Often, individuals who are charged with drug possession and related offenses are struggling with addiction. Research shows that these individuals generally have a better chance of overcoming their addictions and moving forward with productive lives when they receive addiction treatment, rather than punishment.

Across the nation, drug court programs have been developed to provide the treatment addicted individuals need. When a minor is arrested and charged with a criminal offense, he or she is best served by an experienced juvenile defense lawyer. The juvenile justice system is not the same as Illinois’ adult court system, so choose a lawyer who has worked within this system.

Differences Between Drug Court and Regular Criminal Court

You may not have heard about them before, but many courts are turning to risk prediction equations as a measure to make informed decisions regarding sentencing, bail, and early release. A judge’s own opinion on the matter may be overlooked in favor of these increasingly prevalent equations. But how accurate are these equations, and moreover, is there a risk of racial bias? The answer, unfortunately, is that there is a huge racial bias that goes a long way to making an already racist institute (the criminal justice system) even more so.

According to ProPublica, “Researchers found that the formula, and others like it, have been written in a way that guarantees black defendants will be inaccurately identified as future criminals more often than their white counterparts.” An earlier investigation by ProPublica, which spurred more recent research by four other independent groups of scholars that came to similar conclusions, found that black defendants were twice as likely to be given an incorrect high-risk level than whites. These scores are called COMPAS risk assessment scores. The investigation observed a racial bias by following defendants who were not arrested for new crimes but were initially given a high-risk level. Blacks were more likely to be given a high-risk level, while whites who were given a low-risk level COMPAS score were actually more likely to commit a new offense than blacks with comparable risk assessments.

The Office of Justice Programs: New Tool in Philadelphia Shows Great Promise

In Illinois, children become legal adults once they reach the age of 18. Being considered an adult in the eyes of the law comes with more rights and greater freedoms than juveniles have, but is also accompanied by harsher penalties for breaking the law.

For most crimes, minors are tried in juvenile court and are subject to the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ). The IDJJ focuses on the protection and rehabilitation of youth offenders, with the understanding that juveniles have different needs and are less developed than adults. However, minors who commit certain serious crimes are not afforded the benefits of the juvenile justice system because Illinois requires them to be tried as adults.

Juveniles in Adult Criminal Court