Senate Bill 3463 removes barriers to expungement through creation of an automatic process

On August 9th, Governor Pritzker signed into law Senate Bill 3463, an amendment to the Juvenile Court Act, which creates a clear process for implementation of already existing juvenile expungement laws. ​

SB 3463 is intended to automatically schedule expungement hearing date for juveniles. Additionally, eligible juvenile records can now be expunged two years after a sentence ends, to allow the court to schedule the expungement date when the sentence ends or when a young person is sent to the Department of Juvenile Justice. This will allow both greater flexibility and more accuracy, so that the judge has the most up to date information about the young person’s future eligibility upon setting a court date. This will reduce the likelihood of multiple court dates having to be scheduled.

Read Governor Pritzker's Press Release

Illinois Receives Expanded

Federal Medicaid Waiver Approval

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), approved the latest in a series of groundbreaking Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) demonstrations that will allow Illinois, Kentucky, Oregon, Utah, and Vermont to provide coverage before release, creating a seamless transition and avoiding gaps in coverage.

READ HHS PRESS RELEASE

Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) Director Elizabeth Whitehorn noted in a statement, “This announcement transforms and advances our state’s vision of an equitable and sustainable healthcare delivery system, leveraging Medicaid resources to address root causes of health disparities."

DJJ will be working with HFS in the coming months to roll out a plan for implementing this amazing new program.

READ IL HFS STATEMENT

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Youth Poetry Award

We are is so very proud to share that a youth who is served by IDJJ's Aftercare program was recognized at the 8th annual Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Awards. This talented young person submitted an original poem and was invited to attend an awards ceremony where the winning poets were honored.

The collection of this year's winning poems notes that Gwendolyn Brooks was the first Black person ever to win the Pulitzer Prize (1950), and she received countless honorary degrees as well as many other honors and awards, including Poet Laureate of Illinois (30+ years), inductee of the National Women’s Hall of Fame, an Academy of American Poets Fellowship, the National Medal of Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities’ Jefferson Award, and Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress.

Ms. Brooks taught at several colleges and universities. To date, at least

five schools have been named after her, as well as the Illinois State Library

Building and several other libraries, award programs, and cultural centers.

Update on Reforms at IDJJ

Did you know that IDJJ is in the process of a transformation? IDJJ has utilized decades of evidence from across the country, and within its own system, with the goal of achieving meaningful transformation, better youth outcomes, and increased community safety. Check out the chart below for an update on some of the changes that have been recently implemented. You can also download as a document using the button below.