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Senate Bill 92, sponsored by Rep. Annazette Collins, D-Chicago,
and Sen. John Cullerton, D-Chicago, separates the juvenile justice
operations from within the Department of Corrections and makes the
division its own agency. The legislation was approved during the
fall veto session and was signed into law by the governor on Nov.
17, 2005.
After the governor signed the law, he assembled a transition team
of elected officials and advocacy groups to be responsible for
gathering and evaluating information and making recommendations on
key programmatic and organizational issues that will confront the
new Department of Juvenile Justice. The transition team broke into
several work groups and focused on four key areas: administration
and organization, services, training, and evaluation.
"The new Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice will give
troubled kids the help they need to make sure a brush with the law
in their youth doesn't lead to a lifetime of crime and
incarceration," Blagojevich said. "I believe Kurt Friedenauer is
equipped to lead the new agency through such an important
transitional period. While the search for a permanent director will
continue, Kurt understands his mission and the mission of the new
Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice. I would like to thank all
the members of the transition team that helped mold the vision for
the new department."
Approximately 1,400 juveniles are incarcerated within the
Illinois Department of Corrections, and nearly 47 percent of
juvenile offenders return to the system. By creating a separate
Department of Juvenile Justice, young offenders will receive
individualized services, including educational, vocational, social
and emotional services that will help enable them to become
productive adults. It's expected that the new department will help
reduce the number of juvenile offenders who return to the juvenile
system.
In addition to the services provided inside juvenile facilities,
the new department will also provide transitional and post-release
treatment programs for juveniles, including counseling, mental
health and substance-abuse services.
 Eight juvenile facilities and the Department of Corrections
School District will move from the Illinois Department of
Corrections into the new department. The new department is
"budget-neutral," meaning that its funding, approximately $125
million, will simply be transferred from the existing budget of the
Department of Corrections.
"The creation of a new Department of Juvenile Justice by Governor
Blagojevich puts Illinois in the forefront of fighting crime and
preventing juvenile delinquency," said Sen. Carol Ronen, D-Chicago,
a member of the transition team. "The recommendations that have been
made by the transition team will ensure that this new department
will function smoothly and efficiently. We know that the best way to
keep juveniles from lives of crime is to intervene early with
effective strategies, services and punishment."
"The excellent work produced by this transition team provides a
superb road map for the development of the new department," said
Paula Wolff, senior executive with Metropolis 2020 and co-chair of
the transition team. "Expectations and opportunities are high for a
system that will reduce crime and lead youth to good jobs and
productive citizenship."
Illinois joins 39 other states that currently separate their
juvenile and adult corrections systems. Implementation of the new
agency will begin on July 1.
"I think that the selection of Kurt Friedenauer is a fantastic
idea," said Rep. Collins, sponsor of the legislation creating the
new agency and co-chair of the transition team. "As the current
deputy director of the Juvenile Corrections Division within the
Illinois Department of Corrections, he has served on the
transitional team with pride and dignity in helping to develop this
new department. He will lead the new agency into the 21st century,
making Illinois once again the leader in juvenile justice."
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 Friedenauer has served as deputy director of the Juvenile
Corrections Division in Illinois since October 2004. From October
2001 until October 2004, he was vice president of Adolescent
Substance Abuse Treatment Services at Rosecrance Health Network in
Rockford. He also served as assistant secretary of probation and
community corrections in the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice
from August 2000 until October of 2001. During his tenure in
Florida, Friedenauer was directly responsible for helping implement
a major restructuring of the Department of Juvenile Justice, while
managing a diverse work force of over 1,700 employees and an annual
operating budget of $140 million.
"I am pleased and honored that the governor put his faith in me
to lead this new agency through such a critical period," said
Friedenauer. "I'm confident that by working with all the leaders and
groups that were instrumental parts of the transition team, that the
Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice will be a success. I look
forward to the challenge and thank Governor Blagojevich for the
opportunity."
Members of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice transition
team:
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Sen. John Cullerton,
co-chair
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Rep. Annazette
Collins, co-chair
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Paula Wolff, co-chair
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Rep. Patti Bellock
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Rep. Barbara Flynn
Currie
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Rep. Julie Hamos
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Rep. Patrician
Lindner
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Rep. Robert Molaro
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Rep. Brandon Phelps
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Sen. Kwame Raoul
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Sen. Carol Ronen
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House Democratic
staff
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Senate Democratic
staff
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House Republican
staff
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AFSCME
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American Academy of
Pediatrics, Illinois Chapter
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Chicago Metropolis
2020
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Chicago Police
Department
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Child Care
Association
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Community and
Residential Services Authority
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Cook County Hospital
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Cook County Juvenile
Court Clinic
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Cook County Public
Defender's Office
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Cook County State's
Attorney -- Juvenile Justice Bureau
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Fight Crime: Invest
in Kids Illinois
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Illinois Association
of Chiefs of Police
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Illinois Balanced and
Restorative Justice Initiative Board
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Illinois
Collaboration on Youth
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Illinois Criminal
Justice Information Authority
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Illinois Department
of Children and Family Services
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Illinois Department
of Corrections
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Illinois Department
of Human Services
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Illinois Latino
Research Institute
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Illinois State's
Attorney Association
-
Illinois State Board
of Education
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Illinois Violence
Prevention Authority
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Inner City Teaching
Corps
-
John Howard
Association
-
Judicial Advisory
Council
-
Juvenile Justice
Initiative
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Kaleidoscope Inc.
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League of Women
Voters of Illinois
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Little Village CDC
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Metropolitan Family
Services
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Northwestern
University
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Safer Foundation
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TASC
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Voices for Illinois
Children
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YMCA Street
Intervention Program
[News release from the governor's
office]
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