BELLEVILLE-ST. CLAIR COUNTY S.H.O.C.A.P.

SERIOUS HABITUAL OFFENDER COMPREHENSIVE ACTION PROGRAM

“Giving Troubled Children The Attention That They Truly Deserve” 

EXECUTIVE REPORT

(Revised 01-06) 

     The Belleville-St. Clair County Serious Habitual Offender Comprehensive Action Program (S.H.O.C.A.P.) was formed in 1994 to combat a rising juvenile crime rate.  It is a comprehensive and cooperative information and case management system that  combines the efforts of 75 agencies, (including the police, prosecutors, schools, probation, judicial and social service agencies), to give Serious Habitual Juvenile Offenders (S.H.O.s), the attention that they truly deserve. 

     S.H.O.C.A.P. enables our juvenile justice system and social service agencies to work more effectively together to focus additional informed attention on those juveniles that repeatedly commit serious crimes, a group that comprises a troubled and often dangerous population.  Particular notice is given to sharing relevant and complete case information so that more educated disposition and sentencing decisions can be made regarding these youthful lawbreakers. 

     Although their numbers are small, they are responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime.  For example, in 1996-1998, S.H.O.s in Belleville accounted for 30% of the felonies committed by juveniles in the city even though they amounted to slightly less that 6% of the delinquent contacts recorded by the Belleville Police Department.  In 2003 children that reached S.H.O. status accounted for just 4% of the over 550 delinquent minors processed by St. Clair County’s juvenile court system.  

     In 2005, the average child that entered this program was a 14.03 years old.  Seventy-one percent were male and twenty-nine percent were female. A single parent was responsible for raising 99% of these children.  Prior to becoming the focus of our S.H.O.C.A.P., these S.H.O.s committed an average of 7.41 delinquent acts including: 2.91 felonies, 3.94 misdemeanors, and .56 status offenses. 

     How many of the children continued to commit crimes once they started receiving the attention that they truly deserved through our S.H.O.C.A.P.?  In 2005 eighty percent of the chronic adolescent offenders that participated in the program did not commit any new criminal acts, making our community a safer place to both live and work. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 1.                  WHAT IS THE CRITERIA FOR A CHILD TO BE CONSIDERED A SERIOUS HABITUAL OFFENDER? 

     Serious Habitual Offenders, (S.H.O.s), are substantially different from the typical juvenile involved in a delinquent act.  The majority of them are males who usually start very early in their childhood to exhibit behavior that is often aggressive, criminal in nature and in conflict with school and authority figures.  They regularly display early minor behavioral problems that progress to more serious crimes. 

     To be considered a S.H.O., a child must: 

A.  Be under 17 years of age.

B.     Live in St. Clair County, Illinois.

C.     Have been placed on supervised supervision or probation for a criminal act.

D.     Have in the proceeding 18 months a minimum of 4 delinquent police contacts. (This provision may be waved if the minor acquires 35 or more points during one contact.)

E.      Acquire at least 35 points with the points being awarded on the basis of the type of crime committed.  (For example: An armed robbery is worth 30 points while a curfew violation is worth 2.)

2.                  WHAT LED TO DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROGRAM? 

     In the 1990s, juvenile crime was a growing concern throughout the United States.  During that time, the citizens of St. Clair County started to see a disturbing trend.  Many of our troubled youth were becoming repeat offenders who were increasingly involved in serious, violent crimes.  Historically, dealing with these S.H.O.s has been a problem.  Quite often state legislation and individual agency policies have restricted the information sharing and cooperation necessary to both protect the community and rehabilitate these delinquent children. 

     The true extent of their criminal activity was often never realized and the decisions about them were based upon isolated incidents instead of a totality of circumstances.  As a result, many of them “fell through the cracks” to only later become adult career criminals. 

     The Belleville-St. Clair County S.H.O.C.A.P. was created as an attempt to keep this from happening.  With it, there exists a coordinated information sharing comprehensive interagency approach to the problem of habitual juvenile offenders. 

3.                  HOW WAS THE PROGRAM STARTED?

      Through the leadership efforts of Jim Dahm of the Belleville Police Department, on April 13, 1994 the decision was made in St. Clair County Illinois to address the problem of serious, repeat adolescent criminal activity.  Information was acquired from the Decatur Illinois and Oxnard California Police Departments concerning their efforts in this venue and the planning into the Belleville-St. Clair County S.H.O.C.A.P. began.  A diverse group including the following agencies was then assembled: 

Belleville Police Department  (Represented by  Jim Dahm)

Belleville Grade School District #118  (Represented by Jeff Dosier)

Belleville High School District #201  (Represented by Robert Petri & Bruce Perkins)

Children’s Home and Aid Society of Illinois  (Represented by Lynn Jarman)

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services  (Represented by Dennis Price)

Chestnut Health System (d.b.a. Belleville Mental Health and represented by Darlene Williams)

St. Clair County Court Services and Probation  (Represented by Ernest Rush)

St. Clair County Regional Superintendent of Schools  (Represented by Jed Deets)

Treatment Alternatives for Special Clients, Inc.  (Represented by Rhonda Zipfel & Kevin Downey)

St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office  (Represented by Julie Stefanik) 

     With the Belleville Police Department taking the lead, a steering committee was formed to develop a process for: 

A.                Promoting interagency cooperation.

B.                 Perfecting the profiling of serious habitual juvenile offenders.

C.                Systematizing individual agency procedures.

D.                Creating methods of transferring and protecting confidential information.

E.                 Instituting a liaison among probation, the courts, police and the schools. 

     The task seemed monumental, but in less than four months, the interagency agreement establishing the Belleville-St. Clair County S.H.O.C.A.P. was signed on August 12, 1994.

4.                  WHAT ROLE DOES THE S.H.O.C.A.P. LAW ENFORCEMENT COMPONENT PLAY IN THIS EFFORT?

      Of all of the organizations participating in the effort, law enforcement agencies have been and will continue to be the lead agencies for the program.  Being a 24-hour-a-day, 365 days-a-year operation they have the preliminary investigative and generally the initial contact with all juvenile criminal behavior in the community.

      These departments, (along with the Probation Department) have the responsibility of coordinating with the Belleville Police Department to:

 A.     Identify those juveniles that fit the S.H.O./NEAR S.H.O. criteria established by the S.H.O.C.A.P. Interagency Steering Committee.

B.     Develop and maintain a comprehensive profile on each of these juveniles.

C.     Educate the schools, courts, probation and other participating police agencies as to their identity, criminal history and area of operation

D.     Assist in determining any special social/welfare needs that they might possess.

      Law Enforcement personnel are regularly reminded: to focus additional attention on the geographical area frequented by S.H.O.s; to document their activities and associates; and to aggressively pursue any S.H.O. involved in any criminal activity.  When one of these juveniles reoffends, the investigation is enhanced to insure that the probation department, the prosecutor and ultimately the judge will be provided with additional proof of habitual criminal activity to promote stronger prosecution and stiffer sentencing.

5.                  WHAT ROLE DO THE COURTS PLAY IN THE SHOCAP? 

     When S.H.O.s commit a new crime, (or violate the terms of their probation), the State’s Attorney’s Office is committed to recommending their detention and to expediting their case through the juvenile justice system. 

     When S.H.O.s are placed on supervised supervision or probation, Juvenile Court Services and Probation, (through their dedicated S.H.O.C.A.P. Probation Officer), have the responsibility of explaining exactly what it means to be a S.H.O. to the juvenile and his/her parent.  This S.H.O.C.A.P. Probation Officer then works with the police, state’s attorney’s office and S.H.O.C.A.P. Comprehensive Action Plan Committee (C.A.P.) to provide information that is significant to their rehabilitation.  Should this effort fail (and the S.H.O.s violate probation) a revocation of probation and a corresponding detention warrant will be sought. 

6.                  WHAT ROLE DOES THE COMPREHENSIVE ACTION PLAN COMMITTEE PLAY IN THE REHABILITATION OF THE SERIOUS HABITUAL OFFENDER? 

     The objective of the S.H.O.C.A.P. Comprehensive Action Plan (C.A.P.) Committee, is to coordinate the efforts of the various elements of the S.H.O.C.A.P. (namely social service providers, educators, and mental healthcare providers), to provide effective simultaneous early intervention in the child’s home and school to mediate those risk factors that are know to predict serious and violent juvenile crime.  This is done by partnering with the families of these troubled children to provide community support through linkages to appropriate resources. 

     Personal contact with a C.A.P. Committee Resource Specialist (whose role is to help the family identify those services that may benefit their child and then assist them in connecting with those resources) provides them with the individualized support within the community necessary to return the child to positive, pro-social behaviors.   

     In addition to this service, the S.H.O.C.A.P. C.A.P. element also makes referrals to the S.H.O.C.A.P.  Mentoring Program, (offered by Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Southwestern Illinois).  This program seeks to help these troubled children by matching them with a caring, positive adult role model.  These matches then spend time together (three times each month over a period of six months) doing things that they both enjoy. 

7.                  WHAT ROLE DO THE SCHOOLS PLAY IN THIS EFFORT? 

     Schools, more than any other component of our S.H.O.C.A.P., regularly interact with the serious habitual offenders on a daily basis.  While many may think that there would be an absence of S.H.O.s on the school campuses the majority of these children do attend school on a regular basis.

     It has been demonstrated that only through the timely exchange of information can the rehabilitative needs of the S.H.O. and the security needs of the school where they attend be met.  Consequently, the schools participating in this program are notified when they have one of these children in class.  They then have the responsibility of sharing disciplinary code violations and other pertinent data concerning the child with the police and/or other officials of the S.H.O.C.A.P. C.A.P. Committee.  The schools are also responsible for ensuring that the S.H.O. is placed in a setting that will promote his/her academic, emotional and social growth. 

8.                  HOW IS THE PROGRAM FINANCED? 

     The Belleville-St. Clair Country S.H.O.C.A.P. has not required any funding.  This comprehensive, interagency information and case-management system is designed to enable the participating agencies to prioritize the use of existing resources to focus additional attention on that handful of juveniles who repeatedly commit serious crimes.  Through it they can be given the help necessary to remove them from their cycle of lawlessness before it becomes imbedded in their personalities. 

9.                  WHAT HAVE BEEN THE SPECIFIC RESULTS OF THE PROGRAM?

      S.H.O.C.A.P. seeks to identify the most serious juvenile offenders who repeatedly victimize the community.  Typically children who have entered our program comprise the “worst of the worst” of our juvenile offenders.  Since 1994, 298 minors, (of the tens of thousands processed by St. Clair County’s law enforcement agencies), have attained the status of Serious Habitual Offenders.  However, this small group of children committed over 2,889 delinquent acts prior to becoming S.H.O.s!

      Many of these delinquents were arrested for offences including: auto theft, burglary, battery, criminal damage to property, unlawful use/possession of a weapon and robbery.  On average in addition to having a poor school attitude and performance and coming from a single parent, dysfunctional family (with one or more parents who have an antisocial, criminal history) each of these minors broke the law approximately 9.66 times before entering this program.  The type of criminal activity in which they were involved included on average approximately: 2.66 felonies; 5.10 misdemeanors; and 1.9 status offenses.

      In the past these anti-social children were often just allowed to muddle their way through their formative years, remaining the focus of criminal justice attention and resource utilization before finally being incarcerated as an adult career criminal. 

However, S.H.O.C.A.P. now allows the police, schools, social service agencies and the courts to share information about them and coordinate their rehabilitative efforts so that these children can receive the attention that they truly deserve.  S.H.O.s are now receiving the help that they need, and as a result, the citizens of our community are safer.

      What have been the specific consequences of this program?  To say the least, the results have been quite dramatic. Throughout the history of this S.H.O.C.A.P., the 298 children that have taken part in it, curtailed their criminal ways quite dramatically, committing just 202 criminal acts while they were in S.H.O. status.

 10.              WHAT HAVE BEEN THE EFFECTS OF THE PROGRAM BEYOND THE PEOPLE AND AREAS THAT IT AFFECTS DIRECTLY.  THAT IS, HOW HAS THE PROGRAM CONTRIBUTED TO CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENTS IN OTHER AREAS?

       In the past, red tape has often inhibited much needed communication between the different agencies that are now participating in our S.H.O.C.A.P.  By coming together under its banner, participating agencies have come to realize that they all share common interests and goals and the lines of communication have now opened.  With a system of “contact persons”, layers of bureaucracy can be bypassed to overcome problems quickly and efficiently.  This has led to increased cooperation in many areas.

 11.       WHAT ARE THE MAJOR LESSONS LEARNED THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO OTHERS WHO WANT TO REPLICATE IT?

 LESSON #1

SOMETHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT JUVENILE CRIME

      There is an old proverb that states, “It takes a whole village to raise a child.”  This might not be true in all cases.  However, in St. Clair County, we have successfully combined the efforts of 75 state, county, local and private agencies to work together to effectively handle that small number of juveniles in our community that have been identified as felonious juvenile offenders. 

     Prior to S.H.O.C.A.P., seriously dysfunctional and criminally behaving juveniles were for the most part uncontrolled.  These youthful offenders were, more times than not, just laughing at the juvenile justice system believing that nothing could be done to them because they were children but now things have changed. 

     When they first enter the program, S.H.O.s are made to understand that they will be given the help that they need to turn them away from their criminal lifestyles, but that, also, they will be held accountable for their actions and punished if they re-offend.  Consequently, the vast majority of them refrain from committing any new crimes.

 LESSON #2

IT DOES NOT NECESSARILY HAVE TO COST ANYTHING TO START A S.H.O.C.A.P. 

     The Department of Juvenile Justice reports that it will typically cost $65,000 to finance the start of a program such as the Belleville-St. Clair County S.H.O.C.A.P.  However, we were able to successfully accomplish our goals without any start-up costs or funding.  We did this by utilizing existing resources to effectively focus additional attention on that handful of juveniles who repeatedly commit serious crimes with the result being that juvenile criminal activity has been reduced and St. Clair County has been made a safe place in which to live and work.

CURRENT MEMBERSHIP (YEAR AFFILIATED)

                        Alorton Police Department  (1998)

Belle Valley School District #119 (1994)

Belleville Area Special Services Cooperative (1995)

Belleville Area Teen Center (1994)

Belleville Elementary School District #118 (1994)

Belleville Police Department (1994)

Belleville Township High School District #201 (1994)

Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Southwestern Illinois (1996)

Brooklyn Police Department (1999)

Cahokia Police Department (1998)

Cahokia School District #187 (1998)

Call For Help, Inc. (1997)

Caseyville Police Department (1998)

Catholic Urban Programs (1999)

Central School District #103 (1998)

Centreville Police Department (1997)

Chestnut Health Service (1994)

Children’s Center for Behavioral Development (1997)

Children’s Home & Aid Society of Illinois (1994)

Collinsville Police Department (1998)

Collinsville Unit School District #10 (1999)

Comprehensive Mental Health Center of St. Clair County (1999)

Dupo Police Department (1998)

Dupo School District #196 (1998)

East Carondelet Police Department (1998)

East St. Louis Police Department (1998)

East St. Louis School District #189 (1999)

Fairmont City Police Department (1998)

Fairview Heights Police Department (1995)

Freeburg Elementary School District #70 (1998)

Freeburg High School District #77 (1998)

Freeburg Police Department (1998)

Gateway Foundation (1997)

Grant School District #110 (1998)

Harmony-Emge School District #175 (1994)

High Mount School District #116 (1996)

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (1994)

Illinois Department of Human Services (1999)

IL Dept of Public Aid, Div.of Child Support Enforcement (1999)

Kids Hope United (2004)

Lebanon Police Department (1997)

Lebanon School District #9 (1997)

Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House (2000)

Lovejoy School District #188 (1999)

Marissa Police Department (1998)

Marissa School District #40 (1998)

Mascoutah Police Department (1998)

Mascoutah School District #19 (1999)

Millstadt Police Department (1996)

Millstadt School District #160 (1995)

New Athens Police Department (1998)

New Athens School District #60 (1998)

O’Fallon Grade School District #90 (1998)

O’Fallon High School District #203 (1998)

O’Fallon Police Department (1998)

Pontiac/William Holliday District #105 (1996)

St. Clair County Mental Health Board (2000)

St. Clair County Probation Department (1994)

St. Clair County Regional Office of Education (1994)

St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department (1995)

St. Clair County State’s Attorney (1994)

St. Libory School District #30 (1999)

Sauget Police Department (1998)

Shiloh Police Department (1997)

Shiloh School District #85 (1999)

Signal Hill School District #181 (1994)

Smithton Police Department (1998)

Smithton School District #130 (1998)

Swansea Police Department (1996)

Treatment Alternatives for Special Clients, Inc. (1994)

Washington Park Police Department (1998)

Whiteside School District #115 (1998)

Wolf Branch School District #113 (1996)

YMCA of Southwestern Illinois (1996)

Zion Lutheran School (1996)

For further information about this exciting and innovative program please contact:

Sgt. Jim Dahm

SHOCAP Chairperson

C/o Belleville Police Department

101 South Illinois

Belleville, IL 62220

(618) 234-1212

sgtdahm@bellevillepolice.org