McLean County Times

McLean County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council met Jan. 23

Here is the minutes provided by the council:

The meeting was called to order by Chief Judge Mark Fellheimer.  

The October 2019 meeting minutes were approved as presented. 

Jule Foundation Teen Enrichment Program – Andre Hursey, Director 

Mr. Hursey provided an outline of the Jule Foundation and its services (thejulefoundation.org): 

o Provide positive mentoring relationships with participating youth. The program serves teens  from 6th – 12th grade, focusing on 9th-12th grade. 

o Expose youth to different educational and recreational activities within the community and  beyond. Have partnered with several social services agencies, and focus on students taking the  ACT/SAT. Have community space at the Eastview Church building on Union Street in  Bloomington. 

o Provide educational support and information to prepare youth for college, trade school or  careers. Trying to take interested teens to HBCU in Atlanta, GA and other locations. Partnering  with several trade unions to provide internships and apprentice opportunities. 

There was a brief discussion regarding Mr. Hursey’s program, support and financial needs. Other than  financial needs, the program needs volunteers and a commitment of time. 

ISU Stevenson Center 

Dr. Frank Beck gave a brief update: 

o Working on juvenile data with the Juvenile Detention Center staff. This is a labor intensive  process. 

o The jail has seen an increase of 5000 bed days in 2019 over 2018. Felony cases comprise the  largest share of that increase.  

MTG Consulting – Case Management Evaluation 

Robert Kaelin, Project Director, reviewed the case management evaluation process.  

o There have been 26 interviews with 50+ individuals and more than a dozen departments. The  review included a technical environment review and defined some critical issues, future vision  and four options.

o The options are – rebuild, buy from a single source, buy several software solutions (best of  breed) and integrate them, and a hybrid – buy some software packages and build the rest. The  group is working on narrowing the options and conducting a cost/benefit analysis of the best  option. 

o The new system will include a records management system (RMS); case management system  (CMS) document management system (DMS) and jail management system (JMS). The  presentation outlined all four options. 

o The approval of the project, request for proposals process, evaluation and implementation of all  software packages will take 48-60 months. 

There was a brief discussion of the likely option to be pursued and if integration will be maintained – it is  likely it will, but necessitate some business process changes. 

Judge Fellheimer updated the group on the likelihood that criminal E-filing will be coming in 2020 or  soon thereafter. The Circuit Clerk’s office is starting to experiment with some criminal E-filing. 

Criminal Justice Initiatives for CJCC 

Judge J. Casey Costigan led discussions on the focus of the CJCC – while still giving attention to the jail  population, the focus will be on youth violence and supporting programs that reduce or prevent youth  violence. There will be a continued effort to provide education to the membership regarding violence  prevention programs, particularly those not well publicized. There will also be efforts to match funding  opportunities to those youth violence prevention programs. 

Cassy Taylor, Assistant County Administrator, provided information on how the McLean County  Behavioral Health Coordinating Council (BHCC) is working on a wrap around services model under a  Bureau of Justice Assistance grant. 

CJCC Strategic Plan 

Cassy Taylor spoke about revising the CJCC Strategic Plan which dates from 2012. Following discussion,  the consensus was to revisit the document and review the bylaws. This proposal will be discussed at the  February 6th Executive Committee meeting. 

Amendment of CJCC Bylaws – Add US Attorney’s Office as Ex-Officio Member 

Adam Ghrist, Assistant US Attorney, was present and spoke in favor of adding the US Attorney’s Office – Central District of Illinois as an ex-officio member. There was a roll-call vote and the proposal was  approved unanimously. A revised version of the bylaws will be circulated.  

Other 

The Behavioral Health Coordinating Council is developing a McLean County Action Plan which will  include youth psychological services. They are also pursuing a SAMSHA grant for outpatient treatment  services.

Judge Costigan spoke briefly about the criminal trial docket. Over the next several months there will be several murder trials. 

Judge Fellheimer described the current process for cannabis expungements. There may be several  hundred to process within the Circuit Clerk’s office.  

Adjourned: 1:08 p.m. 

https://www.mcleancountyil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/7601