Illinois § 5-101

§ 5-101.

Purpose and policy. (1) It is the intent of the General Assembly to promote a juvenile justice system capable of dealing with the problem of juvenile delinquency, a system that will protect the community, impose accountability for violations of law and equip juvenile offenders with competencies to live responsibly and productively. To effectuate this intent, the General Assembly declares the following to be important purposes of this Article: (a) To protect citizens from juvenile crime. (b) To hold each juvenile offender directly accountable for the juvenile's acts. (c) To provide an individualized assessment of each alleged and adjudicated delinquent juvenile, in order to rehabilitate and to prevent further delinquent behavior through the development of competency in the juvenile offender. As used in this Section, "competency" means the development of educational, vocational, social, emotional and basic life skills which enable a minor to mature into a productive member of society. (d) To provide due process, as required by the Constitutions of the United States and the State of Illinois, through which each juvenile offender and all other interested parties are assured fair hearings at which legal rights are recognized and enforced. (2) To accomplish these goals, juvenile justice policies developed pursuant to this Article shall be designed to: (a) Promote the development and implementation of community-based programs designed to prevent unlawful and delinquent behavior and to effectively minimize the depth and duration of the minor's involvement in the juvenile justice system; (b) Provide secure confinement for minors who present a danger to the community and make those minors understand that sanctions for serious crimes, particularly violent felonies, should be commensurate with the seriousness of the offense and merit strong punishment; (c) Protect the community from crimes committed by minors; (d) Provide programs and services that are community-based and that are in close proximity to the minor's home; (e) Allow minors to reside within their homes whenever possible and appropriate and provide support necessary to make this possible; (f) Base probation treatment planning upon individual case management plans; (g) Include the minor's family in the case management plan; (h) Provide supervision and service coordination where appropriate; implement and monitor the case management plan in order to discourage recidivism; (i) Provide post-release services to minors who are returned to their families and communities after detention; (j) Hold minors accountable for their unlawful behavior and not allow minors to think that their delinquent acts have no consequence for themselves and others. (3) In all procedures under this Article, minors shall have all the procedural rights of adults in criminal proceedings, unless specifically precluded by laws that enhance the protection of such minors. Minors shall not have the right to a jury trial unless specifically provided by this Article. (Source: P.A. 103-22, eff. 8-8-23.)