A team from the Center for Legal Studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield evaluated juvenile probation programs in Christian, Peoria, and Winnebago counties. This On Good Authority is a summary of these process and initial impact evaluations, which were funded by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority using federal Anti-Drug Abuse Act funds established under the Byrne Formula Grant. The evaluations provide descriptions of the three programs and examine implementation issues.
This strategy was formulated on the basis of a wide variety of information, including surveys of Illinois residents and criminal justice practitioners, formal evaluations, written testimony, public discussions, and data from the criminaljustice, public health, and other social service systems. Specific findings from the analyses of the availability and use ofillegal drugs in Illinois, the extent and nature of violence, the areas of greatest need, and resource needs and gaps in services are presented in the various sections of this publication.
This issue focuses on Measuring Hate Crime in Illinois. Illinois law defines a hate crime the commission of an illegal act based on the actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, or ethnicity of another individual. In 1994, an amendment was passed to include those crimes motivated by a bias against people with disabilities.