LINCOLN, Ill. (WCIA) — Governor J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice announced they will start building a new facility in central Illinois.
The site will take over the old Lincoln Development Center, and renovate the plumbing, mechanical, and electrical systems in the center. The plan also includes renovating two cottages designed for housing youth and adding a new 27,000-square-foot multipurpose building.
The state is also adding an athletic field and basketball courts as well as more security systems, including closed circuit television cameras.
State leaders said it’s important to have a center in central Illinois. Currently, 40% of the youth in IDJJ custody are from central Illinois, but they have to go to facilities in northern or southern Illinois.
“This campus will be the first Illinois Youth Center designed in collaboration with IDJJ’s own young people and staff, and the first specifically designed to support trauma recovery, restorative justice and positive youth development,” Heidi Mueller, the director of Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice said. “More importantly, the Lincoln Campus will ensure vulnerable young people from Central Illinois remain closer to their families and communities as they receive the treatment and support that they need.”
Lincoln officials say the announcement will bring new jobs to the community.
“Not only will the new Illinois Youth Center better serve those committed youth from central Illinois, and their families by having them located closer to home, but it will also stimulate the local economy by creating new jobs, attracting new community members, and generating additional revenue for the city,” Lincoln mayor Tracy Welch said.
The project is being funded by the Rebuild Illinois capital plan. Construction is estimated to be done by summer 2024.