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This brief shares findings from a process evaluation of a program that treats women prisoners in Illinois with co-occurring disorders—substance use and mental health disorders. Overall, feedback from clients and staff were positive and the program showed reductions in clients' posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and aggression after participation. In addition,...

Police officers often encounter people with substance use disorders and in need of treatment. Police pre-arrest diversion or “deflection” programs allow police departments to refer individuals to treatment, steering them away from traditional criminal justice system processing. This preliminary outcome evaluation examined A Way Out (AWO), a program in Lake...

Violence is one of the top three leading causes of death for individuals between the ages of 15 and 34 in the United States, and the American Public Health Association and Centers for Disease Control have designated violence a public health crisis. Important to combating this crisis are behavioral and...

Some individuals on probation who have opioid use disorders (OUDs) cannot access effective, FDA-approved medications-methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone-to treat their disorders. This article shared finding from a survey of 26 Illinois probation department directors on how probation departments respond to clients with OUDs, focusing on the barriers to accessing OUD...

Social science research, rooted in the scientific method, is the foundation on which to advance knowledge and society. Part of research can include the participation of individuals, or “human subjects,” to help further the understanding of society and issues within society. International, federal, state, and local regulations ensure individuals are...

Despite the juvenile justice system’s shift from punitive to rehabilitative correctional approaches, post-commitment youth recidivism continues to be a significant issue. While the number of incarcerated juveniles in Illinois has consistently decreased over the years, the recidivism rate remains high. To better understand the extent of Illinois youth recidivism, researchers...

Nearly one-third of Illinois probationers suffer from an opioid use disorder (OUD). Despite evidence that FDA-approved medications methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone can effectively treat OUD, many probation departments do not allow their clients to use them, even when prescribed by a healthcare provider. ICJIA researchers surveyed probation departments across the...

Even with substantial efforts at the state and local levels, opioid overdoses in Illinois continue to rise. Many in jails and prisons suffer from opioid use disorders and some receive treatment. Upon release, the risk of overdose is enhanced due to reduced tolerance. This article presents findings from a survey...

Monetary penalties, such as court costs, fees, and fines, are common sanctions levied by the criminal justice system. While these sanctions are used to offset court operations' costs, the financial burden disproportionately impacts those from lower socioeconomic levels and minority communities. This article summarizes survey findings gleaned from a population...

The criminal justice system features multiple independent agencies working parallel to each other. Criminal justice coordinating councils foster agency collaboration to better address county criminal justice issues. This article describes criminal justice coordinating councils and examines the limited research available on their implementation and effectiveness.

Gun violence continues to be a major criminal justice and public health issue. This article provides an overview of one strategy to reduce gun violence—focused deterrence. The strategy has been employed in many major U.S. cities, including in Illinois in Chicago, Peoria, and Rockford. Overall research on focused deterrence strategies...

With increased attention on the criminal justice system's use of evidence-based practices, focus is needed on the quality of practice implementation and its impact on outcomes. This article defines evidence-based practices, discusses the importance of effective implementation, and outlines the drivers for organizational and operational change.

Researchers conducted a process evaluation of Safe Passage, a police deflection model in which police departments become a referral point to treatment for individuals with substance use disorders. Through the model, individuals can walk into any participating police department and request and receive treatment without fear of arrest. In Illinois,...

Research has found nearly all prisoners have experienced a traumatic event in their life and a high proportion suffer from PTSD. Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority and WestCare Foundation (Illinois) researchers surveyed 573 Illinois prisoners to understand the trauma they experienced and explore the relationship between trauma and substance misuse....

There is a national opioid epidemic and one intervention to help those suffering from an opioid use disorder (OUD) is medication-assisted treatment (MAT). MAT is the use of medications in conjunction with behavioral therapy as part of a long-term treatment regimen. There are three main MAT medications used today—methadone, buprenorphine,...

Juvenile Justice in Illinois, 2015, provides a statistical overview of the juvenile justice system in Illinois across four decision points in which data were available: arrest, detention admissions, active probation caseloads, and new sentence admissions to corrections. Statewide and regional figures are provided with rates spanning from 2011 to 2015....

While more than half of individuals incarcerated in U.S. jails and prisons meet the diagnostic criteria for a substance use disorder, little is known about their misuse of prescription drugs. In this study, Authority researchers, in collaboration with WestCare Foundation Illinois, surveyed 573 state prisoners on prescription drug use to...

Synthetic drug use is a growing public health concern. Synthetics are often cheaper and more readily available than cannabis and amphetamines, making them attractive alternatives to other illicit drugs. In addition, the chemical formulas for these drugs are constantly changing, making them difficult to regulate, and their detection is limited...

Police administrators across the country are recognizing the need to connect individuals with whom they come into contact in the community to evidence-based treatment to better address the large social and economic burden of substance use disorders (SUD), a chronic and relapsing condition. Police frequently encounter substance using individuals and...

Research is limited on the use of electronic monitoring for individuals released from state correctional institutions. Available research indicates mixed results as to the efficacy of electronic monitoring in deterring individuals from committing technical violations—or violations of their conditions of release—and future criminal offending behavior. Further, the risks for collateral...

The way in which probation and parole officers communicate and interact can impact outcomes for their clients. This literature review examines strategies geared towards enhancing outcomes for individuals under correctional supervision—core correctional practices and motivational interviewing. These practices have been found to generate more positive outcomes for individuals on probation...

The COVID-19 pandemic poses unique challenges for the criminal justice system. Despite statewide social distancing and stay-in-place orders, criminal justice practitioners and victim service providers must, to some extent, continue to directly interact with justice-involved individuals, victims, and others. This article describes some of the challenges criminal justice system practitioners...

Juveniles adjudicated delinquent for a sex offense can result in lifelong consequences, including sex offender registration. Further, there can be repercussions financially, emotionally, and socially for a juvenile and his/her family that extend throughout the individual's life. Given the potential negative impact of sex offender registration, it is important to...

Research indicates that diverting youth from formal justice system processing can prevent future youth justice contact and system involvement. The Illinois Department of Human Services seeks to accomplish this through providing individualized treatment services to reduce recidivism and admissions to state youth correctional facilities as part of its Redeploy Illinois...

The criminal legal system has established policies and programs to address intimate partner violence, such as mandatory arrest policies, specialized courts, weapons bans, no drop prosecution, and orders of protection. Programs for people who perpetrate violence include batterer intervention programs and cognitive behavioral therapy. These programs attempt to address correlated...

Though underreported, intimate partner violence affects a large number of women, as well as men and individuals in the LGBTQIA+ community. Intimate partner violence can affect the mental and physical health of the person who experienced violence and negatively impact children in the home. Over the past two decades, researchers...

This brief information graphic highlights the experiences of justice-involved girls, the various needs of girls in the juvenile justice system, and best practices surrounding services and programming for justice-involved girls. The information graphic was created as part of the Illinois State Bar Association’s continuing law education series: Girls in Crisis...