Youth Trauma Experiences and the Path from Child Welfare to Juvenile Justice, Chicago, Illinois, 2007-2017

This study examines how child characteristics, measures of trauma, risks, strengths, type and duration of child welfare involvement, and community factors affect the likelihood of child welfare system-involved youth encountering the juvenile justice system in Chicago, IL.
This study draws on four sources of administrative data. Data were obtained from the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (IDCFS) and the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ); from one county juvenile court and probation services division (Juvenile Probation and Court Services [JPCS] of the Cook County Circuit Court); and from one municipal police department (the Chicago Police Department [CPD]). The researchers used these data to match youth across systems and to provide detailed knowledge about child welfare system involvement, trauma experiences, child strengths and risks, and particular juvenile justice outcomes. Arrest data is available through September 2017. Child welfare and juvenile court data are available through December 2017. Data for juvenile corrections from the IDJJ is only available through June 2016; however, the researchers used a corresponding indicator in the juvenile court data to capture this outcome through December 2017.