Cook County Chief Circuit Judge Timothy Evans addresses community members and stakeholders during the opening ceremony for the Chicago area's first suburban Restorative Justice Community Court in Sauk Village, Illinois. The so-called second-chance court for nonviolent offenders aged 18 to 26 is the first to open in four years, and the first of four Judge Evans said he intends to establish in the next year. (Lauraann Wood | Law360)
"It's a second-chance court for young people who made a mistake, but we're catching it early so that we can turn their lives around," Judge Evans said. "I know everybody here has made a mistake or two, and everybody needs a second chance."
The suburban restorative justice court is the fourth to open under the program, which rolled out in 2017, and the first to open in the last four years. Judge Evans said he intends to open three more community courts within the next year.
The additional courts' locations aren't yet determined, but the chief judge said after the ceremony that his goal is to open them in both Chicago and the suburbs.
To participate in the program, young offenders must first admit their misconduct and commit to being empathetic with the community they harmed, Judge Evans said. They'll sit in so-called peace circles with presiding Judge Ieshia Gray of the Sixth Municipal District, family members and other community members as the group works to understand their misconduct's root cause and determine an appropriate "repair of harm agreement" that will allow them to right their wrongs both financially and socially, the chief judge said.
The young offenders can speak openly and confidentially in the peace circles about their underlying issues, and if drug addiction is involved, they're also required to sign up for treatment to help them re-enter the community as contributing citizens, rather than convicted felons, Judge Evans said.
The repair of harm agreements struck in community court can include requiring an offender to take actions such as obtaining a driver's license, completing high school or discouraging even younger people from committing similar crimes at speaking engagements, Judge Evans said. In exchange for individuals completing the requirements listed in their agreement, their case gets dismissed and their record expunged, the chief judge said.
Without community court, young offenders would go through the typical court process and be sent away to prison, Judge Evans said. But "in prison you know what happens — they meet the professional criminals and they come back worse than when they went down there, not better," he said.
"We want to give these young people a chance before they make another mistake," the chief judge said.
The restorative court's opening was also championed Monday by Assistant State's Attorney Risa Lanier, who said the community court program has seen an 80% graduation rate and more than a 50% reduction in recidivism compared to those who do not go through the program.
Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller also touted the program as not just beneficial for young offenders, but also "near and dear" to parents and surrounding community members. That's because "our children are growing up with trauma and … being victimized in ways we didn't and can't imagine just because of the circumstances we are living in today," she said.
The south suburbs deal with many of the same types of issues that are facing the city, but they lack the resources necessary to adequately address them, Miller said. Implementing the suburban community court took several years of discussions and town halls, but the work was worthwhile if it means the county can offer young people a route to addressing their crime without having to pay for it over and over again, she said.
"We want to have the amenities that other communities have, and we fought for this to make it happen," Miller said.
--Editing by Kelly Duncan.