skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, September 20, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Dozens of CA events this weekend honor Latino Conservation Week; Kamala Harris joins Oprah Winfrey in emotional campaign event; Report finds poor working conditions in Texas clean energy industry; AI puts on a lab coat, heads to technical schools.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Report: Only a Fraction of Juvenile Records Expunged in Illinois

play audio
Play

Monday, May 2, 2016   

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - New research shows only a fraction of a percent of juvenile arrest records in Illinois get expunged, which could be a public safety risk.

Juvenile justice advocates say heavy-handed state laws make it almost impossible for young people to erase a record through the expungement process.

The Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission report shows that for every 1,000 juvenile arrests, only three records are ever destroyed, and that includes arrests that did not lead to a conviction.

Carolyn Frazier, a lawyer and assistant professor with the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, says those records are also shared with employers and landlords.

"This widespread sharing of juvenile records harms individuals with records and jeopardizes the public safety by creating obstacles to employment, housing and education," says Frazier.

The report also notes that Illinois lags behind other states, which criminalize the improper sharing of juvenile records.

The commission recommends several changes state lawmakers could make, including getting rid of expungement fees, which sometimes can cost more than $300 per arrest.

Commission chair George Timberlake says changes like that would fall in line with recent state laws that will reduce the number of kids in prison and set up community rehabilitation services.

"But Illinois' treatment of juvenile records is clearly out of step with those principles," says Timberlake. "And we need revise our weak confidentiality and restrictive expungement laws that have become barriers to rehabilitation of young lives and a threat to the safety of our communities."

Other suggestions include making the sealing and expunging of these records automatic, a move that's already been adopted in 12 other states.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
Some 899 of 936 public comments on the plan for the proposed West Fork Dam, or 96%, opposed the West Fork Battle Creek Dam project, according to a tally by Wyofile. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

A federal agency is requiring Wyoming to update cost estimates for a large proposed dam in Carbon County, which has been under feasibility studies …


Social Issues

play sound

This Saturday marks the International Day of Peace and the advocacy group Nonviolent Peaceforce is kicking off a series of family-friendly events in M…

Environment

play sound

Latino Conservation Week is in full swing, with 330 events across the U.S. and 90 in California alone. The 11th annual event runs through Sunday…


Nebraska is one of 10 states to confirmed abortion-related constitutional amendment measures on the ballot in November. (Alcorn Imagery/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Some ballot initiatives this year have taken more than voter signatures to get onto the ballot in Nebraska. They've already withstood major court …

Environment

play sound

Maine officials are stepping up land conservation projects as climate change continues to alter the state's terrain. New funding from the Land for …

Social Issues

play sound

A new study showed as Texas has emerged as a national leader in wind turbine and solar energy installations, clean energy workers often face …

play sound

Students enrolled at Wisconsin's technical colleges this fall might take a course where artificial intelligence is the star of the classroom…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021