title
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
AN INTERAGENCY GRANT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF JUDGE AND THE COOK COUNTY JUSTICE ADVISORY COUNCIL AND A SUBRECIPIENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF JUDGE AND LURIE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOR CONTINUATION OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE COLLABORATIVE DEFERRED PROSECUTION PROGRAM
WHEREAS, the Juvenile Justice Collaborative (“JJC”) is an evidence-based care coordination model consisting of a consortium of community-based agencies whose mission is to minimize future justice involvement for arrested youth and promote equity in the justice system; and
WHEREAS, the JJC Deferred Prosecution Program (“JJC Program”) is an initiative of the JJC and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office that provides an alternative pathway from traditional prosecution for arrested youth; and
WHEREAS, the JJC Program’s goals are (1) to reduce violence and minimize justice involvement of youth who have experienced past violence or trauma or are at increased risk of exposure to violence, and (2) to provide trauma-informed care coordination for justice-involved youth granted deferred prosecution; and
WHEREAS, the JJC Program uses a community-based care coordination model that begins with an individual assessment to provide appropriate community-based mentorship, behavioral health treatment, educational services, family services, and job training for each youth’s needs; and
WHEREAS, since 2017, Cook County Juvenile Probation Department and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office (CCSAO) have referred over 1,500 youth to the JJC; and
WHEREAS, an independent evaluation found that youth referred to the program, relative to a comparison group, were more than 40 percent less likely to reoffend at one year post referral; and
WHEREAS, the County achieves its mission through strategic collaborations and partnerships with states, local governments, community organizations, and others; and
WHEREAS, Lurie Children’s Hospital (“LCH”) is an established 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency, which has extensive experience and expertise in providing oversight of the JJC through comprehensive and coordinated community-based services, including the coordination of training, professional development, evaluation, and continuous quality improvement; and
WHEREAS in 2022, the program expanded when the County allocated $6,109,124.00 in ARPA Funds to support efforts to reduce violence and minimize justice involvement among youth who have experienced violence or trauma or who are at high risk of exposure to violence, that was administered by OCJ to fund the work of LCH and the JJC Program via a subrecipient agreement between OCJ and LCH; and
WHEREAS, LCH successfully administers the JJC Program as the “Partnership Steward,” providing coordination, program administration, evaluation, and strategic planning for the community-based organizations and service providers that contribute to the JJC Program; and
WHEREAS, the JJC’s goals are greatly aligned with the Cook County Policy Roadmap pillar for Safe and Thriving communities, through the support of alternatives to detention and pathways to lesser involvement in the criminal legal system; and
WHEREAS, in the furtherance of these Cook County goals, the Cook County Justice Advisory Council (JAC) engages in grantmaking in the areas of violence prevention, reentry services, and more with an eye toward investing in communities supporting success outside of the adult and juvenile justice systems;
WHEREAS, the JAC has agreed to offer a grant to OCJ to help ensure that the work of the JJC can continue past the expiration of ARPA as it would further the goals of Cook County; and
WHEREAS, the County, through OCJ and the JAC, wishes to continue funding and administering the JJC Program through November 30, 2027; and
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners hereby authorizes the Justice Advisory Council (JAC) and the Office of the Chief Judge (OCJ) to enter an Interagency Agreement for the JAC to provide a grant of $1,000,000.00 to OCJ for the purposes of providing continued funding for the Juvenile Justice Collaborative Deferred Prosecution Program from October 22, 2026 through November 30, 2027; that the interagency agreement would have expenses accrued in FY26 and FY27; that the interagency agreement would designated the number 1205-IAAJJC-2026; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners hereby authorizes OCJ to contribute an additional $350,000 to the Juvenile Justice Collaborative Deferred Prosecution Program; and the fiscal impacts across the two funding sources will be approximately $136,330.00 in FY26 and $1,213,670.00 in FY27; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners hereby authorizes OCJ to enter a subrecipient agreement with Lurie Children’s Hospital to continue administering the Juvenile Justice Collaborative Deferred Prosecution Fund as the Partnership Steward for up to $1,350,000 with a duration of October 22, 2026 through November 30, 2027, and under terms as required by the Interagency Agreement.
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