South Central Reporter

State Sen. Steve McClure (R-Springfield) said new leadership is needed in the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) after a lawsuit was recently filed accusing the department of allowing children be be wrongfully detained.

"I think the first thing is they need a new director," McClure told the South Central Reporter. "Secondly, they need to do a better job of recruiting workers because they are very understaffed right now and that's a big part of the issue as well."

As recently as in 2021, there were 84 instances of children being left locked up for prolonged periods of time, data from the Office of the Cook County Public Guardian showed. At least seven of them are still in custody to this day.

Teenager Janiah Caine is one of eight defendants named in the federal civil rights lawsuit that alleges that she was forced to spend months wrongfully incarcerated in a juvenile jail on three separate occasions, during which she told investigators she felt in danger.

"You don't feel safe," Caine said in a story by WLS. "The staff don't make you feel safe either. They're not respectful to you. They treat you like nothing."

The federal civil rights lawsuit was filed against DCFS by Cook County Guardian Charles Golbert. He claimed the agency often leaves children in detention centers for months after their release orders are signed because they don't have enough staff or beds to house them.

While McClure agrees that staffing is a problem, he suggested changes at the top.

"We have a duty as a state to protect these kids and there simply aren’t enough workers to do the job," McClure told the Reporter. "That’s a very scary thought."

He noted that the issue has flown under the radar for political purposes, saying that Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's administration has been distressingly quiet.

"What’s happening there is very concerning to everyone," McClure said. "It’s not just what’s happening to kids, but the workers also. No one feels like they are being taking care of and the governor doesn’t want to highlight because it doesn’t make him look good."

McClure was asked if he thought DCFS could cope in its present makeup. In answering, he drew a distinction between lack of staff and lack of care.

"No, but there are some great people there that are among the regular staffers," he said. "They just need new leadership."