been developed and will be usedto maintain data in the Query Man-ager. The new Query Manager is nowused by four PIMS agencies. The con-version methodologies that weredeveloped to move data from PIMSinto the query manager will be usedto migrate data from the existingPIMS to PIMSNet.

To improve the response to juvenileswho come in contact with the justicesystem, the Authority is working withthe Probation Division of the Adminis-trative Office of the Illinois Courts onimplementing an improved system forassessing juveniles and identifying thebest treatment options for individuals.The Juvenile Risk Reduction projectwill evaluate juveniles utilizing a verycomprehensive assessment instrument,which will provide probation officerswith a risk level for the juvenile andrecommended treatment options.

This assessment instrument has beenproven effective in other states. A state-wide juvenile probation advisorycommittee selected it as a standardizedassessment and case management sys-tem for Illinois. The system is in use at15 pilot sites and will eventually beexpanded to probation departmentsthroughout the state.

The Authority also is working with theIllinois Department of Corrections todetermine resources necessary to de-velop and implement an adult risk andneeds assessment instrument.

AccountabilityThe Criminal Justice Plan identifiedaccountability as a necessary and cen-tral principle for the criminal justicesystem. The system must ensure thatoffenders are held accountable for theiractions, programs must be held ac-countable for performance, and thesystem must be held accountable to thecitizens of Illinois, particularly victims.

The assessment and evaluation effortsalready discussed play a major role inensuring accountability. Efforts to im-prove information systems and dataquality also will improve accountabilityby providing the public with better,more accurate, and more current infor-mation on crimes and the system’sresponse to those crimes.

Other Authority efforts relating to ac-countability include research andtechnical support provided by the Au-thority for the Governor’s Commissionon Capital Punishment, and an evalua-tion of the implementation of provisionsof the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of1998.

The Authority also has compiled andpublished profiles reflecting the workof multi-jurisdictional drug and violent

crime units throughout the state. Addi-tional ADAA funding has beenchanneled to these specialized taskforces to crack down on serious drugoffenders and hold them accountable.

County profiles looking at crime trendsand arrest rates in all Illinois countieshave been compiled, published, andmade available on the Authoritywebsite.

The Authority also evaluated the victim-witness program of the Cook CountyState’s Attorney’s Office, and startedwork on a statewide victimization sur-vey. Both of these projects will helpassess the system’s response to crimevictims and improve services to victimsin Illinois.

The futureWorking with its many partner agenciesand organizations, the Authority hasmade great strides toward fulfilling thegoals and objectives of the Criminal

Justice Plan. While this effort will be anongoing process, it must also be onethat is adapted to address different cir-cumstances. When the plan was firstdrafted more than two years ago, terror-ism was not a priority issue. Today it is,and we must adjust our resources ac-cordingly.

The threat of terrorist attacks makesthe creation of an integrated justiceinformation system even more impera-tive. Such a system would be atremendous asset to efforts aimed atpreventing an attack and to ensuring acoordinated response if an attack oc-curred.

Much also remains to be done to pro-vide better services to victims of crime,and to provide them with a method ofrecourse if they feel the system hasfailed them.

The reality of a state budget crisismeans that resources in the foreseeablefuture will be severely limited. There-fore, everything possible must be doneto plan and implement the most effec-tive programs, and to identify and focuson the most pressing criminal justiceneeds.�

Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority120 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 1016Chicago, Illinois 60606312.793.8550TDD 312.793.4170Fax 312.793.8422www.icjia.state.il.us

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PERMIT NUMBER 4273

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“Process and impact evaluationof the specialized domesticviolence probation projects inPeoria, Sangamon and Tazewellcounties”A final report is available on a processand impact evaluation of the special-ized domestic violence probationprojects in Peoria, Sangamon, andTazewell Counties. The report by theUniversity of Illinois at Springfield pro-vides a description of the problem ofdomestic violence, the study method-ology, and a brief review of relevantliterature. The purpose of the evalua-tion was to assess the implementationprocesses of the three counties as wellas the short-term impact of each oftheir specialized programs.

A four-page On Good Authority com-panion report summarizes theevaluation findings, including theneed to draw upon community re-sources when supervising thispopulation. The evaluation also notedthat each program was effectively ad-dressing alcohol and substance abuseproblems and that the programs arelearning more about domestic vio-

lence probationers and identifyingpatterns that are relevant to their su-pervision.

“Impact evaluation of thejuvenile probation projects inChristian, Peoria andWinnebago counties”A final report compiled by the Univer-sity of Illinois at Springfield on theimpact evaluation of intensive juve-nile probation projects in Peoria,Winnebago and Christian counties isavailable. This report details how andto what extent the three projects wereaffecting their respective target popu-lations.

An On Good Authority highlights theevaluation findings, including theneed for assessment tools to identifymental health issues and interventionsto address both mental health andsubstance abuse, and the need foraftercare services. The evaluation alsonotes that distinct and graduatedphases within the program wouldserve as an incentive to cooperatewith program requirements.

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