IYC-St. Charles is Northern Illinois’ medium-security facility for boys. St. Charles also serves as the Northern Reception and Classification facility for Illinois.
Vital Statistics:
Population: 259
Average Age: 16.5
Average Annual cost per youth: $77,779
Population by Race: 45 White (16.4%), 185 Black (67.5%), 41 Hispanic (15%), 3 Native American (1.1%)
Committing offense: 4 Murder, 33 Class X felonies, 59 Class 1 felonies, 74 Class 2 felonies, 62 Class 3 felonies, 24 Class 4 felonies, 16 Misdemeanors.
Source: IDJJ (5/17/2011)
Key Observations:
- In spite of the fact that two years ago a youth used a bed to commit suicide at St. Charles, the facility does not have safety beds in its confinement unit, suicide watch rooms, or its general population units.
- Youth on infirmary status are being held in the confinement unit without access to school or outdoor activities for weeks on end.
- A lack of adequate staffing and funding prevents youth from taking advantage of the facility’s large amount of open space.
- The recent appointment of Superintendent David Hicks, who comes from a dual diagnosis treatment background, is a promising step towards achieving DJJ’s mission of rehabilitation and treatment.
- The reception and classification process has been streamlined, cutting the time from as much as three weeks to between seven and ten days.
Read JHA's most recent report.
The John D. And Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s initiative, Models for Change, has funded the John Howard Association of Illinois (JHA) to monitor IDJJ’s facilities.
