The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office has started referring eligible youth to a pilot program that ensures juveniles charged with serious offenses remain engaged in school, receive cognitive behavioral therapy and other supports from community-based organizations, and are appropriately supervised while their criminal cases are pending. 

The program is available to boys eligible to attend high school who are from the North Lawndale and Little Village neighborhoods. Youth charged with murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, sex crimes and individuals currently on electronic monitoring are ineligible for the pilot. 

CCSAO designed the Juvenile Pre-trial Detention Alternative Pilot Program in collaboration with justice system stakeholders, to provide a different pathway for youth who would otherwise likely be detained following their first court appearance. 

JDAPP is grounded in research showing the value of community based supportive services in reducing recidivism. In lieu of detention and contingent upon judicial approval, JDAPP offers intervention early, at the pretrial detention hearing stage, in an attempt to stop the cycle of criminal behavior and keep youth engaged in their communities and in productive activity to support accountability and change. 

As part of the program, participants receive up to 20 hours of after-school wraparound services from two community-based nonprofits: New Life Centers for youth in Little Village and The Firehouse Community Arts Center for those in Lawndale. 

The organizations will report progress about the participating youth to Juvenile Probation Pretrial Services and Judge Beatriz Frausto-Sandoval, who is overseeing the program in her courtroom. 

“This program will help young people get back on the right path while making our communities safer,” said Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke. “By emphasizing accountability and addressing the root causes of risky behavior, JDAPP has the power to change lives.” 

JDAPP is funded by a grant of up to $1 million from the Cook County Justice Advisory Council. Additional private support comes from the Steans Family Foundation, which is committed to investing in initiatives that assist the North Lawndale community. 

Outcomes for youth enrolled in JDAPP will be evaluated by Chapin Hall, an independent policy research center deeply rooted in Chicago. Chapin Hall will assess the effectiveness of the interventions, reviewing program utilization and participation, school attendance, compliance with court orders, and recidivism, among other variables. The partnership with Chapin Hall builds on a previous collaboration that evaluated the success of deferred prosecution programs for juveniles. 

A key feature of JDAPP is the requirement that youth reengage in school and remain enrolled throughout the duration of their case. Empirical evidence indicates that approximately 90% of school-age youth who sustained gunshot injuries in Chicago were not engaged in school at the time, which limits their access to much needed social services and community-based supports. 

Program compliance and participation will be considered for youth when the juvenile case is adjudicated. Status hearings for each participant will be held approximately every 30 days where a progress report will be provided to the court.