Construction will begin on a new Illinois Youth Center for youth in secure custody of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ). The project will align with IDJJ's new residential, community integrated, restorative justice model. Funding is made possible by the bipartisan Rebuild Illinois Capital program.
The new Illinois Youth Center, which will be located in Lincoln, will be at the site of the former Lincoln Development Center. Funding will support:
- Renovations of two 4,300 square foot cottages for housing youth
- Additional cottages for programming and administrative use
- Construction of a new 27,000 square foot multipurpose building that will include educational, recreational and dietary services
25 News states that the Lincoln Campus will ensure vulnerable young people from Central Illinois remain closer to their families and communities as they receive the treatment and support that they need. The campus will also be the first Illinois Youth Center designed in collaboration with IDJJ's own young people and staff, and the first specifically designed to support:
- Trauma recovery
- Restorative justice
- Positive youth development
"My administration's landmark Rebuild Illinois Capital program isn't just about roads and bridges - it's about creating a better future for generations to come. The new Illinois Youth Center will serve our state's most vulnerable youth - and it is exactly the kind of project we are proud to invest in. Youth in custody of the IDJJ deserve access to the spaces and resources they need to thrive in their own communities - and that's what the Illinois Youth Center will provide."
Governor of Illinois | J.B. Pritzker
Illinois.gov reports that the property at the Lincoln Developmental Center has been vacant since 2002 and the renovations will include the following:
- Upgrading mechanical, electrical and plumbing
- Upgrading fire protection systems
- Providing improvements to sidewalks and roadways
- New athletic field
- Outdoor basketball courts
- Fencing
- New security electronic systems
- Closed circuit television cameras installed on site
The Capital Development Board will transform the LDC site that has been deteriorating for two decades into an innovative and rehabilitative campus for vulnerable youth according to Jim Underwood, Executive director of the Capital Development Board. Construction is set to be completed by the summer of 2024.
More than 40% of youth who have been committed to IDJJ are from central Illinois but are housed at youth centers in the north and south. The Illinois Youth Center at Lincoln will serve the area and allow for more participation of families in the rehabilitative process.
Lincoln Mayor, Tracy Welch, believes that the new center will stimulate the local economy by creating new jobs, attracting new community members, and generating additional revenue for the city that can be used towards things such as road repairs and improved public services.
