2006 Articles

2006 Legislation Update: Juvenile Law (Abuse & Delinquency) By Steve Baker September 2006 Summary: Amends the Probation and Probation Officers Act relating to the Redeploy Illinois Program. Provides that for any county or group of counties with a decrease of juvenile commitments of at least 25 percent, based on the average reductions of the prior three years, which are chosen to participate or continue as pilot sites, the Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board has the authority to reduce the required percentage of future commitments to achieve the purpose of the Program.

Assessing disproportionate minority contact with the Illinois juvenile justice system By Phillip Stevenson March 2006 Minority youth are very much in the majority when it comes to being arrested and incarcerated, according to an assessment of minority overrepresentation in Illinois’ juvenile justice system.

Attorney FAQs of the Minimum Continuing Legal Education Board of the Supreme Court of Illinois September 2006 These FAQs* constitute guidance from the Minimum Continuing Legal Education Board of the Supreme Court of Illinois (“MCLE Board”) and will guide the operations of the Board and its office. These FAQs are subject to change from time to time and without notice.

Case law in child abuse and neglect and custody matters By Catherine M. Ryan December 2006 During 2006, the Appellate Courts addressed the proper standards for a father in a neglect case, a grandparent in a custody case and a teacher appealing an indicated finding of abuse.

Case law in juvenile delinquency matters By Catherine M. Ryan December 2006 During 2006, the Supreme Court and the Appellate Courts addressed issues related to youth who commit sex offenses.

Case law in termination of parental rights matters By Catherine M. Ryan December 2006 During 2006, the Supreme Court and Appellate Courts have clarified two grounds for termination of parental rights, and have discussed the behavior of the parent and of the social service agency in the process.

Chicago supervised visitation programs provide invaluable services By Michael G. Bergmann December 2006 Supervised visitation between non-custodial parents and their children is an important service in many domestic relations and minor guardianship cases.

Creating a collaborative atmosphere: Child Representatives, guardians-ad-litem, and attorneys for children By Ralla Klepak December 2006 Children require and are entitled to quality representation by lawyers who are diligent, competent, insightful, and vigorous in their respective roles as advocates for the voiceless.

Grandparent visitation By Nicole Onorato September 2006 Recently, the debate over grandparent visitation rights was once again the focus of Illinois legislators. On July 14, 2006, Public Act 94-1026, which revamped certain provisions of section 607 of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (750 ILCS 5/607) relative to grandparent visitation, was approved by the legislature.

Illinois efforts to address disproportionate minority contact with the juvenile justice system in Illinois By Lori G. Levin March 2006 The accompanying article illustrates that minority youth constitute the majority of arrested and incarcerated juveniles in this state.

Judicial Observation: Caution on the Relaxed Rules of Evidence By Hon. Michael J. Chmiel September 2006 The Juvenile Court Act of 1987, 705 ILCS 405/1-1 et seq. [hereinafter Act], is unique among the acts of the Illinois General Assembly in ways other than just those pertaining to substance – the treatment of juveniles.

Leaving kids alone in cars: An amendment to the Illinois Child Endangerment statute is declared unconstitutional, but the underlying act can still be prosecuted without a statutory presumption By Mark E. Wojcik June 2006 When Christopher Jordan parked his car in the parking lot at Truman College in Chicago, he did not know that his actions that day would lead to declaration that a state statute was unconstitutional.

Letter from the Chair By Terra Howard September 2006 What is in a name? Quite a bit as far as the Child Law Section Council is concerned.

Overview of DCFS investigations By Janet Wukus Ahern December 2006 This year over 70,000 people will call the Department of Children and Family Services hotline to report suspected abuse or neglect of a child.

Practice tips: Interviewing techniques for young children By Kathryn Bischoff December 2006 At the recent guardianship seminar sponsored by this section council one of the participants suggested additional training that would include interviewing techniques for children.

Preparing for an expedited appeal in child custody cases By Stacey Mandell September 2006 On July 1, 2004, the Illinois Supreme Court adopted Rule 306A, which established expedited appeals procedures in child custody cases.

Pro bono corner By Michael G. Bergmann September 2006 Each newsletter, this section will provide information on pro bono opportunities available throughout the State of Illinois that focus on children.

Termination of Parental Rights in Illinois and The Americans With Disabilities Act By Lori DeYoung & Alan Novick June 2006 Assessing the risk of child maltreatment in order to prevent an initial incident or reoccurrence of injury is a critical duty of professionals working in child protective services.