RYAN ANNOUNCES STATE POLICE GRANTS TO REDUCE JUVENILE CRIME

SPRINGFIELD -- Governor George H. Ryan today announced the Illinois State Police will distribute $1.5 million in special funds to support Juvenile Justice Reform in Illinois.

The funds will give police agencies around the state the ability to send and receive important information about prior arrests and adjudications of juvenile offenders with the latest in fingerprint technology.

"The equipment will help all elements of the juvenile and criminal justice systems make better decisions regarding young people who have committed serious crimes," Ryan said. "This equipment will ensure that everyone from the police officers on our streets to attorneys in the courtroom have the information they need to make an informed and appropriate decision."

The grant money will be used to buy livescan equipment - advanced technology that captures and electronically transmits fingerprints. Livescan will allow for law enforcement agencies to accurately identify juveniles and will link law enforcement agencies with a database on juvenile offenders maintained by the Illinois State Police. Like the Illinois State Police's Automated Fingerprint Identification System, this system will contain information relating to juvenile arrests and station adjustments.

"Police officers, state's attorneys, and all of those involved in the criminal justice system will know whether a young person is a first offender or whether he or she has been arrested repeatedly, and what kind of behavior their criminal background includes," said Illinois State Police Director Sam W. Nolen. "Before juvenile justice reform, this information was not readily available."

The grants paid out by the state police were budgeted for the fiscal year that ends June 30. An additional $1.7 million has been budgeted for law enforcement grants to continue the expansion of the livescan network with local agencies during fiscal year 2000.

A list of agencies receiving grants is attached.