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Research
The Institute's research agenda primarily focuses on public issues related to the legal system, program efficacy and the impact of public policy on public agencies, non-profit entities and the general public.
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Current Projects
Planning Tools for Decision Makers
http://www.communitydevelopment.uiuc.edu/sp/
As part of the Statewide Regional Planning Process, the Labortory for Community and Economic Development created a Community Development Tool Website. The collection of tools includes:
A matrix which indicates plan path choices and options for planning in each of ten steps.
Descriptions of each of ten steps, and options for implementing each step.
The capacity for communities, agencies and organizations to contribute tools, resources, and ideas which will be fit into the matrix, and included in the appropriate step(s).
Links to additional resources that enable users to target searches for more detailed information.
Sample documents from the statewide strategic planning process.
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THE NEW DIRECT CERTIFICATION PROCESS FOR APPROVING ELIGIBLE STUDENTS FOR FREE SCHOOL MEAL BENEFITS IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS
Beverly S. Bunch, Ph.D., Co-Principal Investigator;
Ernest L. Cowles, Ph.D., Co-Principal Investigator;
Richard Schuldt, M.A., Senior Researcher
Abstract:
In school year 2002-03, the State of Illinois initiated a new direct certification process for approving children who receive Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) or Food Stamps (FS) for free school lunch. Using a list compiled by the Illinois Department of Human Services, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) sent a letter to the parents of all school-aged children in the state who are recipients of TANF or FS. The letter instructed the parent to return the letter to the child’s school to qualify the student for free lunch benefits without the need for any additional verification or application forms. ISBE provided a grant to the University of Illinois at Springfield, Institute for Legal and Policy Studies to conduct a study of the impact of this new process during the first year of its implementation. This report describes the study, including the research questions, methodology, and findings. The major finding is that the new process is estimated to have increased the statewide (excluding Chicago) free-lunch approval rate for children who receive TANF/FS from 74 percent to 84 percent. The study estimates that approximately 48 percent of the direct certification letters that were sent (excluding letters sent to Chicago addresses) were returned to the schools. The report also presents findings on regional differences, as well as differences across urban versus rural districts and differences among districts with high, low, or moderate free-lunch approval rates. The second phase of the study is currently taking place to look at the impact of the new process during the second year of implementation and to expand the study to include the Chicago Public School District.
Click below to download an Executive Summary from the Report (PDF):
Executive Summary - The New Direct Certification Process for the Free School Lunch Program in Illinois
To download the full report click the title below (PDF):
The New Direct Certification Process for the Free School Lunch Program in Illinois
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DUI Assessment
Ernest L. Cowles, Ph.D., Carol Esarey, Ed.S., Joy Syrcle, M.A., Laura Dorman, M.S.
This project is part of a larger DUI initiative to select and test an instrument capable of identifying serious DUI offenders during legally required evaluations. Click on the title below to obtain a copy of the first assessment report. DUI Assessment Report
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Completed Projects
CLASS 4 FELONY OFFENDERS.
Co-principal investigators: Ernie Cowles and Laura Gransky Dorman
In 1995 researchers in the Center were funded by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority to develop a descriptive overview of incarcerated Class 4 offenders in the Illinois correctional system. The ultimate goal of this project was to ascertain whether it would be appropriate to divert a portion of the Class 4 population to free bed space in the state correctional facilities for more serious offenders. The study results reveal that the majority of the Class 4 offenders are "exactly where they should be." Prior criminal histories for the sample groups seemed, for the most part, extensive and varied. Many of these people, although incarcerated on the least serious felony classification, had prior criminal involvements that have resulted in prior imprisonment, jail time, and probation. In essence, the incarcerated Class 4 offenders may be in prison as a result of not having refrained from continued criminal involvements despite having been subjected to prior sanctions. For more information, please contact Laura Dorman.
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THE ROLE OF GENDER IN JUVENILE PROCESSING, PLACEMENT AND TREATMENT
Co-Principal investigators Cindy J, Smith, Ph.D, and Laura A. Gransky, M.S.
The Center for Legal Studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield was awarded a grant to obtain an accurate description of the impact of gender on access to services available to juvenile offenders in down state Illinois. Two theories of processing discrimination were considered: sex role traditionalism and paternalism (chivalry). Data were collected at each stage of the juvenile justice system, following a multi-faceted approach. Primary data collection techniques included: surveys of judicial actors and high school students, in-depth interviews of key actors involved with youth, and case file reviews of delinquency petitions. Results from this study revealed that paternalism remains, especially in rural areas. However, this is dissipating as females commit more offenses similar to their male counterparts (i.e., more serious offenses). Unfortunately, the availability of services has not kept up with this increase, especially in the area of detention space and other residential placements. Data further indicated that when youth are processed differently because of their gender, it most often occurs prior to judicial involvement. With respect to youth encountered, both males and females were characterized as being younger, committing more serious crimes more often, increasingly coming from dysfunctional families, and lacking a conscience. Specifically, females were described as experiencing more family conflict than their male counterparts, as well as being "out of control". As such, the lack of out-of-home placements for females is of particular concern. For more information please contact Laura Dorman.
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THE EVALUATION OF JUVENILE DAY REPORTING CENTERS IN CHRISTIAN, PEORIA AND WINNEBAGO COUNTIES: PHASE II
Co-principal Investigators: Pinky Wassenberg and Laura Dorman
In August 2000, The Center for Legal Studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield was awarded a grant by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority to conduct an impact analysis evaluation of Juvenile Day Reporting Centers in Christian, Peoria and Winnebago Counties. This award is a follow-up to a previous process evaluation completed by Center staff on these programs two years earlier. There are two phases to this evaluation. Phase I involves the collection of information relating to individuals who directly affect the potential impact or outcome of such programs -- the justice system, the participants, the project staff, and the treatment providers. The extent to which parents and school personnel participate in the youths' program also is considered. During Phase II, all collected data will be used to determine the effects of each program on various system level, program level, and participant level dimensions. A comparison group will be selected from the general probation population; members will be comparable to program participants on various key demographic, social history, and criminal history variables. For more information, contact Pinky Wassenberg.
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THE EVALUATION OF COMMUNITY POLICING INITIATIVES IN THE ILLINOIS STATE POLICE
Principal Investigator: Ernie Cowles
Beginning in 1993, the Illinois State Police (ISP) initiated a series of efforts to pursue Community Oriented Policing (COP) strategies. The most recent of these initiatives, the Community Oriented Policing Demonstration Center project, contained this embedded evaluation. The evaluation was slightly different than traditional assessments as it was designed to examine not only this project but the larger picture of the processes and outcomes of the other ISP COP initiatives as well. It also was unique in that an element of the evaluation targeted an enhancement of the ISP’s internal evaluation capacity. Primary project findings related to the Illinois State Police COP initiatives fall into four thematic areas. They include organizational support; the workload, work environment and careers; external relationships; and staff training.
Results indicate that one of the goals of the various ISP COP initiatives has been to improve the integration of the ISP with local communities and other law enforcement agencies in providing information, creating problem-solving partnerships and implementing community oriented policing strategies. However, internally, one of the dominant themes that emerged from this evaluation concerns the lack of perceived organizational support for ISP’s Community Oriented Policing efforts. There is little doubt that this viewpoint is impacting the implementation of the Illinois State Police COP’s efforts and ultimately, the sustainability of these programs. Clearly, there is a perceived lack organizational commitment to COP from top management to line staff with the weakest link in the integration of COP with the agency being at the lower level supervisory ranks. Despite the considerable amount of training that has occurred, it seems fair to conclude that more training will not, in itself, remedy this problem. The study results also suggest that the introduction of the ISP’s COP’s initiatives has impacted several facets of the job in both positive and negative ways. Even though officers generally believed engaging in COP increased their workload, over two-thirds agreed that it made police work a more pleasant experience. However, although officers enjoyed engaging in COP, they felt that being involved in this was not particularly helpful to their career within the agency. This suggests the ISP must develop ways to recognize and promote community-policing activities that are not traditionally part of an officer’s duties. While engaging in community policing activities appears to lead to greater internal job satisfaction, until the agency develops performance measures that recognize these non-traditional activities, staff will be reluctant to make commitments to this approach for fear of damaging their careers. Traditional measures tend to focus on activities, that is, what officers do, rather than on outputs and outcomes, which are the results of these activities. Developing sound measures of outputs and outcomes fits well with the philosophic basis of community policing, and the ISP should direct attention at identifying these within the framework of its larger mission. For other findings from the study or information about the evaluation contact Carol Esarey.
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EVALUATION OF THE SHERIFFS' WORK ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMS IN ADAMS AND MADISON COUNTIES ILLINOIS
Co-Principal investigators: Pinky Wassenberg and Richard J. Schmitz
Funded by Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority in 1996, The Center for Legal Studies conducted a process and impact evaluation of the Sheriffs' Work Alternative Program (SWAP) operating in Adams and Madison counties. The SWAPs were implemented as an alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenders. The results of the evaluations are reported in two separate documents published by the ICJIA. Both programs began with the goals of removing inmates from the county jails to free bed space and providing of a means for offenders to pay their debts to society through public service work. The Adams County program did not achieve the objective of removing inmates from the jail because most SWAP participants remained incarcerated while in the program. The analysis of the impact of the SWAP on the community showed the second objective had been realized: the program provided an opportunity for offenders to perform public service thereby providing some degree of restitution to the community. The Madison County SWAP fulfilled both initial objectives. For more information, please contact Pinky Wassenberg.
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A STUDY OF JUVENILE ACCESS TO COUNCIL.
Co-Principal Investigators: Richard J. Schmitz. and Pinky S. Wassenberg.
In 1996, the Center for Legal Studies was awarded a grant from the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission to undertake an examination of the extent to which juveniles in Illinois have timely access to adequate legal representation in delinquency proceedings. Statewide surveys and case studies were taken in order to provide a portrait of the representation of juveniles in Illinois courts. For more information, contact Pinky Wassenberg.
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EVALUATION OF PRETRIAL AND DRUG INTERVENTION PROGRAMS IN MACON AND PEORIA COUNTIES IN ILLINOIS
The Center has recently completed a two-year evaluation funded by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority on five programs designed to reduce jail crowding, provide intensive substance abuse treatment for drug offenders, and establish options for channeling offenders away from traditional court processing. The five programs included pretrial diversion in both Macon and Peoria counties, an intensive drug intervention program in Peoria, and day reporting (probation) and deferred prosecution programs in Macon County. The study provides information regarding the impacts of these programs on jail populations, cost savings and staff workload impacts resulting from the programs, treatment impact on the substance abusers, and offender recidivism among other areas of interest. For more information please contact Carol Esarey.
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EVALUATION OF ILLINOIS’ CASH TRANSACTION REPORT UNIT AND DRUG CONSPIRACY TASK FORCE.
Principal Investigator: Ernest L. Cowles, Ph.D.
The Center for Legal Studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield was awarded a grant to complete an impact evaluation of the Drug Conspiracy Task Force and Cash Transaction Reporting Unit by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority in June 1996. Data for the study was collected through a variety of sources such as program proposals, funding agreements, monthly activity data reports, site-visits and telephone interviews. For more information, contact Ernie Cowles.
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MANDATORY COURT-ANNEXED ARBITRATION EVALUATION PROJECTS
Funded through grants from the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, the Center completed evaluations of mandatory arbitration programs piloted in the Winnebago, DuPage, and Lake County circuit courts. An evaluation is underway of the mandatory arbitration program in the Cook County circuit court. Among the effects studied are whether the programs save the courts, litigants, and attorneys time, money and effort. For more information please contact Pinky Wassenberg.
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YOUTH IN COMMUNITY POLICING EVALUATION
Principal Investigator: Ernie Cowles
Co-principal Investigator: Lee Frost-Kumpf
In March 2000 the Center for Legal Studies was awarded a grant from the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission to conduct an evaluation of 20 Youth In Community Policing programs throughout the state. These programs were designed to create partnerships between youth, police and adults in the community to address community problems and quality of life issues. The youth were involved in helping to design these programs and were encouraged to take an active leadership role in them. Projects range from creating a city recreational area, to preparing a video dealing with the relationships between police and youth, to establishing a peer jury program. This project is currently underway and is schedule to be completed in June 2001. For more information contact Carol Esarey.
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IMPARTIAL DUE PROCESS HEARING OFFICER TRAINING AND EVALUATION PROJECT
Funded by the Illinois State Board of Education and mandated through revisions in the Illinois School Code, the project involves for the provision of training for impartial special education hearing officers and a yearly performance evaluation of these hearing officers. Training opportunities provided through the grant include the initial four-day orientation with specialized curriculum developed for hearing officers involved in special education hearings. A series of mandatory in-service training sessions on selected topics of interest to the hearing officers are conducted following completion of the orientation session. The comprehensive curriculum developed for the hearing officer training includes Federal and Illinois law; Illinois special education policy, programs, and case law; general responsibilities of conducting due process hearings; writing decisions and other diagnostic procedures; and a discussion of landmark and current court decisions affecting special education. The second component of this project required the on-going performance evaluation of the impartial due process hearing officers. The Center for Legal Studies is using a three-person evaluation team to promote a fair and unbiased review process. This approach to the evaluation of the hearing officers is helping to provide for a process that is objective, job-relevant, and behaviorally defined. This project is eligible for continued funding for up to two additional years. For more information contact Carol Esarey.
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EVALUATION OF THE MADISON AND ST. CLAIR COUNTIES' HOMICIDE AND VIOLENT CRIME STRIKE FORCE
Co-Principal Investigator, Pinky S. Wassenberg and Richard J. Schmitz
Funded by Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority in 1996, the focus of this evaluation was to assess the implementation and impact of the Homicide and Violent Crime Strike Force programs operating in St. Clair and Madison County. The Strike Force is a joint effort of the Illinois State Police and the Illinois Attorney General's Office. It primarily handles homicide and violent crime cases which have previously been investigated by other law enforcement agencies. For more information please contact Pinky Wassenberg.
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THE EVALUATION OF JUVENILE DAY REPORTING CENTERS IN CHRISTIAN, PEORIA AND WINNEBAGO COUNTIES: PHASE I
Co-principal Investigators: Richard Schmitz and Pinky Wassenberg
In July 1998, The Center for Legal Studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield was awarded a grant by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority to conduct a process and preliminary impact analysis evaluation of Juvenile Day Reporting Centers in Christian, Peoria and Winnebago Counties. As reported, the services provided in each jurisdiction vary. The Christian County Juvenile Probation Intensive Extended Day Program incorporates drug treatment, education, life skills, and Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT). Participants meet twice a week with the Program officer to participate in Life Skills and MRT groups. During the first 18 months of program operation, the Extended Day Program 12 serious juvenile offenders. The Peoria County Anti-Gang and Drug Abuse Unit is a five-stage program that places a heavy emphasis on providing treatment services to clients in need. Other program components include anger management, Bridges, community service work, and frequent contact with the two probation officers assigned to the program. The Winnebago County Day Report Center focuses its attention of juvenile who would have ended up sentenced to detention or to the Illinois Department of Corrections, if not for this program. The center providers education, treatment, and recreational programming Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, contact Pinky Wassenberg.
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CHILD & YOUTH CARE WORKER CERTIFICATION TESTING PROGRAM.
In spring 1995, CLES staff developed and implemented a professional testing and certification program for entry-level child care professionals employed by private child welfare agencies for the Illinois Council on Training, Illinois Association of Child and Youth Care Workers, Child Care Association and D.C.F.S. This project entails several innovative features including the use of computerized testing instruments, remote-site testing, and immediate transmittal of test results to the child care worker. For more information please contact Carol Esarey.
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AN EVALUATION OF THE PEORIA DRUG COURT PROGRAM
Co-principal Investigators: Richard Schmitz and Pinky Wassenberg.
In July 1998, The Center for Legal Studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield was awarded a grant by Peoria County to conduct an evaluation of their Drug Court Program. The evaluation has three parts. First, the process evaluation will provide descriptions of the initiation context of the drug court as well as its initial design and structure. This section will examine the ways in which the drug court evolved as it was implemented. The second portion of the evaluation will provide an assessment of the impact of the drug court on participants and their families; the county court system; and treatment and service provider contracting with the drug court. Finally, there will be an overall assessment of the Peoria County Drug Court as viable post-disposition alternatives for the targeted group of offenders. That overall assessment will include recommendations for the drug court; an exploration of the lessons provided by the Peoria Drug Court for those interested in creating similar drug courts elsewhere; and a discussion of the implications of the evaluation for the existing scholarly literature on post-disposition alternatives for drug-involved offenders. For more information, contact Pinky Wassenberg.
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AN EVALUATION OF THE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS’ GANG-FREE ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM
Co-principal Investigators: Laura Gransky Dorman and Ernie Cowles
In July 1998, CLES staff began an evaluation of the gang-free environment created at Taylorville Correctional Center (TCC). Unlike other states where members of rival gangs are housed together, Illinois’ approach is unique in that only inmates identified as non-gang members are housed at the TCC. It is believed Illinois is the first state correctional system that has separated inmates who are not involved with gangs from those who are involved. The IDOC proposed that through the development of an environment free of gang tensions and rivalries, inmates would take advantage of programs directed toward their personal development and growth, thus encouraging their rehabilitation. Because the study’s duration was short (i.e., 5 months), the evaluation design developed was limited in scope and followed a process evaluation focus. As such, primary emphasis was placed on documenting the underlying assumptions that guided the development of the gang-free environment and assessing the implementation process. For more information please contact: Laura Dorman .
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 New Report!!
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