One juvenile-justice bill passed by the General Assembly this session would require child-friendly Miranda warnings, while another reduces the length of mandatory minimum probation.

SB 2370, which passed the Senate on a unanimous roll call, expands protections for children who are in police custody. HB 6291 is designed to bring Illinois law in line with other states by reducing mandatory minimum probation lengths. It also treats low-level drug offenses as a public health issue, not a criminal one.

Both bills received support from the Juvenile Justice Initiative (JJI), which was founded in 2000 as a collaboration between the Woods Fund of Chicago and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Its mission is to reduce reliance on incarceration, enhance fairness, and develop community-based resources throughout the state. Find out more in the July Illinois Bar Journal.