A search to select a new superintendent for the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC) will begin soon, The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin reports. After an ACLU lawsuit claiming substandard conditions and lack of services for youth detained in the facility, the county entered into an agreement in 2002 to monitor its improvement. Earl Dunlap was hired in 2007 to oversee the facility, but now as a result of a change in state law, Cook County Chief Circuit Judge Timothy C. Evans is tasked with finding his replacement.

Benjamin S.Wolf, the ACLU of Illinois’ associate legal director and lead counsel for the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the county, said Dunlap remains in close contact with Evans’ office and is on the verge of completing his goals.
“He’s indicated he expects to complete the process bringing the facility up to constitutional standards within a few months,” Wolf said.

Read the article at The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin website (behind a pay wall).

The Chicago Tribune published an article about a plan that outlines areas of improvement to address substandard conditions within juvenile justice facilities throughout Illinois. The proposed remedial plan, released today and filed in a district court late last week, defines five problem areas within six facilities across the state. Those areas include education, mental health treatment, idleness, solitary confinement, community placement, and rights of LGBT youth who are detained. The plan comes as a result of a settlement between the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice and detained youth represented by the ACLU of Illinois.

"Taken together, this plan provides a real opportunity for improving the lives of youths detained by the state of Illinois," said Adam Schwartz, senior legal counsel for the ACLU of Illinois, in a prepared statement. "The plan represents an enforceable mechanism for moving forward."

Read the entire article. Read more about the remedial plan.

An Illinois lawsuit, filed by a humiliated ex-wife, raises constitutional questions about privacy and free speech over what should be allowed to be posted on the internet. The wife claims her ex-husband caused her embarrassment and emotional harm by maliciously posting on the internet intimate pictures taken when they were still a couple. Illinois, and a number of other states across the country, are considering legislation to criminalize the tactics. The ACLU of Illinois is concerned that language of proposed Illinois legislation, as now written, could limit First Amendment rights:

"The Senate bill was written in a fashion that I would describe as overly broad,” said Ed Yohnka, the director of public policy and communications for the ACLU of Illinois. “Does that mean retweeting a particular Anthony Weiner picture or posting it to your Facebook page? Or if you’re on a weekend camping trip in high school and somebody moons a camera and you post that to your Instagram account? We would prefer a precise definition of the conducts that would lead to liability.”

Read the entire article.