An intimate discussion about preteen and juvenile detention

Vivien Jackson talks about her own opinion about juvenile justice. Photo by Carolyn Chen

	By Carolyn Chen, Reporter, The Real Chi

An Illinois Appellate Court decision this October invalidates an ordinance passed by the Cook County Board of Commissioners that barred the custodial detention of pre-teens. 

In this 2018 case, a 12-year-old boy, who was suspected to be involved in an armed robbery, spent 23 days in lockup, accordinging to a report by Injustice Watch. After he was released, he was placed on electronic monitoring for two months.

On December 16, Injustice Watch held a discussion in West Englewood about their report about this recent court decision. At the event, there was also a screening of Second Chance Kids, a documentary which examines three juvenile murder cases in Massachusetts.

Community members and advocates identified the issue and its societal and individual effects through discussions open to the public.

Questions that provokes deep thinking are discussed. Photo b Carolyn Chen

In particular, participants had a fierce conversation about how young is too young. Illinois has no minimum age of criminal responsibility, although the number of youth being detained before trial has dropped nationwide.

Some argued that legal responsibilities should not only be decided on how old you are but also where you are from. A community member, who does not want to be identified, said black kids usually get traumatized in the community where violence is a norm. “They are confined in this little world.”

“Intimate discussion groups provide a lot of vulnerable and in-depth conversations. It's important to have these discussions and have people engage more with things that are going on politically.”

Community member Vivien Jackson said, “The community should have programs for youth to be active and be engaged in volunteering, sports and being creative in a positive way.”

At the end of the discussion, participants had a consensus that the focus should be on how to help the pre-teens heal and grow instead of punishment.

Injustice Watch conducts research to expose institutional failures and addresses these issues. 

It is dedicated to bringing the stories into the communities that are impacted by the issues but don't usually get the access. 

“Intimate discussion groups provide a lot of vulnerable and in-depth conversations. It's important to have these discussions and have people engage more with things that are going on politically,” said Sierra Jackson, audience engagement coordinator at Injustice Watch.

Emily Hoerner answers questions from the participants. Photo by Carolyn Chen

“It was nice to get a read from people who aren't in the positions of power and to see where people are,” Injustice Watch’s reporter of this article, Emily Hoerner, said.