Justice System Reform Archives

Surprising, Without Intervention Juvenile Delinquency Continued

Well not surprising actually. On 10 February 2022, Newsday posted their article, “Report: Nearly half of 16-year-olds arrested under RTA committed new crimes in NYC.” Some background. What is “RTA?” RTA, stands for “raise the age,” and concerns the oldest age at which an offender is considered a juvenile. RTA measures seek to push older and older individuals away from the criminal courts and under the jurisdiction of our juvenile (or family) courts. Many advocates have pushed for raising the juvenile court age to 21 or even older. These efforts tend to go hand-in-hand with the assertion that our juvenile courts are ineffective, and there should be a complete diversion from all formal court processes. The problem – absent a formal court response mechanism, the youth most at-risk of continued and deepening delinquency do not actually participate in needed interventions. Oh, and absent both accountability and intervention, they are at a substantially increased risk of violent crime victimization themselves. The Newsday article covered a research report from the New York City Criminal Justice Agency (CJA), a non-profit, pre-trial services and “court-involved” (aka offender) advocacy organization. Their report was released in December 2021. [Click the link below to read more.]

Carjackings Update on Chicago’s Juvenile Crime Story

Last November we posted an editorial on how the City of Chicago, under the administration of Mayor Lori Lightfoot, closed its only Juvenile Intervention and Support Center (JISC). In December, Secure 1776 followed up with an analysis of carjackings and the connections to juvenile crime. Carjackings have spiked across the country since 2020. An escalating carjacking problem has been particularly noteworthy in urban areas. Many cities have experienced a continuing surge. But the problem is particularly evident in Chicago. Yesterday, 7 February 2022, Mayor Lightfoot held a press conference with Chicago Police Department (CPD) Superintendent David Brown, a representative from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and other officials. In the press conference, Mayor Lightfoot indicated that half of those arrested in connection to Chicago’s carjackings are juveniles. She also made an interesting statement on the cause of the rising juvenile crime connection – “remote learning.” [Click the link below to read more.]

Will Truth Prevail? A “Cops Ask Questions” Recommendation

Covid-19 pandemic response lockdowns and mandates have come at tremendous cost. In urban areas across America, the pandemic has been blamed for a long list of problems – including rising violence. Some of that blame is a convenient political cover for misguided justice “reform” initiatives, non-prosecutor prosecutors, and unrealistic demands for “tragedy-free” policing. Constitutional rights to speech, assembly, religion and bodily autonomy have been trampled, and science has been corrupted. Among the biggest casualties during the pandemic has been the truth. Secure 1776 hopes to further the cause of truth with a recommendation to view a 26 January 2022 presentation by Dr. Scott Atlas. Quoting Dr. Atlas: “There is no public benefit” to the Covid-19 vaccines (ref. 54:50 in the below video presentation). The benefit is only to the person taking the vaccine – specifically with respect to those individuals with several co-morbidities and who are at high risk of severe illness or death from Covid. Given the risks the vaccines themselves pose – vaccine mandates for otherwise healthy people are not supported by the data. Firing employees (public or otherwise) for not taking the (still experimental) vaccines is beyond unreasonable. Worse, firing unvaccinated police officers, and using the police as the face and muscle of pandemic restrictions enforcement, weakens overall public safety. [Click the link below to read more.]

Buried Yesterday, Is There Resolve Today?

In our New Year’s Day editorial, we made clear that 2021 was not a “happy new year” relative to public safety. Our founder also made clear that for 2022 to be a “happy new year,” resolve would be required. On 29 December 2021, Bradley Police Sergeant Rittmanic’s last known words were to her attacker, as her own gun was pointed at her head. “Just leave, you don’t have to do this. Please just go. Please don’t. Please don’t.” Yet, her attacker was determined to kill her anyway and did. Yesterday, Illinois buried Sergeant Marlene Rittmanic. Today, we ask whether our community is fully resolved to say: “Enough!” In 2022, will we demand our elected officials and the media stop demonizing the police? Will our courts be the place where consequences occur, or will the streets continue to be the place where the truth about consequences are most visible? [Click the link below to read more.]

New Year Will Require Resolve to be “Happy” About Public Safety

“Good morning” is a greeting that is commonly shared early in the day. The expression acknowledges the start of a new day, as well as a statement of hope. Yet we have also heard the greeting shortened to just “morning.” The shortened expression makes no claim beyond a statement of time. Fatigue and a discouraged sense of what the new day has in store can often explain why the shortened greeting is used. The greeting “Happy New Year” is similar to “good morning,” and it too seeks to express hope for the time ahead. As a nation we lived through 2020, the year like no other. The year 2020 was one with many issues, including significant public safety disappointments. Sadly, relative to violence, 2021 was also a disappointing year. A “happy” new year in 2022 will require resolve beyond the mere use of an optimistic greeting. [Click the link below to read more.]

Some Clarity on Carjackings and the Complexities of Juvenile Crime

A week ago in our “Editorial: Spectacle Chicago and the Death of the JISC,” our readers were provided several key insights regarding juvenile delinquency. First, the connection between early delinquency and the risks of future violence are clear. Second, the closing of the Juvenile Intervention and Support Center (JISC), without any alternative, weakened the city’s response to juvenile delinquency. It remains another spectacle Chicago moment. Yes, large social forces lay a complex macro-level foundation for crime – particularly juvenile crime. But, we should not be fooled, even in areas where crime and violence are the worst, most youth do not become gang members, and most do not engage in violence. Chicago loses children to gang activity, delinquency, and violence one young person at a time. The explosion of carjackings in Chicago provides us with an opportunity for some clarity relative to juvenile crime. [Click the link below to read more.]

Editorial: Spectacle Chicago and the Death of the JISC

On 4 March 2006, the Juvenile Intervention and Support Center (JISC) became Chicago’s first and only police facility dedicated specifically to address juvenile delinquency. In my 34 years, three months, and two days with the Chicago Police Department (CPD), the JISC stands out for two reasons. First, the fact that the doors opened at all was a historic accomplishment. Second, it is a massive disappointment that the JISC stopped receiving youth, as of CPD’s midnight watch on 21 November 2021. In truth, the JISC was never fully supported, not fully implemented, and was not allowed to meet its full potential. And yet, the JISC did good work and offered a pathway for improved outcomes for thousands of Chicago’s young people. Abandoning the JISC, with no functioning alternative, is yet another spectacle Chicago moment. [Click the link below to read more.]

Wonderland Chicago, the Victim Problem

When Alice followed a rabbit down a hole, she ended up in Wonderland, a bizarre, mixed up place. Among the characters she met was the Cheshire Cat, who told her that everyone in Wonderland was “mad,” crazy, including her. When Alice asked how the cat knew she was “mad,” he responded: “You must be… or you wouldn’t have come here.” More than the king, the Queen of Hearts ruled in Wonderland. The queen sought executions before trials, and sentences before verdicts. The Queen of Hearts would likely agree that the lawlessness problem in Wonderland Chicago is caused by its victims. But in a sane world, a justice system that does not have victims as a priority is fundamentally unjust. But if, up is down and down is up, then welcome Alice to Wonderland Chicago. Lawlessness is madness. [Click the link below to read more.]

Forget About It, a Crime Victims Quick Read Update

In the “Men in Black” film series secret agents use a device to erase memories. Those agents sought to conceal the activities of extraterrestrials. In New York, it is not secret agents telling the police to “forget about it,” and the “it” is criminal activity. A ruling by New York Judge Lyle Frank has, in a sense, at least for now, memory holed about half of the arrest records of the New York Police Department (NYPD). As reported by US News & World Report, the issue centers around the sealing of arrest records when the arrest does not end in a conviction. That’s good right? Well, like so much, the answer is both “yes” and “no.” What we can say with certainty, victim’s don’t so easily get to just forget about it. Here we present a “Quick Read” update on our August post entitled, “Crime Victims Are Not the Priority.” [Click the link below to read more.]