Children who become wards of the state in Illinois have for years been wrongly confined to juvenile detention after a judge orders their release, depriving them of “the everyday joys, experiences, and opportunities of childhood,” according to a lawsuit.
Janiah Caine, a plaintiff in a lawsuit alleging that DCFS has willfully and wrongly incarcerated hundreds of children in its care, joins Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert, second from left, and lawyer Russell Ainsworth, right, at a news conference on Jan. 19, 2023. Caine, now 18, was held while a minor in the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center for more than five months even though a judge at that time had ordered her release.
“The damage caused by unjustly incarcerating these children is tremendous and undeniable. These children are isolated from loved ones and support systems,” the 34-page lawsuit states. “They are deprived of the everyday joys, experiences, and opportunities of childhood. Indeed, children incarcerated in juvenile jail are confined to their cells for the majority of the day, have limited opportunities to exercise, and are exposed to unnecessary violence and dangers.
Speaking to reporters on a call from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Pritzker said he had not seen the lawsuit and could not comment on its allegations. He also said DCFS has reduced the number of youths kept in detention centers despite previously being cleared to be released. One of the plaintiffs, Janiah Caine, now 18, was held while still a minor in the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center for more than five months even though a judge at that time had ordered her release.
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