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OFFICE OF THE STATE'S ATTORNEY
LAKE COUNTY, ILLINOIS
ERIC F. RINEHART
STATE'S ATTORNEY
July 13, 2021
For Immediate Release
Contact: Jim Newton
(224) 374-2376
jnewton@lakecountyil.gov
Granting Wishes: State’s Attorney’s Office Garners State Funds For Two Major Juvenile Justice Projects
 Lake County State's Attorney's Office Juvenile Division Chief Karen Levi
(Lake County, IL) - A defunct juvenile justice leadership council will be revived and a pioneering new treatment program will be created after the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office recently secured two state grants totaling more than $100,000.
The Lake County Board unanimously approved the implementation of the grants at its regularly-scheduled meeting on Tuesday.
In a first for the area, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office will be using a $50,500 Illinois Juvenile Justice Grant to aggressively break the cycle of domestic violence that affects so many Lake County families. Juvenile offenders will be able to receive treatment faster outside of formal and sometimes lengthy court proceedings.
Because domestic battery often becomes a cyclic pattern for offenders and families, the new “Step Up” program’s main goal will be to “stop the cycle before it begins,” according to Karen Levi, Chief of the State’s Attorney’s Office Juvenile Division.
Levi said those juveniles who complete the program will have the chance to have their charges expunged from their records permanently, removing a potential future barrier to employment and other achievements.
Step Up is an acronym for Stop-Think-Evaluate-Plan-Use-Patience.
The program lasts for 21 weeks and requires dedication for success. But the rewards for both youth and their families are substantial. Levi said diverting teens from court not only keeps their records clean, but also avoids considerable court costs to the participant’s family and relieves court docket pressure.
“The goal is to get kids educated and held accountable without having a record,” Levi said. “It’s not just for juveniles. The parents have to actively participate in the program.”
Levi said a DuPage County Step Up program has been successful for the past 10 years. After speaking with the executive director of that program at length, Levi was convinced it would make a good model for her efforts here.
The State’s Attorney’s Office selected Omni Youth Services to provide the treatment and training for the program. Officials will begin preparations for the program over the next several weeks, with a goal of being up and running within six to eight weeks.
Lake County Juvenile Justice Council
A separate $55,700 state Juvenile Justice grant to revive and strengthen the Lake County Juvenile Justice Council. The council will advise the State’s Attorney on juvenile justice policy and coordinate community outreach with the goal of reducing juvenile crime in all communities.
The council last met in 2019, but lost grant funding earlier that year. Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said, “our new administration is committed to a strategic and long-term approach to reducing juvenile crime.
"We have worked very hard in our first few months to apply for every grant we can find in order to achieve our goals and to save taxpayers money," he said. "I am thrilled that our new team could secure this grant, which had been lost a few years ago."
“I’m really happy,” Levi said about the grant award and the chance to restart the Lake County Juvenile Justice Council. “My goal is to open it up to a lot of different agencies, in order to get a real diverse group to help with the prevention of juvenile delinquency and to provide more education.”
The Juvenile Justice Council will provide a forum for agencies and departments to address issues surrounding juvenile delinquency and to provide outreach to the community and youth. Levi said the grant funding will allow the group to hire a coordinator and provide annual training featuring respected speakers.
Levi is seeking participation and representation from all areas of the county to make the council as diverse and well-rounded as possible.
She also said she has always had a problem with the concept of “ignorance of the law is no excuse” when it comes to juveniles who may not be aware of accountability laws under which a member of a group can potentially be charged for the actions of another person.
She said the council can help set up education in the schools so youth are aware of situations in which they can be held accountable and charged with crimes.
“What I really want to see is us getting that information out in the schools,” Levi said.
Levi and State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart will serve as co-chairs of the Juvenile Council Board.
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Lake County State's Attorney's Office
18 N. County Street
Waukegan, IL 60085
Phone: (847) 377-3000
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